Jones homers twice as Pirates down Rockies
Baseball Betting Lines
07/29/2010 -
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Garrett Jones homered twice as part of a four-
hit night and drove in three runs as the Pirates overcame an early injury to
pitcher Ross Ohlendorf to beat the Colorado Rockies, 6-2, at Coors Field.
Neil Walker added a two-run single as Pittsburgh posted back-to-back road wins
for the first time since May 14-15 against the Cubs.
Ohlendorf was struck in the head by a line drive off the bat of Troy
Tulowitzki in the first inning. With a runner at third and two outs,
Tulowitzki lined a ball off the side of Ohlendorf's head and the ball bounced
into right field. Carlos Gonzalez scored on the play for a 1-0 Colorado lead.
Ohlendorf went to a local hospital, but a CT scan came up negative and he was
diagnosed with a contusion and abrasion.
Sean Gallagher (1-0) fanned four batters over three innings to get the win.
Aaron Cook (4-7) allowed six hits and five runs over 2 1/3 innings to drop his
second straight start.
Gonazlez homered for the Rockies, who have lost eight in a row, their longest
skid since dropping the same amount, June 22-30, 2008.
Jones broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning Tuesday night with a go-ahead run-
scoring double, on the way to a 4-2 victory. He led off the second Wednesday
night with a homer to right field, and the Pirates scored four times in the
third. Gallagher walked with one out and Andrew McCutchen reached safely on a
single. Jose Tabata legged out an infield hit and Walker followed with a two-
run hit to center. Jones and Pedro Alvarez each added RBI singles, signaling
the end for Cook as he was replaced by Manuel Corpas.
Gonzalez homered to right off the facade of the upper deck leading off the
bottom of the sixth against Javier Lopez, getting the Rockies within 5-2, but
Jones sent a Randy Flores offering over the wall in right to begin the eighth.
Game Notes
The Pirates tied a season-high by homering in a fourth straight game...Seth
Smith had three hits for the Rockies, who left nine men on base...Pittsburgh
has won just three of the last 12 games in Denver.
<< Cardinals edge Mets in 13 innings
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Albert Pujols drove in the go-ahead run with a
single in the top of the 13th inning, as the St. Louis Cardinals snuck past
the New York Mets, 8-7, in the second test of a three-game series from Citi
Field.
<< Yankees rough up Carmona, Tribe
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Teixeira and Brett Gardner each had two
hits and two runs batted in, as the New York Yankees roughed up Fausto Carmona
in an 8-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians.
Robinson Cano doubled and slugged
<< White Sox edge Mariners for 10th straight home win
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rios singled home the go-ahead run in the
bottom of the seventh inning, and the Chicago White Sox came away with a 6-5
victory over Seattle in the third test of a four-game series at U.S. Cellular
Field.
<< United dominates MLS All-Stars in front of record crowd
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Major League Soccer All-Stars fell to
English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United, 5-2, on Wednesday night
in front of 70,728 fans at Reliant Stadium - the fourth-largest crowd to
witness
<< Report: Wizards re-sign F Josh Howard
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards have reached
agreement on a one-year deal with free agent forward Josh Howard.
According to TNT analyst David Aldridge, the deal could pay the veteran up to
$4 million if he
Body of missing Lorenzen Wright found >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The body of Lorenzen Wright, who had been
missing since last week, has been found by law enforcement officials.
According to The Commercial Appeal, the body of Wright, a former Memphis
basketball s
Report: Astros have deal in place to send Oswalt to Phillies >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros reportedly have a deal in
place to send starting pitcher Roy Oswalt to the Philadelphia Phillies.
FOX 26 in Houston reports the only thing standing in the way is for the right-
hander to
Richard shines as Padres down Dodgers >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jerry Hairston Jr. drove in three runs and
Clayton Richard was solid in six innings on the mound, as the San Diego Padres
took down the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-1, in the middle installment of a three-
game se
Stosur into quarterfinals in Stanford >>
Stanford, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Australian Samantha Stosur moved
into the quarterfinals at the $700,000 Bank of the West Classic tennis event
with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over American qualifier Christina McHale.
Stosur, who los
Pitino to face more questions in extortion case >>
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino is used to answering questions from reporters.On Thursday, Pitino faces questions unlike anything he's answered at a press conference.Pitino will retake the stand in the trial of woman ac
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds
According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.
Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet. The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.
MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State. Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.
Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL. In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
ODDS TO WIN THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Notre Dame
Ohio State
West Virginia
Texas
USC
Florida
California
Auburn
Oklahoma
Iowa
Louisville
Florida State
Michigan
Miami (FL)
LSU
Penn State
Virginia Tech
Nebraska
Tennessee
Georgia
Arizona State
Oregon
Clemson
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Alabama
Arkansas
Boston College
Michigan State
Maryland
South Carolina
Colorado
Purdue
Georgia Tech
TCU
UCLA
Arizona
Pittsburgh
Iowa State
Wisconsin
North Carolina State
Virginia
North Carolina
Fresno State
Hawaii
Northwestern
BYU
Oregon State
UNLV
Field (Any Other Team) |
5-1
7-1
8-1
8-1
8-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
18-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
70-1
70-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
150-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
250-1
250-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
400-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
1000-1
1000-1
40-1 |
ODDS TO WIN ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Miami (FL)
Florida State
Virginia Tech
Clemson
Georgia Tech
Boston College
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina State
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Duke |
2-1
2-1
3-1
7-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
50-1
500-1 |
ODDS TO WIN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Texas
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Texas Tech
Colorado
Iowa State
Texas A&M
Kansas State
Missouri
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State |
7-5
9-5
9-2
12-1
14-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
35-1
100-1
100-1 |
ODDS TO WIN SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Auburn
Florida
LSU
Georgia
Tennessee
Arkansas
Alabama
Mississippi
South Carolina
Mississippi State
Kentucky
Vanderbilt |
5-2
11-4
4-1
6-1
7-1
7-1
9-1
20-1
28-1
75-1
100-1
300-1 |
For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.
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