Walker leads 17-hit attack, Pirates finally beat Astros

Baseball Betting Lines

07/17/2010 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Neil Walker collected three hits, scored three times and knocked in a pair of runs as Pittsburgh pounded out 17 hits in a 12-6 win over Houston in the middle meeting of a three-game set.

Jose Tabata and Lastings Milledge each had two hits and knocked in a pair of runs, while Garrett Jones, Pedro Alvarez, Erik Kratz and Ronny Cedeno also had a pair of hits apiece to help the Pirates snap a seven-game losing streak.

Javier Lopez (2-1) earned the win by recording the final out in the fifth inning. Brendan Donnelly, Evan Meek, Joel Hanrahan and Octavio Dotel then combined to retire the final 12 Houston hitters in succession to sew up Pittsburgh's first win over Houston in eight tries this season.

Bud Norris (2-7) took the loss after being charged with seven runs -- four earned -- on nine hits while walking two and striking out four over 4 2/3 innings for Houston, which has dropped three out of five.

The Pirates, who had been scored on in the first inning in six of their last seven games, turned the tables on Houston in the first to take the early lead.

Tabata reached on a Chris Johnson throwing error with one out, moved to third base on a Walker single and scored on Jones' double to right field. Alvarez struck out before Milledge lashed a two-run single to center to cap off the three-run rally.

The lead didn't last long, as Hunter Pence led off the second inning by belting Ross Ohlendorf's second pitch of the second inning over the wall in left-center field for his 13th home run of the year.

Johnson was then hit by a pitch, moved to second on a Jason Castro single and came in to score on a double by Angel Sanchez. Norris legged out a bunt base hit to load the bases for Michael Bourn, who doubled to left to plate two runs to give the visitors their first lead at 4-3. Lance Berkman walked to reload the bases with one out and spell the end of the night for Ohlendorf.

D.J. Carrasco took over and got Carlos Lee to ground into an inning-ending double play. Ohlendorf was charged with four runs on five hits and a pair of walks, while striking out one, in the shortest start of his career.

The Buccos responded in their half of the frame with a two-run double by Tabata to center that put them back in the lead by one.

Carrasco retired the first eight batters he faced before Berkman walked with one out in the fifth and advanced to second base on a two-out single by Pence that chased the right-hander from the hill.

Lopez was called on by skipper John Russell but the move backfired when Johnson doubled into the alley in left-center to drive in both runners and put the Astros back in front, 6-5. Castro then lined out to end the inning.

The see-saw affair tilted back in favor of the Pirates for good in the bottom of the inning, as Cedeno singled in the tying run with two outs and knocked Norris out of the game. Chris Sampson took over and gave up a pinch-hit single to Ryan Church that plated Erik Kratz to move the home team back on top, 7-6.

Gustavo Chacin assumed the hill for the Astros in the home sixth and gave up a one-out double to Tabata that was followed by Walker's run-scoring single. Pence misplayed the ball in right field, allowing Walker to advance to third, from where he scored on a wild pitch to push the Pirates lead to 9-6.

The home side dashed any hopes of a comeback with three runs in the eighth off Casey Daigle on RBI hits by Walker, Alvarez and Kratz, who drove in the first run of his career.

Game Notes

The Astros had held the Pirates to 15 runs in the first seven meetings before Saturday...Houston right-hander Felipe Paulino, who was scheduled to start Tuesday at Wrigley Field, instead will return to Houston to undergo an MRI on Sunday and then be examined by the Astros medical staff on Monday...He has been on the disabled list since June 21 with right shoulder tendinitis, which flared up again during a Friday workout in Pittsburgh...The Pirates, who drew better than 36,000 Saturday night, improved to 6-1 playing in front of home crowds of 30,000 or more...Kratz picked up the first two hits of his career. Alvarez has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games...Pence extended his hitting streak to a season-high eight games.

Lesseters Baseball Betting News

<< Covello still leads suspended Players Cup
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Covello is one-over through 11 holes, but is still in the first during Saturday's suspended third round of The Players Cup. Covello is nine-under par for the championship and one shot ahead

<< Volquez solid in return to mound; Reds rout Rockies
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edinson Volquez made a triumphant return to the mound in his first start in more than a year and was backed by four home runs, as the Reds crushed the Rockies, 8-1, at Great American Ball Park. Volqu

<< One More Laugh captures Meadowlands Pace
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One More Laugh, driven by Tim Tetrick, turned the tables on Rock N Roll Heaven to win Saturday's $1 million Meadowlands Pace at The Meadowlands. The three-year-old gelding covered the mile in

<< Youkilis' sac fly lifts Red Sox over Rangers in 11th
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Youkilis' sacrifice fly in the 11th inning gave the Boston Red Sox a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers in the third contest of a four-game set from Fenway Park. With Alexi Ogando (3-1) on the mo

<< Wambach leads U.S. women over Sweden
East Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Abby Wambach scored two goals to lead the United States women's national team to a 3-0 win over Sweden on Saturday night in a friendly at Rentschler Field. Megan Rapinoe opened the scoring in the 34th min

FC Dallas snaps Real's 10-game unbeaten streak >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brek Shea and Atiba Harris scored in the second half and FC Dallas snapped Real Salt Lake's 10-game unbeaten streak with a 2-0 win Saturday night at Pizza Hut Park. Shea opened the scoring in the 69th minute an

Edwards spins out Keselowski and takes Gateway win >>
Madison, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The feud between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski in NASCAR reached another boiling point on Saturday when Edwards spun out Keselowski for the lead coming out of the final turn of the last lap to win

Kansas City holds on for draw at Colorado >>
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Davy Arnaud scored in the 20th minute and the Kansas City Wizards held on for a 1-1 draw against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Kansas City earned its first road win

Rivera's HR lifts Angels to win over M's >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Rivera went 3-for-4 and hit the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, lifting the Angels to a 7-6 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Mike Napoli went 2-for-4 with a home run for the Angels, who had

Sandoval, Giants handle Mets >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pablo Sandoval went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored as the San Francisco Giants took an 8-4 decision over the New York Mets in the third of a four-game set. Buster Posey hit a solo home run an

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.

New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).

The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.

Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.

Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.

The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.

Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.

The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.

Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.

However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).

The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.

Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.

In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.

Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.

MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your nfl football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.