Braun delivers in extras to end Brewers skid
Baseball Betting Lines
07/09/2010 -
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun lined an opposite-field single
over Ryan Church's head in right field to score Rickie Weeks with the game-
winning run in the 10th inning, as the Brewers earned a 5-4 comeback win over
the Pirates in the opener of a three-game series.
Braun, who earlier in the game snapped out of an 0-for-19 slump, came up with
runners on first and second and two outs after Evan Meek (4-3) intentionally
walked Prince Fielder and struck the game-winner to end Milwaukee's five-game
slide. Weeks scored without a play at the plate.
"It felt really good. It's been a tough stretch for me and a tough stretch for
the team, so it was a big victory," Braun said. "There's a lot of season left,
and we just want to focus on playing better baseball."
Fielder added a solo homer and Corey Hart had a two-run blast in the win,
which was credited to John Axford (4-1) after he struck out Pedro Alvarez and
Ryan Doumit to strand a runner on third in the top of the 10th.
Doug Davis, in his first start since May 10, surrendered four runs on seven
hits and three walks over five innings for Milwaukee, while his counterpart,
Paul Maholm, held the Brewers to two runs on three hits and a pair of walks in
a seven-inning no-decision.
Andrew McCutchen went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI, and Lastings
Milledge added two hits with a solo shot for the Pirates, losers of four
straight overall.
Milwaukee's offense was relatively silent after Hart's two-run blast in the
first inning, though Fielder's moonshot to right in the eighth off Joel
Hanrahan cut the Brewers' deficit to 4-3.
With Octavio Dotel on the hill to start the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Gomez
reached base on a one-out bunt single, stole second and moved to third when
Doumit's throw went to center field.
George Kottaras followed with a triple down the right-field line to tie it and
nearly scored the winning run seconds later, as Dotel's pitch got away from
Doumit. However, the ball was quickly recovered by the catcher, and Kottaras
was thrown out at the plate in plenty of time.
"The guys we ran out there in the eighth, ninth and 10th have done the job all
year, but tonight they each gave up a run," Pirates manager John Russell said
of his bullpen. "You don't see that very often. Unfortunately it happened
tonight. It's a shame."
Trailing 2-0, Ronny Cedeno doubled starting the third and scored two batters
later on McCutchen's base hit to left.
Milledge tied it, 2-2, in the fourth with his second homer of the season, and
McCutchen's leadoff blast the next frame gave the visitors the lead. Jose
Tabata singled after the round-tripper and scored on Pedro Alvarez's two-out
double to right for a 4-2 score.
Game Notes
Davis had been on the disabled list due to chest pain...Tabata also had two
hits for Pittsburgh, which had won three of the previous four over the Brewers
after losing the first four meetings by a 53-4 margin...The Pirates went 2-
for-11 with runners in scoring position.
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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.
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