Padres end skid at 10, nip Dodgers to stay alone in first
Baseball Betting Lines
09/07/2010 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Hundley homered and drove in two runs, and the Padres snapped a 10-game skid with a 4-2 win over the Dodgers to barely maintain first place in the NL West.
The San Francisco Giants threatened to put the division in a virtual tie after beating Arizona, 2-0, in 11 innings earlier Monday, but the Padres ended their longest losing streak since a franchise-record 13-game string in 1994 to keep a one-game edge.
David Eckstein added an insurance sacrifice fly in the seventh inning for San Diego, which used seven pitchers in the opener of this three-game series. Tim Stauffer lasted four frames in the emergency start for Mat Latos, who was scratched due to the stomach flu. Mike Adams (3-1) pitched 1 2/3 frames for the win and Heath Bell threw the ninth inning for 38th save of the season. He's converted 25 straight save chances, but didn't have an opportunity for one since August 19 at Wrigley Field when the Padres beat the Cubs.
Vicente Padilla (6-5) was charged with five hits and three runs over four innings, as the Dodgers lost for the fifth time in six contests.
The Dodgers had their chances in the sixth and seventh, but didn't capitalize in big situations and finished the night by going 1-for-8 with men in scoring position. They left two men on base in each inning between the fourth and seventh.
Trailing 3-1 in the sixth, the Dodgers put men on first and second with no outs, but Ryan Webb fanned Matt Kemp. Ryan Theriot grounded out, and Brad Ausmus left two men in scoring position when he grounded back to the mound.
Scott Podsednik hit his first homer in a Dodger uniform in the seventh off Luke Gregerson, but Adams escaped a jam later in the frame. With men on first and second, he fanned Andre Ethier to end the inning.
Aaron Cunningham doubled off Jonathan Broxton in the seventh and scored on Eckstein's fly ball to center.
The Dodgers didn't have a man on base in the final two innings.
Hundley hit the first pitch of the bottom of the third over the wall in left, but Ethier's single scored James Loney in the fourth. Theriot lined out to keep runners on first and second to end the inning.
The Padres loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fourth, and a fielder's choice grounder from Will Venable scored Adrian Gonzalez. It became 3-1 when Hundley singled in Miguel Tejada.
Loney popped out to leave two runners on base in the fifth.
Game Notes
The Dodgers hold a 7-6 edge in the season series...Earlier Monday, the Padres selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Mike Baxter from Triple-A Portland and designated pitcher Steve Garrison for assignment...The Dodgers recalled pitchers John Ely and Jon Link as well as infielder Chin-lung Hu. The club also purchased the contracts of 33-year-old first baseman John Lindsey and 25-year-old third baseman Russ Mitchell from Triple-A Albuquerque. Lindsey will make his major league debut sometime this month after a 15-year minor league career with four organizations.
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Super Bowl 2009 Betting
Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog 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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