07/04/2008 - San Francisco, CA (Baseball Betting) - Andre Ethier went 3-for-6 with a homer and three runs batted in, and the Los Angeles Dodgers outslugged the San Francisco Giants, 10-7, in an Independence Day matchup between the NL West rivals.
Nomar Garciaparra returned from the disabled list and went 2-for-4, drove in two and scored for the Dodgers, who have won four straight. Andruw Jones also returned from the DL for LA but wasn't as successful, striking out four times in an 0-for-5 day.
Derek Lowe (6-8) won despite allowing five runs -- four earned -- on eight hits in five innings.
Aaron Rowand went 3-for-4 and drove in two for the Giants, who have split their last six games. Osiris Matos (0-1) took the loss after allowing five runs and four hits in only two-thirds of an inning. Starter Jonathan Sanchez gave up five hits and three runs in five frames, with seven strikeouts and three walks.
The Dodgers turned a two-run deficit into a three-run lead with their five-run sixth. Delwyn Young's pinch-hit RBI single to right plated one run, and after Matt Kemp fanned for the second out, three straight doubles put LA in front. Ethier's double to right scored two runs, and Russell Martin and Jeff Kent followed with two-baggers to left, each driving in a run.
Jones finally struck out, but not before the Dodgers took an 8-5 lead.
Garciaparra's RBI double to left with two outs in the eighth pushed LA up 9-5, but Bengie Molina got that run back with an RBI single to center in the home half of the frame. The Giants loaded the bases later in the inning with no outs, but Rich Aurilia grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.
One run scored on the play to cut the deficit to 9-7, but Omar Vizquel popped out to end the inning.
Andy LaRoche's second homer of the season, a shot to center to lead off the ninth, gave the Dodgers a three-run lead, and Takashi Saito tossed a perfect bottom half for his 15th save.
The Giants jumped on top with two runs in the first. A throwing error by Lowe allowed Ray Durham to score on an infield single by Randy Winn, and Aaron Rowand singled in Winn with two outs for a 2-0 lead.
Lowe led off the third with a single to left, Sanchez walked Kemp, and Ethier singled to right to load the bases. Sanchez walked Martin to force in one run, but got the next two outs. He then issued another walk, to Garciaparra, knotting the game at 2-2 before James Loney flied out to end the threat.
With Fred Lewis at third and Winn at first with one out in the third, the two runners executed a double steal. On the throw to second Lewis took off for home, and both runners were safe, putting the Giants on top. Rowand's ground-rule double to left plated Winn for a 4-2 San Francisco lead.
Lewis' RBI double to left gave the Giants a three-run lead in the fourth, but Ethier's leadoff homer to center in the fifth pulled the Dodgers back within two runs.
Game Notes
To clear roster spots for the two veterans the Dodgers placed infielder Mark Sweeney on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring, optioned outfielder Jason Repko to Triple-A Las Vegas, and transferred infielder Rafael Furcal from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL on Friday. Sweeney is hitting a paltry .094 with three RBI in 60 games. Repko went 0-for-7 in a brief call-up from the minors. Furcal underwent surgery on his back on Thursday...Jones' 0- for-5 day dropped his batting average to .159.
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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 Nick Mangold (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. 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 Reggie Williams 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.
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MySportsbook.com refunds all bets on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay from NFL week one.
(September 14) – Week one of NFL action saw three teams go scoreless for the first time since 1977. Another four were unable to get a touchdown and almost half of the underdogs covered the spread. Those three teams saved bettors at MySportsbook.com from losing out completely, thanks to the company’s unique NFL Shutout Rule -- which ensures that if the team you backed goes scoreless, your wager is refunded.
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MySportsbook.com has posted updated sports betting lines for week two of the season. Ben Roethlisberger’s health status is still questionable, so Willie Parker will try to lead Pittsburgh again as they travel to Jacksonville as a one point favorite. After beating up on his little brother last week, Peyton Manning will look to lead the Colts to victory against Houston. Indianapolis is a whopping 13.5 favorite in the match-up.
Seattle, last year’s highest scoring team, showed the power of their defense with their gritty 9-6 win in Motown over the ravenous Lions. They take their act back home to the comforts of Qwest Field where they will face the resurgent Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks are favored by a touchdown.
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