Cameron's single in ninth lifts Brewers past D-Backs
Baseball Betting Lines
07/03/2008 -
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Cameron's run-scoring single in the top of
the ninth inning lifted Milwaukee over Arizona, 4-3, in the third-leg of a
four-game set at Chase Field.
Cameron finished 2-for-4 with two runs batted in for the Brewers, who have won
two straight after losing the series opener. Rickie Weeks added a pinch hit
homer for Milwaukee, while J.J. Hardy was 2-for-4 with an RBI and extended his
hitting streak to 14 games.
Seth McClung allowed two runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings, while walking
one and fanning six. David Riske (1-1) earned the win despite allowing a run
in the eighth, and Salomon Torres picked up his 15th save with a scoreless
ninth.
Justin Upton homered for the Diamondbacks, who have dropped six of their past
eight games. Orlando Hudson finished 4-of-5 with a run scored.
Yusmeiro Petit, who was making his first start of the season, was terrific on
the hill but was let down by his bullpen. Petit gave up just one run on two
hits in six innings. Brandon Lyon (2-3) lost it after giving up Cameron's
single in the ninth.
With the game deadlocked at three, Milwaukee took advantage of some shoddy
fielding to take the lead. Russell Branyan reached on Mark Reynolds' fielding
error at first and Gabe Kapler quickly put him into scoring position by
laying down a sacrifice bunt. Cameron then came through his run-scoring single
that made it a 4-3 game.
The D'Backs threatened off Torres in the bottom of the ninth when Hudson led
off with a single and advanced to second on Conor Jackson's deep fly to left.
After Torres walked Reynolds, he induced Chris Young to ground into a 5-3
double play to end the game.
Arizona took an early 1-0 lead on Miguel Montero's RBI infield single in the
second.
The D'Backs added another run in the third. Hudson led off the frame with a
double to left and came around to score on Young's two-out single up the
middle.
The Brewers finally broke through with a run off Petit in the sixth. Petit
plunked Jason Kendall and McClung laid down a sac bunt to move the catcher
into scoring position before Hardy rapped a two-out RBI single to left.
Milwaukee evened things in the seventh thanks to a poor decision by Arizona
manger Bob Melvin. Doug Slaten started the inning on the hill for the D'Backs
and got two quick outs but Melvin lifted to the reliever so Chad Qualls could
match up with Kapler. The veteran outfielder laced a triple off Qualls and
Cameron followed by lining a run-scoring double to left.
The Brewers then took the lead in the eighth when Weeks led off the eighth by
taking Tony Pena over the wall in left for his eighth homer of the season.
Upton matched Weeks by leading off the home half of the frame with his 10th
home run of the year off Riske.
Game Notes
Micah Owings was scheduled to start for Arizona, but after experiencing
tightness in his glute as the result of covering first base in Friday's start
versus Florida, he had his start skipped. Owings struggled during a bullpen
session yesterday...After opening the season 20-8, the Diamondbacks have gone
22-35 since...The Brewers are 11-3 in their last 14 encounters with Arizona.
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Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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