05/11/2008 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Bannister was virtually untouchable through eight innings as the Kansas City Royals avoided a four- game sweep with a 4-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Bannister (4-4) took the win after allowing just two hits, two walks and striking out five batters in his time on the hill.
Jose Guillen and Billy Butler each collected a pair of hits and a run batted in for the Royals, who have posted wins in just two of their last seven contests. Alex Gordon and Mark Teahen accounted for the other Kansas City RBI.
Guillermo Quiroz and Luke Scott had the only hits for Baltimore, which saw its three-game win streak halted.
Orioles starter Brian Burres (3-4) absorbed the loss after he was roughed up for four runs on nine hits in six innings of work.
Kansas City took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Guillen and Butler led off with back-to-back singles, and Teahen followed with an RBI single.
The Royals tacked on another run in the third. Gordon clubbed a single and crossed home when Guillen doubled off the wall in left field.
Joey Gathright walked to lead off the seventh inning, and David DeJesus clubbed a single and made it second and third on the throw. Dennis Sarfate then came on in relief and surrendered a single to Mark Grudzielanek which loaded the bases. Gordon hit into a force out at second, scoring Gathright. One batter later, Butler singled to left to plate DeJesus, and the Royals were sitting on a 4-0 cushion.
Joakim Soria came on in the ninth and got Melvin Mora to pop out, Nick Markakis to go down swinging and Aubrey Huff flied out to center to end the game.
Game Notes
Baltimore had won 12 straight encounters with the Royals prior to Sunday's defeat...Time of game was 2:36...Attendance was 18,635.
<< Beltran, Mets blast Reds
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Beltran hit a two-run home run and
an RBI double, and the New York Mets downed the Cincinnati Reds, 8-3, in the
rubber match at Shea Stadium.
Oliver Perez (3-3) went six innings, holding the Re
<< Rockies call up prospect Reynolds, option struggling Redman
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies sent scuffling pitcher
Mark Redman to the minor leagues on Sunday, while calling up top prospect Greg
Reynolds to start their game against the San Diego Padres.
Reynolds went 1-2 with
<< Vintage Sorenstam romps in Williamsburg
Williamsburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After a year filled with injury, Annika
Sorenstam proved she is back to her old form on Sunday.
Sorenstam fired a five-under 66 to cruise to a seven-shot win at the Michelob
Ultra Open at Kingsmill. Sh
<< Rockies send struggling Redman to minors
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies sent scuffling pitcher
Mark Redman to the minor leagues on Sunday, calling up Greg Reynolds to start
their game against the San Diego Padres.
The 34-year-old left-hander, who is 2-3
Braun leads Brew Crew past Cards >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun's fourth career multi-homer
game helped the Milwaukee Brewers to a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in
the third of a four-game set at Miller Park.
Jeff Suppan (2-2) gave up one run
Crawford's HR carries Rays to sweep of Angels >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Crawford blasted the go-ahead
three-run homer in the sixth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays used 15 hits to
beat the Angels, 8-5, completing a three-game weekend sweep.
Crawford had three h
Gagne relieved of closing duties for Brewers >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost announced
before Sunday's 5-3 win over St. Louis that Eric Gagne had been relieved of
his closer duties and will approach the ends of games with a closer-by-
committ
Atletico Madrid pulls level with Barcelona >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Diego Forlan scored as Atletico Madrid edged
Deportivo, 1-0, to pull even in points with third-place Barcelona, which blew
a two-goal lead in a 3-2 loss to Mallorca on Sunday in the Spanish La Liga.
Atletic
MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds
With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.
Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy. A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:
| Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame) Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma) Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State) Michael Bush (RB, Louisville) Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia) Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville) Chris Leak (QB, Florida) Mike Hart (RB, Michigan) Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State) Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame) Drew Tate (QB, Iowa) Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal) Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn) Chad Henne (QB, Michigan) Kyle Wright (QB, Miami) Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State) Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama) JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU) Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State) Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina) Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech) |
5-2 7-2 7-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 18-1 18-1 20-1 30-1 35-1 35-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 |
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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