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08/22/2010 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bronson Arroyo twirled seven strong innings to help the Cincinnati Reds take a 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the finale of a three-game set.
Arroyo (14-7) gave up just two runs on seven hits with six strikeouts for the Reds, who have won eight of their last nine. Joey Votto went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, three RBI and two runs scored while Ryan Hanigan drove in a pair in the win.
"I didn't have overwhelming command today," said Arroyo. "But I did get them to hit the ball where our guys were at. In the sixth, I still had some gas in the tank but I told them to watch me. It's nice to win here."
With the win, the Reds maintained their 3 1/2 games lead over the Cardinals for first place in the NL Central.
A.J. Ellis went 3-for-3 with an RBI while Matt Kemp added a solo home run for the Dodgers, who were looking for their first series win since taking two of three against Washington from August 6-8.
Clayton Kershaw (11-8) was saddled with the loss as he was charged with three runs on five hits with five walks and 11 strikeouts over seven innings.
"Clayton settled down after the first inning," said Dodgers manager Joe Torre. "But when you don't put up runs it puts a lot of stress on our pitchers. We struggled against a pretty good pitcher today."
The Reds jumped on top in the first inning. Brandon Phillips led off with a single and, after Miguel Cairo struck out, back-to-back walks to Votto and Jonny Gomes loaded the bases. Chris Heisey then struck out, but Hanigan punched a two-run single to center for a 2-0 lead.
The Dodgers got one back in the second when Kemp led off the frame with a blast over the center field wall, his 21st home run of the season.
The score remained that way until the fifth when Los Angeles tied the game. With one out, Casey Blake singled and Jamey Carroll followed with a base hit. Ellis then stroked a single to center to make it a 2-2 game.
Cincinnati, though, took the lead right back as Votto led off the sixth with a shot to left, his 29th homer of the season, for a 3-2 advantage.
Arroyo worked around a leadoff single in the sixth then threw a scoreless seventh before handing the ball to Nick Masset, who tossed a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
The Reds gave themselves some insurance in the ninth as Votto's two-run single off Jonathan Broxton with the bases loaded made it a 5-2 game.
Francisco Cordero set the Dodgers down in order in the ninth to pick up his 34th save of the season.
Game Notes
Cincinnati continues its nine-game road trip in San Francisco on Monday...The Reds won the season series, 5-4...The Dodgers hit the road and begin a three- game series in Milwaukee on Tuesday...It was Cincinnati's first series win in Los Angeles since May 14-16, 2004...Arroyo is 3-4 against the Dodgers in his career.
<< Buchholz, Red Sox shut down Blue Jays
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Clay Buchholz tossed six scoreless frames and
Bill Hall hit a two-run homer as Boston shut down Toronto, 5-0, in the rubber
match of a three-game series at Fenway Park.
David Ortiz added two hits and an RBI
<< Longoria, Garza help Rays edge A's
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Longoria's two-run double supported Matt
Garza's solid outing as Tampa Bay clipped Oakland, 3-2, in the finale of a
four-game set.
Kelly Shoppach drove in the other run for the Rays, who won the
<< Chacin splendid in pitching Rox past DBacks
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dexter Fowler went 2-for-3 and drove in the
only run of the game in the eighth inning, as Colorado edged Arizona, 1-0, to
avoid a three-game sweep at Chase Field.
Jhoulys Chacin (6-9) was sensational on
<< Oswalt solid, Polanco and Ibanez fuel offense as Phils blank Nats
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Placido Polanco went 2-for-3 and drove in
a pair of runs and Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer to back seven shutout
innings from Roy Oswalt in Philadelphia's 6-0 win over Washington to close out
a three
Power dominant at Sonoma, increases points lead >>
Sonoma, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One year after his serious crash at Infineon
Raceway nearly ended his IZOD IndyCar Series career, Will Power put on a
dominating performance to win the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma at this 2.303-mile
road co
Rain postpones play in New Haven >>
New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Persistent rain forced the postponement of
six first-round matches Sunday at the $750,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event, a final
hardcourt U.S. Open tune-up.
Donald Young was leading Stephane Robert, 2-1, and Ev
Angels put Izturis on DL >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim placed
infielder Maicer Izturis on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday with
inflammation and soreness in the lower region of his right shoulder.
This is the t
Bufflo Bills >>
Placed linebacker Danny Batten and wide receiver Marcus Easley on injured reserve.
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.
Sportsbook refunded tens of thousands of dollars to customers who bet on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, the three teams that stunk up the field so badly that their fans and backers never had a chance to get up from their couches and cheer. In the spirit of the low scoring start to the season, odds makers at the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino have set odds on how many total shutouts there will be this season.
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.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
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