Thome's HR in 10th pushes Twins' division lead to four

Baseball Betting Lines

08/18/2010 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Thome played hero against his former team, drilling a two-run homer off Matt Thornton in the 10th inning, as the Twins edged Chicago, 7-6, to widen their lead to four games over the White Sox in the AL Central.

Alexei Ramirez hit the tying homer off Matt Capps to start the ninth inning and then singled in Brent Lillibridge with the go-ahead run in the 10th for Chicago, but Thome delivered in a big spot to send Minnesota to its fifth straight win.

Delmon Young singled to center to start the bottom of the 10th and Thome, who played for nearly four full seasons (2006-09) for the White Sox, then clobbered an 0-1 pitch from Thornton (3-4) into the crowd beyond the wall in right field.

Thome's 581 career home runs rank 10th on baseball's all-time list, two behind Mark McGwire.

After the game, Thome received a celebratory shaving cream pie to the face while he was being interviewed on the field.

"With them (White Sox) you take it day-by-day, you don't get ahead of yourselves," Thome said. "Any time you can gain ground or gain a game in the standings against a team like that, they can get hot like they did and run off a win streak. Our big thing is to keep the approach we have every day and stay true to our approach. Each of us knows our role and we've done a nice job with that."

Orlando Hudson and Young both homered off starter John Danks. Thome had three hits and drove in three runs in Minnesota's biggest win yet at new Target Field. Young also had three hits as the Twins moved to 9-4 this season against the White Sox.

Ron Mahay (1-1) retired the final batter in the top of the 10th to get the win in the opener of the big three-game series.

Paul Konerko and Mark Kotsay also homered for the White Sox, who lost for the seventh time in nine games.

Young homered to left field in the fifth, putting the Twins up 5-4.

Thornton escaped a jam in the eighth by retiring Denard Span on a fly ball to center, leaving runners at the corners.

Ramirez then homered to left field, but the White Sox lost an opportunity to add to their lead after loading the bases. Konerko, though, grounded into a 4-6-3 double play with first baseman Michael Cuddyer digging a low throw out of the dirt.

Kotsay and A.J. Pierzynski each singled in the 10th. Ramirez singled beyond diving shortstop J.J. Hardy to give Chicago the short-lived lead.

Hudson homered to left-center in the first inning, Kubel added a two-run triple just after singles from Joe Mauer and Cuddyer. Thome singled in Kubel later in the frame.

Konerko and Kotsay went deep in the second for a 4-3 game.

Thome was thrown out at the plate trying to score on Danny Valencia's double to end the third, and the White Sox tied it in the fourth on Pierzynski's RBI double.

Twins starter Scott Baker loaded the bases in the fifth, but Glen Perkins got Kotsay on a ground ball to keep the game tied.

"We fought back," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "They're playing hard, they played very good. The only thing you can do is go out and get them tomorrow."

Game Notes

Hardy missed the previous four games with a sore wrist...Danks allowed 11 hits over his seven innings...Baker yielded four hits in 4 2/3 frames...Chicago left 10 men on base and Minnesota nine.

Drho8888 Baseball Betting News

<< Top seeded Jankovic falls in Montreal
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Iveta Benesova, a qualifier from the Czech Republic, upended top-seeded Jelena Jankovic, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, Tuesday at the $2 million Rogers Cup, a U.S. Open tune-up. The event is being played on the hardcou

<< Greinke helps Royals edge Indians
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wilson Betemit and Yuniesky Betancourt each hit a home run to back six strong innings from Zack Greinke, as the Kansas City Royals edged the Cleveland Indians, 2-1, in opener of a three-game set. Greink

<< Pettitte, A-Rod each get MRIs
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and pitcher Andy Pettitte both had MRI exams taken on Tuesday. Rodriguez, who departed Monday's game against Detroit and sat out Tuesday's contest, underwent an

<< Garland, Padres edge Cubs
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Garland threw seven scoreless innings and out-pitched Chicago starter Randy Wells to help the San Diego Padres edge the Cubs, 1-0, in a pitchers' duel at Wrigley Field. Garland (12-8) allowed four hits a

<< McGehee, Bush lead Brewers over Cardinals
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Casey McGehee hit a two-run homer and Dave Bush was solid in six innings on the mound, as the Milwaukee Brewers held off the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2, in the opener of a brief two-game set at Busch Stadium

Royals put Bannister on DL >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals have placed pitcher Brian Bannister on the 15-day disabled list because of right rotator cuff tendinitis. Bannister has not pitched since August 2. In 22 starts this season, the

Rolen, Arroyo help Reds top D'Backs >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Rolen went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in to back Bronson Arroyo's solid performance on the mound, as the Cincinnati Reds rallied from an early two-run deficit to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-2, in

A's surge late to beat Jays >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coco Crisp went 3-for-4 with a walk and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, as the Oakland Athletics rallied for a 6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the middle contest of a three-game series.

Kershaw pitches Dodgers past Rockies >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Clayton Kershaw pitched seven scoreless innings to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-0 win over the Colorado Rockies in the opener of a three-game series. Kershaw (11-7) allowed five hits and recorde

Hurricanes' Thomas granted extra year >>
Coral Gables, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami-Florida forward Adrian Thomas was given an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA after injuries cost him nearly two full seasons. Thomas suffered back-to-back season-ending injuries four gam

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.


Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog 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.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard