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04/28/2010 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jaime Garcia pitched seven shutout innings, and the St. Louis Cardinals extended Atlanta's losing streak with a 6-0 win over the Braves at Busch Stadium.
Garcia (2-1) allowed only four hits and a walk while fanning five for the Cardinals, who have won four straight games, including the first three of this four-game set. David Freese went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in, while Albert Pujols and Colby Rasmus each had a pair of hits, an RBI and a run scored in the win.
Yunel Escobar doubled and was the lone Braves player to reach third base, as Atlanta dropped its eighth straight game. Kenshin Kawakami (0-4) lasted only 4 1/3 innings, giving up five runs -- four earned -- on five hits and four walks.
The Braves' losing streak is their longest since a 10-game skid from June 11-22, 2006.
St. Louis got to Kawakami early, scoring twice in the first. Skip Schumaker led off with a single, and Ryan Ludwick's ground ball eluded the shortstop Escobar, allowing Schumaker to reach second. Pujols followed with a base hit up the middle to plate Schumaker.
Two batters later, Ludwick raced home on a wild pitch to make it 2-0.
Schumaker scored on a wild pitch with the bases loaded and nobody out in the third, but the Cardinals were unable to tack on any more runs.
St. Louis scored three more runs in the fifth to push the margin to six.
Pujols smacked a one-out double, and Matt Holliday was intentionally walked. Rasmus followed with an RBI double off Jonny Venters, and, after an intentional walk to Yadier Molina, Freese's single plated Holliday and Rasmus for a 6-0 edge.
Meanwhile, Garcia was masterful in never allowing an Atlanta player to reach third base during his outing. The Braves finally put a runner at third against Kyle McClellan in the eighth, as Escobar doubled with one out and advanced on Martin Prado's single.
McClellan, though, got Chipper Jones to fly out and Troy Glaus to strike out to end the inning. Mitchell Boggs pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the win.
Game Notes
Garcia lowered his ERA to just 1.04...The Braves have been outscored, 34-13, over their losing streak, which includes two shutouts...Atlanta has scored five runs over Kawakami's four starts...The Braves have not homered in their last eight games, a drought lasting 273 at-bats...Melky Cabrera was the lone Atlanta player with two hits.
<< Leake pitches Reds past Astros
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Rolen drove in two runs and Mike Leake
tossed seven solid innings as the Cincinnati Reds took the second game of a
three-game set from the Houston Astros, 6-4, at Minute Maid Park.
Drew Stubbs adde
<< Inge, Tigers rally past Twins
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Inge went 2-for-5 with a home run and
three RBI, and Detroit posted an 11-6 comeback win over Minnesota.
Magglio Ordonez added three hits and three RBI, while Brennan Boesch had two
doubles and dr
<< Longoria, Pena help Rays blast A's
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena each
homered, drove in two runs and scored twice, while James Shields tied a
career-high with 12 strikeouts, as the Tampa Bay Rays used a six-run fifth
inning
<< Sabathia leads Yankees past Orioles
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - CC Sabathia pitched into the eighth inning
and continued his domination of the Orioles, as the New York Yankees surged
past Baltimore, 8-3, in the second test of a three-game series.
Sabathia (3-1) was
Rangers score five in first, hold on to top ChiSox >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Hamilton hit a two-run homer as part of
a five-run first inning, as the Texas Rangers held off the Chicago White Sox,
6-5, in the middle installment of a three-game series at Rangers Ballpark.
Joaquin
Seton Hall's Pope rushed to hospital >>
South Orange, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seton Hall basketball player Herb Pope
was rushed to the hospital Wednesday after collapsing during an afternoon
workout session.
The Newark Star-Ledger reported he was rushed to St. Barnabas
Nene leaves game with knee injury >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Nuggets forward Nene left Thursday's
playoff game against Utah due to a sprained left knee.
Nene suffered the injury with nearly five minutes left in the second quarter
when he banged into the left leg of
Orioles minor leaguer Tillman tosses no-hitter >>
Lawrenceville, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Orioles minor leaguer Chris Tillman
tossed a no-hitter for Norfolk Wednesday night in a 6-0 Triple-A win over the
Gwinnett Braves.
Tillman walked one batter and had six strikeouts, throwing 63
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards
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