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05/28/2010 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Kubel slugged a pair of home runs and drove in five while Nick Blackburn worked effectively over seven innings, as the Twins avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees with an 8-2 win at Target Field.
The combination of Kubel and Blackburn (6-1) again proved to be the right elixir for Minnesota's struggles against New York. The Yankees' lone loss to the Twins over the last two seasons came back on May 16 at Yankee Stadium when Kubel belted a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning off Mariano Rivera and Blackburn hurled seven strong innings in the eventual 6-3 triumph.
On Thursday, Blackburn limited New York to two runs on nine hits and did not issue a walk, while Kubel added an RBI double and scored three times. Justin Morneau went 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI for Minnesota, which notched only its second win in the series in the last 15 meetings -- including a New York sweep of last year's AL Divisional matchup.
"It's always good to scratch out any wins against these guys. We lost a couple close games (this series), and we have the last two years. It's a good way to end the series," Blackburn said.
Javier Vazquez (3-5) labored through 5 2/3 innings, giving up five runs on eight hits and three walks while reaching 112 pitches. Robinson Cano knocked in both Yankee runs with a double and a single.
New York had posted one-run victories in each of the first two matchups after dropping five of six coming into this set.
"We won two games, I don't want to overlook that. We beat a very good Minnesota team two out of three," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
The Twins had dropped three in a row and six of their last eight tilts as the game got underway, but got to Vazquez for an early 3-0 edge.
The Twins manufactured a first-inning run when Orlando Hudson worked a one-out walk, took third on a Joe Mauer single and scored on Morneau's sacrifice fly.
Michael Cuddyer led off the second frame with a double into the gap in right center and Kubel followed suit to make it 2-0. J.J. Hardy then singled to put runners at the corners and Alexi Casilla brought in Kubel with a double- play ball.
Blackburn, meanwhile, retired seven in a row beginning with a double-play ball off the bat of Alex Rodriguez to end the first. Brett Gardner began the fourth with a base hit, moved up on an error and crossed home on Cano's single to center.
Hudson tripled leading off the home fifth and later scored on a Jim Thome sacrifice fly. New York countered in the sixth on doubles by Mark Teixeira and Cano for a 4-2 game.
Kubel took care of the rest, though, extending the lead to three with a leadoff blast deep to right-center in the bottom half.
"I left a couple of hangers to Kubel. The first couple of innings my command wasn't there," remarked Vazquez.
With two out in the seventh, Kubel lined a 3-2 fastball just over a set of overhanging seats in right field for a three-run homer to cap a nine- pitch at-bat against Chad Gaudin.
The Twins cruised from there behind scoreless innings from relievers Jose Mijares and Alex Burnett.
Game Notes
Blackburn has won each of his five starts this month and lasted at least seven innings in each. The right-hander also improved to 4-0 in five trips to the Target Field mound this season...Vazquez had delivered six brilliant innings to defeat the crosstown-rival Mets last Friday at Citi Field after a disappointing start to 2010. His earned-run average stands at 6.86 through eight starts and one relief appearance...Cano continues to rake for the Yanks with a .342 average and 30 runs batted in through his first 47 games...Morneau did well to lift his major league-leading average to .377...Gaudin made his first appearance for the Yankees after signing as a free agent on Wednesday. He was released by Oakland late last week. The righty fanned three, walked one and allowed a run on two hits over 1 2/3 innings of Thursday's setback.
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Boston came into the game
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Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World Golf Hall of Famer Bernhard Langer fired a
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round of the Senior PGA Championship.
Langer, who has topped the Champions Tour
<< Battle of unbeatens as Crew host Galaxy
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew host the Los Angeles Galaxy
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Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Prado went 3-for-6 with two runs batted in
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Yunel
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Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were easy
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Serena, Henin power into third round at French Open >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serena Williams and Justine Henin were easy
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Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds
Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.
The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.
The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.
Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.
MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:
Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)
Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)
Matt Foust won both of his conference championship plays yesterday and he is ready to serve up plenty of Super Bowl action. Each individual play costs $15.00, however, MySportsbook.com recommends purchasing Matt's NFL Playoff Package which includes all of Matt's Super Bowl props and picks from just $45.00.
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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.
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