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07/21/2007 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Drew hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and the Arizona Diamondbacks held on to beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2, in the middle contest of a three-game set at Wrigley Field.
Orlando Hudson went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Chris Young scored twice for the Diamondbacks, who had lost five of six.
Arizona starter Micah Owings lasted just four innings after giving two runs on four hits. Juan Cruz (4-1) took over for Owings and pitched three no-hit innings to pick up the win.
Jose Valverde worked around a one-out walk in the ninth to nail down the victory and pick up his 29th save of the season.
Angel Pagan hit a two-run triple for the Cubs, who had won three in a row and seven of eight.
Rich Hill pitched six innings, yielding two runs -- one earned -- on six hits with six strikeouts and four walks.
Bob Howry (5-5) struck out pinch-hitter Augie Ojeda to start the eighth, but Drew stepped to the plate and smoked a 3-1 pitch over the right-field wall to give Arizona the lead.
Ryan Theriot led off the eighth with a walk, but after Mike Fontenot flied out, the Diamondbacks got out of the inning on an impressive double play by Drew and Hudson.
Aramis Ramirez hit a groundball up the middle and Drew, running away from second, caught up to the ball and backhanded a throw to second. Hudson caught the ball with his bare hand before throwing to first for the twin-killing.
A fielding error by Ramirez in the first inning allowed Arizona to jump out to an early lead. Young led off the game and bounced a groundball to third base that got by Ramirez, allowing Young to reach second.
Young then swiped third before scoring on Hudson's groundout.
Owings struggled with his command in the home half of the first, walking two batters and almost hitting Ramirez with a pitch that was high and inside. Ramirez took exception and approached the mound before cooler heads prevailed.
Chicago then took the lead in the fourth as Jacque Jones led off with a double, DeRosa walked and Pagan cleared the bases with a triple to right field.
Arizona answered right back in the fifth as Young walked, went to third on Hudson's single and scored on Eric Byrnes' groundball.
Game Notes
The Diamondbacks are 14-7 against Chicago since the start of the 2004 season...It was Pagan's second triple of the season...Attendance was 41,632.
<< Eschauer, Darcis to meet in Dutch Open final
Amersfoort, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Werner Eschauer of Austria and
Belgian Steve Darcis posted semifinal victories on Saturday at the Dutch Open.
Eschauer, who upset third seed Carlos Moya in the quarterfinals, whipped
Dutc
<< Towers, Blue Jays blank Mariners
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Towers pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings as
the Toronto Blue Jays edged the Seattle Mariners, 1-0, in the second contest
of a three-game set.
Towers (5-6) gave up just three hits while striking out four
<< Tampa's Crawford exits with ankle injury
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Devil Rays outfielder Carl Crawford
left Saturday's game against the New York Yankees in the fifth inning with a
sprained left ankle.
Crawford legged out an infield single in the third and began
<< Marlins' Olsen arrested
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins pitcher Scott Olsen was
reportedly arrested Saturday morning after he did not pull over his car during
a traffic stop.
According to the Miami Herald, Olsen was charged with driving
Power wins Champ Car pole in Edmonton >>
Edmonton, AB Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Will Power won Saturday's final
qualifying session for the Rexall Grand Prix Edmonton at the Rexall Speedway.
The No.5 Team Australia driver circled the 1.973-mile, 14-turn,temporary
course
Local favorite Francella bounced from Match Play >>
New Rochelle, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With no big names left entering the
quarterfinal round, a local favorite breathed life into the HSBC Women's World
Match Play Championship.
But not for long.
Meaghan Francella's run as the 33rd
Ortiz day-to-day with shoulder injury >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz underwent
an MRI Saturday on his strained left shoulder.
The MRI, taken at Massachusetts General Hospital, revealed no structural
damage and Ortiz, who was out of th
Yanks sting Devil Rays in first game of doubleheader >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hideki Matsui and Shelley Duncan each hit two-
run homers as the New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 7-3, in
the first game of a doubleheader.
Robinson Cano went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run
Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.
Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.
Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.
Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.
All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.
A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.
2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1
Ron Brace (NE) 25/1
Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1
Darius Butler (NE) 40/1
Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1
Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1
Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1
Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1
Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1
Larry English (SD) 15/1
Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1
Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1
Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1
Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1
James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1
Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1
Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1
Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1
Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1
Roy Miller (TB) 20/1
Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1
Fili Moala (IND) 30/1
Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1
Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1
B J Raji (GB) 7/1
Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1
Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1
David Verkune (CLE) 20/1
Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 6/1
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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