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04/08/2010 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Harris smacked a two-run homer, and the Washington Nationals held on for a 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies to salvage a game in this season-opening three-game set.
Cristian Guzman and Ryan Zimmerman each went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for the Nationals, who didn't get their first win last season until their eighth game -- also against the Phillies.
Craig Stammen got the start and allowed four runs and nine hits without walking a batter in five innings. Tyler Clippard (1-0) recorded the win for 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, and Matt Capps earned his first save of the season.
Jayson Werth hit a career-high three doubles and scored a run for the Phillies, who were seeking their first 3-0 start since 2001. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins each had two hits and an RBI in defeat.
Kyle Kendrick, pitching in place of the injured Joe Blanton, yielded five runs on six hits in four frames. Nelson Figueroa (0-1), pitching for the first time since being claimed off waivers from the Mets, allowed a run in two frames.
Although Capps finished the game, he nearly allowed the Phillies to tie it in the ninth.
Utley began the inning with a line drive double to left-center, and Howard was then intentionally walked. Werth flied out, but the hit was far enough to allow Utley to move to third base. Raul Ibanez couldn't push the run across, flying out to shallow left, and Shane Victorino popped out to end the game.
Kendrick struggled in the first, allowing the Nationals to score three times.
Nyjer Morgan started off with a triple and scored on Guzman's single, and Zimmerman doubled Guzman to third. Guzman scored on an Adam Dunn groundout to first, and Josh Willingham followed with a sacrifice fly.
Philadelphia got one of the runs back in the second, when Werth doubled and scored on a Victorino groundout.
The Phillies then cut their deficit to one on Utley's RBI groundout in the third, but Harris smacked a two-run homer in the fourth to restore Washington's three-run cushion, 5-2.
The visitors nearly tied the game in the fifth. Pinch-hitter Ross Gload singled and was able to score when a Placido Polanco hit eluded Morgan in center field, rolling all the way to the wall. Polanco advanced to third and scored on Howard's two-out single to center for a 5-4 game.
Werth followed with a double down the left field line, but Howard overran third, allowing the Nationals to throw him out easily at home plate for the final out of the inning.
Rollins' sacrifice fly off Clippard in the sixth tied the game, but the Nats got a fortunate bounce in the seventh to take the lead for good.
With Figueroa on the mound for his second inning, pinch-hitter Alberto Gonzalez worked a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, with Gonzalez on third, Zimmerman hit a bloop double that landed just inside the right field line to plate the go-ahead run.
Brian Bruney stranded Phillies runners at second and third in the eighth to maintain Washington's lead.
Game Notes
The Phillies had won five straight and 14 of 15 over the Nationals coming into the game...Stammen faced Philadelphia for the first time...Polanco recorded a hit in his 21st straight game against the Expos/Nationals, the longest active streak in the majors after Ichiro Suzuki went hitless against Oakland to snap his 23-game stretch against the A's...Philadelphia sent pitcher Andrew Carpenter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room for Figueroa...The Phillies went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
<< Vanderbilt C Ogilvy entering NBA Draft
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vanderbilt center A.J. Ogilvy has chosen to
forego his senior season of eligibility and enter the 2010 NBA Draft.
Ogilvy also plans to hire an agent, which will officially end his collegiate
career.
"W
<< Niemann leaves with bruised shoulder
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -Tampa Bay right-hander Jeff Niemann left with one out in the second inning of Thursday night's game against Baltimore after being hit in the right shoulder by Miguel Tejada's line drive.The team said Niemann has a bruised
<< Assured of best record, Cavs rest James
CHICAGO (AP) -With the league's best record locked up and their eyes on a playoff run, the Cleveland Cavaliers held LeBron James out of Thursday's game against the Chicago Bulls.Coach Mike Brown said James has ``some bumps and bruises'' and acknowle
<< Barton, Oakland win third straight over Seattle
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daric Barton finished 3-for-4 with four RBI, as
Oakland breezed past Seattle, 6-2, in the finale of this season-opening four-
game set.
Cliff Pennington added two hits and knocked in a run, while Ryan Sweeney
Ronaldo predicts Real will beat Barca >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cristiano Ronaldo said Thursday he is "sure"
Real Madrid will beat Barcelona on Saturday in the El Clasico.
Real Madrid and Barcelona enter the match even on points with 77 atop La Liga,
and win for either s
Couples leads Masters; Woods two back in return >>
Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fred Couples fired his lowest round ever at The
Masters, a six-under 66 on Thursday, and earned the first-round lead at The
Masters at Augusta National.
Tiger Woods made his return to golf and it was a trium
Wisconsin rips RIT, advances to NCAA men's ice hockey final >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derek Stepan posted two goals and two assists
as Wisconsin routed RIT, 8-1, in a Frozen Four matchup from Ford Field.
Justin Schultz and Blake Geoffrion posted a goal and one assist each for the
Badgers (2
MLS increases roster size from 24 to 26 per team >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer announced Thursday it has
added two additional roster slots per club for home grown players identified
and developed by the team.
MLS made the adjustment as part of its ongoing efforts
The most popular sports to bet on are NFL and college football along with NBA and NCAA basketball. There are multiple betting opportunities within those sports, beginning with the basic wager on a game’s outcome (also called betting the side). College Football Point spreads are used in both football and basketball in an attempt to even the attractiveness of each team in a match-up. ( See our article detailing how and why point spreads are made)
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BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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