Loney's HR in 13th gets Dodgers past reeling Mets
Baseball Betting Lines
07/24/2010 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Loney hit the game-winning home run in the bottom of the 13th to lift Los Angeles to a 3-2 win over New York in the third meeting of a four-game set.
George Sherrill (1-1) tossed a scoreless top half of the frame to earn the win for the Dodgers, who used nine pitchers to win for a third time in their last four tries.
Oliver Perez (0-4), who worked out of a jam in the 12th, suffered the loss after yielding the decisive run in one inning of work for the Mets, who have lost eight of their last 10.
Matt Kemp flied out to open the 13th before Loney blasted a 1-0 offering over the wall in right-center field for his seventh long ball of the year.
The Dodgers had put runners at the corners with nobody out in the 12th but could not score. Elmer Dessens got pinch-hitter Russell Martin to ground out and advance Garret Anderson to second base.
Perez was brought on to face Andre Ethier, who fouled out for the second out before Rafael Furcal was intentionally walked to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Jamey Carroll bounced into a force play to end the threat.
Jonathan Broxton, Jeff Weaver and Sherrill combined to retire all 12 New York hitters in extra innings.
Furcal started the home first with a single, moved to third base on an errant Mike Pelfrey pickoff attempt and scored on Xavier Paul's sacrifice fly.
Kemp and Loney followed with singles but Pelfrey escaped further damage by getting two groundouts to end the frame.
New York loaded the bases with one out in the fourth but could not score after Rod Barajas struck out and Pelfrey grounded out.
Blake DeWitt led off the bottom of the inning with a triple and stayed put after Casey Blake struck out and Anderson was intentionally walked. Brad Ausmus then came through with a base hit to plate DeWitt to make it 2-0.
Pelfrey was charged with both runs on six hits and a pair of walks over five innings, while Los Angeles starter Carlos Monasterios went five scoreless frames in his first start since June 18, allowing six hits while walking one and fanning three.
James McDonald opened the sixth on the hill for the Dodgers. and gave up a one-out double to Ike Davis and walked Jason Bay before Barajas singled to left to deliver Davis, cutting the deficit in half.
After a couple of matchup switches, pinch-hitter Jeff Francoeur reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases with one out. Jose Reyes singled to drive in Bay, tie the game, and chase Jack Taschner after he had faced only two batters. Travis Schlichting took over and got Luis Castillo to ground into an inning-ending double play.
The Mets' last threat came in the ninth, when David Wright struck out against Broxton with runners at second and third to end the inning.
Game Notes
Barajas left the game in the sixth inning with a strained right oblique...The Mets have been held to four runs or fewer in 14 of their last 15 games and have scored multiple runs in only three of 99 innings since the All-Star break...Wright has scored only one run in his last 14 games and driven in just four over his last 17 games...Reyes went 2-for-5 and has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games...Los Angeles is 6-3 in extra innings games, while the Mets are 4-7...The Dodgers have won seven of the last nine meetings on home soil.
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Football Betting
NFL Football Betting OnlineThe San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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