Germano, Padres down D-Rays

Baseball Betting Lines

06/14/2007 - St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Germano tossed six scoreless innings to lead the San Diego Padres past the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 7-1, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague series at Tropicana Field.

Germano (5-0), who entered the season with one major-league win in nine career appearances, won for the fifth time in his last six starts. The right- hander scattered just three hits, walked one and fanned four to lower his ERA to 2.36 since being promoted from Triple-A Portland.

Rob Bowen had three hits, including a pair of doubles for San Diego, which has won two straight following a four-game slide. Adrian Gonzalez also contributed two doubles, knocked in a run and scored once.

J.P. Howell (1-1) allowed two runs - one earned - on four hits in seven-plus innings of work. He walked three and fanned two as Tampa Bay dropped its second straight game but lost for just the fourth time in its last 11. Jonny Gomes hit a solo homer to account for the team's only run.

The Padres wasted little time in getting to Howell, who needed 26 pitches to get through the first inning. The young lefty yielded a one-out walk to Jose Cruz Jr. before Gonzalez followed with a double and Mike Cameron reached on Akinori Iwamura's fielding error, scoring Cruz for the 1-0 lead. Josh Bard grounded into a force out, but Kevin Kouzmanoff drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases before Khalil Greene grounded out to end the threat.

Tampa Bay had a chance to even things up in the fourth, but stranded Brendan Harris after his one-out double to left.

Heath Bell replaced Germano to start the seventh, and after striking out the first two batters, issued back-to-back walks to Carlos Pena and Ty Wigginton. Then, with Delmon Young batting, Bell uncorked a wild pitch that advanced both runners before fanning Young to retire the side.

San Diego added four more runs in the eighth to put the game out of reach. Bowen doubled to open the inning, prompting Milwaukee to bring in right-hander Gary Glover. Marcus Giles' sacrifice bunt moved Bowen to third, Cruz singled to plate Bowen, and Gonzalez followed by slapping his second double of the game, chasing home Cruz for the 3-0 edge.

Cameron went down swinging for the second out, but Geoff Blum hit a soft fly ball that dropped in left field to score Gonzalez, and Greene followed with a base hit to score Bard. Jay Witasick retired Hiram Bocachica on a pop up to retire the side.

Gomes broke up the shutout with a one-out, solo homer to left in the home half of the inning.

The Padres, however, scored two more in the ninth. Bowen doubled, Giles singled, and Witasick issued consecutive walks to Cruz and Gonzalez to force in a run. Cameron's sacrifice fly accounted for the final margin.

Game Notes

Following Wednesday's game, the Devil Rays placed outfielder B.J. Upton on the 15-day disabled list with a left quad strain and recalled Gomes from Triple-A Durham...Germano is 3-0 in four starts away from home this season...Kouzmanoff left the game in the bottom of the fourth with a lower back strain and was replaced by Blum. He is listed as day-to-day...Tampa Bay is just 8-24 in games decided by three or more runs...With the victory, San Diego claimed its fourth straight road series. They have now won nine of their last 10 series overall and 15 of 22 this season...Gomes' homer broke a season-high 16-inning scoreless stretch for Tampa Bay.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

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Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

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