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07/24/2007 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Lester began his courageous comeback from cancer by allowing five hits and two runs over six innings, and Manny Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a two-run double as Boston topped Cleveland, 6-2, in the opener of a four-game set at Jacobs Field.
Lester (1-0) struck out six and walked three in his first major-league start since a win over the Angels last August 23. He set down the final eight batters he faced and needed just 96 pitches to earn the win.
The 23-year-old was 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA in 15 starts with the Red Sox after being promoted from Pawtucket in June, 2006. The No. 1 prospect in the organization and Boston's first pick of the 2002 draft, Lester became the first Red Sox rookie lefty in club history to win his first five decisions.
However, his charmed season was cut short after that start against the Angels, when he was placed on the disabled list due to a sore back, an injury which led to a September diagnosis of a treatable form of anaplastic large cell lymphoma.
Lester underwent treatment and was then brought along slowly by Boston, which sent him to Single-A on a rehab assignment to begin the season. He then hit a minor bump in the road on May 2 when he experienced muscle cramping in his left forearm. After recovering from that injury, Lester was reinstated from the disabled list and optioned to Pawtucket, where he made 14 starts, before taking the place of the struggling Julian Tavarez in the rotation on Monday.
Coco Crisp finished 4-for-5 with three runs scored for the Red Sox, who have won four in a row. Dustin Pedroia had three hits and scored a run and Kevin Youkilis picked up a pair of hits, an RBI and a run scored.
Tribe hurler Jake Westbrook (1-6) was tagged for 10 hits and five runs with four walks and one strikeout in six innings. Grady Sizemore hit a two-run homer for the Indians, who have dropped two of three.
Sizemore's blast in the third made it 5-2, and Lester finally ran into trouble in the fourth. Ryan Garko led off with a double then Jhonny Peralta walked. After Franklin Gutierrez fanned, Kelly Shoppach walked to load the bases. Josh Barfield grounded into a force at home, then Lester blew a pitch by Sizemore to end the inning.
Cleveland would not threaten from that point with Lester on the hill.
Boston had runners on first and second with one out in the sixth and failed to score against Jensen Lewis, but tacked on a run in the ninth when Pedroia drove in Crisp with a single to restore their four-run lead at 6-2.
Manny Delcarmen, who was called upon to get the last out of the eighth, set the Indians down in order in the bottom of the frame to pick up his first major league save and preserve Lester's comeback victory.
The Sox gave Lester all the run support he needed early, loading the bases with none out in the first on singles by Crisp and Pedroia and a walk to Youkilis. Ramirez belted a double down the left-field line to score a pair, and J.D. Drew followed with an RBI single. Mike Lowell then grounded into a double play, but a run scored for a 4-0 lead.
Youkilis dropped a two-out single into right to score Crisp in the second.
Game Notes
Red Sox first baseman/designated hitter David Ortiz did not play, and remains day-to-day with a left shoulder strain suffered on Friday...The Sox are 11-5 at the Jake since the 2002 season...Westbrook has not won in his last seven starts, the longest stretch of his career...It was Crisp's third straight game with three or more hits...Tuesday's probables are Daisuke Matsuzaka for Boston and C.C. Sabathia for Cleveland...Garko extended his hit streak to 16 games, currently the longest in the American League...Sizemore leads the Indians with 18 home runs...Julio Lugo singled in the sixth inning for Boston to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.
<< Valentin's RBI single in the 12th leads Reds over Brewers
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pinch-hitter Javier Valentin's run-scoring
single in the 12th inning gave the Cincinnati Reds a 2-1 victory over the
Milwaukee Brewers in the opener of a four-game set at Great American Ball
Park.
<< Ginepri upset in Indy
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany's Michael Berrer upset seventh-
seeded American Robby Ginepri in three sets to advance to the second round at
the $575,000 Indianapolis Tennis Championships.
Berrer, a quarterfinalist last we
<< Kim shoots 62 to lead U.S. Girls' Junior
Lakewood, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Among other things, Kimberly Kim was worried
about losing her focus.
"I'll be putting for two minutes and I'll be kind of bored," she said.
But there was nothing boring about the 15-year-old Hawaiian's rou
<< Thomas homers twice as Blue Jays top Twins
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Frank Thomas hit a pair of two-run home runs as
the Toronto Blue Jays downed the Minnesota Twins, 6-4, in the opener of a
three-game set.
Thomas, who has 503 career home runs, is now just one home run b
Lester beats cancer, bests Indians >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Lester, the plucky 23-year-old Red Sox
hurler, completed a courageous comeback from cancer by allowing just
five hits and two runs over six innings to earn the win in Boston's 6-2
victory
Yanks remain hot, pound Royals >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Jorge
Posada each knocked in a pair of runs and Roger Clemens pitched seven solid
innings, as the streaking New York Yankees slammed the Kansas City Royals,
9-2, in
Houston's Pence out four-to-six weeks with chip fracture >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hunter Pence underwent an MRI Monday that
revealed the National League Rookie of the Year candidate has a capsular
sprain in his right wrist and a chip fracture in that same wrist.
The injuries wi
Holliday, Hawpe homer in eighth to lift Rockies past Padres >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Holliday hit a three-run homer in the
eighth inning to tie the game and Brad Hawpe's two-run homer in the same
inning put Colorado on top, as the Rockies came from behind to down San Diego,
7-5, in
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.
Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship
(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.
MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts US credit cards needs.
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