05/20/2008 - San Diego, CA (Baseball Betting) - Albert Pujols went 3-for-5 with a pair of solo home runs to lead the St. Louis Cardinals in a rout of the San Diego Padres, 8-2, in the opener of a three-game set.
Ryan Ludwick went 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, and missed the cycle by a triple, for the Cardinals, who have won three in a row. Yadier Molina, Todd Wellemeyer and Cesar Izturis added an RBI each in the win.
"It's real big to put some runs on the board," Ludwick said. "We've had a lot of close games."
Wellemeyer (5-1) took the win after he gave up just two runs on six hits in six frames. St. Louis' bullpen was perfect through three innings of relief.
Brian Giles and Khalil Greene each had two hits for the Padres, who have lost three in a row, 5-of-6 and are 5-13 over their last 18. Giles and Adrian Gonzalez accounted for the San Diego runs batted in.
Jake Peavy was supposed to take the hill for San Diego, but the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner is headed to the disabled list with a strained flexor muscle in his right arm. Wilfredo Ledezma (0-1) got the start instead and absorbed the loss after he was touched for four runs on five hits in just four innings on the hill.
"You always fear the worst, this time it wasn't," Padres manager Bud Black said of Peavy. "Jake is out two weeks, we don't know the other end of that timetable."
The Cardinals jumped on top in the first. Skip Schumaker led off with a single and stole second base. Three batters later, Ludwick launched his 12th homer of the year over the fence in left, and St. Louis was up 2-0.
The Padres got one back in the home first. Tadahito Iguchi worked a one-out walk, moved to third on Giles' single and crossed home plate when Gonzalez grounded out.
St. Louis tacked one on in the third. Pujols made contact on a two-out single, Ludwick and Troy Glaus followed with walks and Molina was hit by a pitch to drive in Pujols.
Izturis belted his first homer of the year in the fourth to put the Cards up 4-1.
Justin Germano took the mound for San Diego in the fifth and gave up a towering home run to Pujols. Ludwick and Glaus kept it going with back-to-back singles, but Molina grounded into a double play. Adam Kennedy was intentionally walked, putting runners at the corners. Wellemeyer then hit an RBI single, and the Cardinals were on top 6-1.
San Diego made it 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth. Paul McAnulty led off with a walk and moved to second when Jody Gerut grounded out. Giles then singled on a line drive to left to score McAnulty.
The Cardinals again made it a five-run game in the sixth. Brian Barton managed a single, stole second and held at third when Pujols grounded out. Ludwick then hit an RBI double to left field.
Pujols added another solo shot in the eighth to make it 8-2 in favor of the Cardinals.
Game Notes
On Monday at 2 p.m. (pt) there was a blast at the site of a Hilton Hotel being built near Petco Park. At least 13 construction workers were injured. Authorities said there were no indications the blast had been triggered deliberately, and there appeared to be no damage to the ball park.
<< Srebotnik rolls; Razzano ousted in Strasbourg
Strasbourg, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded Slovenian Katarina
Srebotnik booked a spot in the second round, while third-seeded French crowd
favorite Virginie Razzano went by way of the upset Tuesday at the $175,000
Strasbo
<< Bouchie transfers to Evansville
Evansville, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bryan Bouchie, a 6-foot-10 245-pound
forward, will transfer to the University of Evansville from
Valparaiso, according to UE head coach Marty Simmons.
Bouchie played all 36 games in his
<< Liverpool confirms addition of Swiss defender Degen
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool has confirmed that Switzerland
defender Philipp Degen will move to Anfield after the Euro finals.
The 25-year-old right-back has decided to make the move to England at the end
of his contract
<< Calleri, El Aynaoui land in Casablanca quarters
Casablanca, Morocco (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Argentine Agustin Calleri
and Moroccan veteran Younes El Aynaoui were among Tuesday's second-round
winners at the $575,000 Grand Prix Hassan II tennis event.
Calleri advanced to hi
Most Recent No-Hitters >>
Baltimore - Bob Milacki (6 innings), Mike Flanagan (1), Mark Williamson (1) and Gregg Olson (1) vs. Oakland, 2-0, July 13, 1991.Boston - Jon Lester vs. Kansas City, 7-0, May 19, 2008.Chicago - Mark Buehrle vs. Texas, 6-0, April 18, 2007.Cleveland -
This Week in Auto Racing May 22 - May 25 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This is the week that all racing fans have
been waiting for, particularly Sunday when there is racing around the clock.
It starts early on Sunday with the historic Grand Prix of Monaco, then returns
to the
Davenport withdraws from Roland Garros >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay
Davenport pulled out of the 2008 French Open on Tuesday, citing personal
reasons.
The 31-year-old former world No. 1 star has won every major event, with
FC Dallas fires coach Morrow >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas fired coach Steve Morrow on Tuesday,
two days after the Major League Soccer club was humiliated in a 5-1 to the Los
Angeles Galaxy.
The loss extended Dallas' winless streak to four games and dropped
MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.
MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football betting sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.
MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs.
Sports Betting News: Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting