Smoltz struggles in Red Sox debut as Nationals cruise to win
Baseball Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Harris and Josh Bard each finished with three hits and drove in a pair of runs as Washington spoiled the Red Sox debut of John Smoltz with a 9-3 thrashing in the finale of a three-game interleague series at Nationals Park.
Anderson Hernandez and Cristian Guzman also knocked in a pair of runs each for the Nationals, who avoided the sweep and snapped a three-game losing skid.
Jordan Zimmermann (3-3) went seven innings for the victory, scattering five hits and a run while fanning six.
Rocco Baldelli hit a two-run homer and David Ortiz drove in the other run for the Red Sox, whose four-game win streak came to an end.
Smoltz (0-1), finally able to make his season and Boston debut, was tagged in the loss for seven hits and five runs over five innings. The 42-year-old fanned five and walked one but suffered his first defeat since April 27, 2008 as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
It was the first appearance on the mound for Smoltz since last June 2, when his season was derailed due to surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder.
For the third straight time in the series, the Nats got on the board first, tagging the unlucky Smoltz for four runs.
Nick Johnson was drilled with a pitch two batters in, and Ryan Zimmerman followed with a double before Adam Dunn walked to load the bases. Josh Willingham's single plated one run, then Bard followed with another RBI hit. After a Harris line out, Hernandez dumped a single to left that brought in two more.
Willingham doubled with one out in the third and Bard drove him in two batters later for a 5-0 contest.
Boston finally hit the scoreboard in the sixth. Back-to-back singles from J.D. Drew and Jason Bay with one out put runners on the corners, and Ortiz lofted a sacrifice fly to left to plate Drew.
Washington was not done, and pushed across two runs in the home sixth on a two-run single by Guzman. The Nationals plated two more in the seventh on a second-deck blast to right by Harris.
Baldelli deposited a Tyler Clippard pitch into the left-field seats with one out in the ninth for a 9-3 game, but the reliever struck out Nick Green and Ramon Ramirez to finish off the win.
Game Notes
It was the first victory by any Washington-based club over Boston since September 18, 1971, when the Senators were based in the American League and played in RFK Stadium...It was also the first win over the Sox for the franchise since the Montreal Expos posted an 11-7 victory at Olympic Stadium on July 17, 2001...Smoltz had been activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the contest...Johnson had to leave the game in the second inning with a bruised left shin suffered when Smoltz hit him in the first.
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Super Bowl 2009 Betting
Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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