Phillies use long ball vs. D'Backs to stay hot

Baseball Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard finished 2-for-4 with a two- run homer, three RBI and two runs scored as Philadelphia rallied past Arizona, 9-5, in the opener of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.

Cody Ransom and Jayson Werth also each hit two-run blasts for the Phillies, who set a season-high for consecutive wins with their sixth in a row and have also won nine straight at home.

David Herndon (1-2) gave up two runs and coughed up a lead during the sixth inning in relief of starter Cole Hamels but picked up his first major-league win.

Mark Reynolds homered and drove in a pair, while Adam LaRoche and Stephen Drew knocked in a run apiece for the Diamondbacks, who have dropped five in a row.

Jordan Norberto (0-1) took the loss after being charged with two runs and two hits while not recording an out.

Down 4-3, Arizona struck for two in the sixth off Herndon. A double, walk and Howard throwing error on a fielder's choice loaded the bases with nobody out before a LaRoche sacrifice fly tied the game. Miguel Montero followed with an RBI groundout before a Reynolds groundout ended the threat.

In the home sixth, the Phils responded when Raul Ibanez singled home Shane Victorino before Howard's two-run blast to left-center made it 7-5.

Danys Baez offered a scoreless top of the seventh. Carlos Ruiz singled, was sacrificed to second then scored on Ransom's long two-run shot for a four-run difference during the Phils' turn in the seventh.

Jose Contreras and Ryan Madson locked down the win by holding the D'Backs off the board in the eighth and ninth.

Arizona loaded the bases in the first on a single, walk and hit batter with two outs, and went up 1-0 when Reynolds drew a base on balls.

The Phils broke through in the third. Victorino singled, stole second, but was erased on a fielder's choice. Placido Polanco, who took first on the grounder, went to third on an Ibanez hit and scored on Howard's single. Werth walked to load the bases, and after a Greg Dobbs foul out, Ruiz walked to force in Ibanez.

Reynolds tied the game with a leadoff homer in the fourth, but Hamels left the sacks full by fanning Kelly Johnson swinging. Drew's RBI single put the D'Backs ahead 3-2 in the fifth, but they couldn't tack on more despite loading the bases again.

In the home half, Howard walked with one down and Werth put the Phils back on top with a homer to dead center.

Game Notes

Philadelphia's bats have jumped to life during the streak, scoring 36 times in six games...Werth's fifth-inning blast was his first in 30 games, dating back to June 23 against Cleveland...Phils shortstop Jimmy Rollins did not play due to a bruised left foot suffered on Monday when he fouled a pitch off the foot early in the game...Victorino left the game in the seventh inning with a left oblique strain and will be evaluated on Wednesday...Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton left the game in the sixth innings with right hip stiffness...Ibanez went 2-for-4 and scored twice.

Casinio Baseball Betting News

<< Tomlin wins in major league debut for Indians
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Tomlin pitched into the eighth inning in his major league debut and bested former Indians ace CC Sabathia in a 4-1 Indians win against the Yankees. Tomlin was recalled from Triple-A Columbus Tues

<< White Sox rout Mariners, Floyd strong again in victory
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alexei Ramirez, Paul Konerko and Andruw Jones each homered, and Gavin Floyd threw seven scoreless frames for Chicago en route to an 11-0 annihilation of Seattle in the second meeting of a four-game series.

<< Mets return home, rock Wainwright and Cards
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Francoeur and Jose Reyes each homered as the New York Mets made a successful return to Citi Field by roughing up Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals, 8-2, in the opener of a three-game series. The Mets

<< Shields follows Garza's no-hit gem with strong outing
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One night after Matt Garza pitched the first no-hitter in Tampa Bay franchise history, the Rays used a solid outing from starter James Shields and a timely RBI double by Matt Joyce to defeat the Detroit

<< Bautista powers Blue Jays over Orioles
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Bautista went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs and knocked in five, as the Toronto Blue Jays downed the Baltimore Orioles, 8-2, in the second of a three-game series at Rogers Centre. Vernon Wells

ECU assistant resigns over possible NCAA violations >>
Greenville, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - East Carolina assistant football coach Mark Nelson announced his resignation Tuesday after possible NCAA violations were uncovered regarding the illegal observation of voluntary summer workouts. Nelson s

Myers' CG, six-run seventh gets Astros past Cubs >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brett Myers went the distance and Lance Berkman's grand slam capped a six-run seventh inning as Houston downed Chicago, 6-1, in the second of three between the clubs at Minute Maid Park. Hunter

Lee fans 13, Cruz hits game-winning HR in 10th as Rangers down A's >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cliff Lee set a career high with 13 strikeouts over nine brilliant innings and Nelson Cruz belted a two-run, game- winning home run in the bottom of the 10th, as the Texas Rangers edged the Oakland

Memphis rookie Vasquez has ankle surgery >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Memphis Grizzlies rookie guard Greivis Vasquez underwent surgery on his right ankle Tuesday to remove a bone spur. Vasquez, who starred at the University of Maryland, had the procedure performed in B

Haren likely to make next start after X-rays come back clean >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Haren is expected to start on Saturday when the Angels take on the American League West-leading Rangers after X-rays of his right forearm came back clean on Tuesday. Haren, acquired by Los Angeles

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards