Baseball Betting

Ramirez slams Marlins past Orioles

Baseball Betting Lines

06/25/2009 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hanley Ramirez went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and five total runs batted in, as the Florida Marlins completed a three-game sweep of Baltimore with an 11-3 victory.

Rookie Sean West (3-2) tossed six shutout innings to get the win. He gave up four hits, walked three and struck out two, helping the Marlins win their fifth consecutive game.

Cody Ross and Dan Uggla each hit a two-run homer and had two hits for the Marlins, while Jorge Cantu finished 3-for-5 with an RBI.

Nick Markakis had four hits, an RBI and walked once for the Orioles, whose three-game losing streak comes on the heels of five straight victories.

Rich Hill (3-2) took the loss after giving up six runs in 4 1/3 frames, in which he surrendered eight hits, walked one and fanned six.

The Marlins jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning on Ross' 13th homer of the season, then expanded their lead with a three-run third. Chris Coghlan led off with a double and went home two batters later on a Ramirez single. Uggla later hit a two-run shot to make it a 5-0 game. Back-to-back one-out doubles from Ramirez and Cantu in the fifth upped Florida's lead to six and chased Hill from the game.

Mark Hendrickson entered and got out of the jam, then pitched a scoreless sixth.

However, the Marlins struck for five more runs in the eighth off Baltimore reliever Chris Ray to turn the contest into a blowout. Three consecutive singles from Ronny Paulino, Ross and Brett Carroll loaded the bases to get the rally started. Pinch-hitter Ross Gload then struck out, and Coghlan's ground ball resulted in a force out at home. But Emilio Bonifacio singled home a run, then Ramirez provided the big blow by homering to left field for the grand slam.

This was the third grand slam in Ramirez's career, with all of them coming this season.

Ray was removed at that point for Brian Bass, who closed the inning without further damage.

Tim Wood had followed West on the mound for the Marlins and tossed two scoreless frames. The shutout was ruined in the top of the ninth, when Gregg Zaun hit a two-run double off Christopher Leroux with one out, and Markakis followed with an RBI ground-rule double. But with a sizeable lead, Leroux stayed in and recorded the final two outs to end the game.

Game Notes

Florida closed a six-game homestand with a 5-1 record, and next plays the Rays in a three-game road series, beginning Friday...Baltimore ended a six-game road trip with a 3-3 mark, and begins a three-game set with Washington on Friday...The Marlins went 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded six runners...Florida's longest win streak of the season came from April 12-19, when the Marlins won seven in a row.


<< Gal leads suspended Wegmans LPGA
Rochester, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sandra Gal fired an eight-under 64 and held a one-shot lead Thursday when the rain-delayed first round of the Wegmans LPGA was suspended due to darkness. Jiyai Shin stood alone in second place at seven-un

<< CFL announces final cutdowns
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Canadian Football League on Thursday announced its final roster cutdowns before the start of the regular season. Below is a list of players released, sorted by team and position: The B

<< Iles in front at Players Cup
Bridgeport, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bradley Iles of New Zealand fired a seven- under-par 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead at the Nationwide Tour Players Cup. Canadian Brad Fritsch posted a six-under 66 at Pete Dye Golf Club and

<< Suzuki propels Mariners past Padres
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ichiro Suzuki finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored as Seattle downed San Diego, 9-3, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague set from Safeco Field. Mike S

<< Clippers take Griffin with top pick
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers selected Oklahoma standout forward Blake Griffin as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. The 6-foot-10 Griffin was coming off a spectacular sophomore season as he led the Sooners i

Smoltz struggles in Red Sox debut as Nationals cruise to win >>
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 interle

Votto helps Reds down Jays >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joey Votto went 4-for-5 with a double, homer and three runs batted in as the Cincinnati Reds edged the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-5, in the finale of a three-game interleague series at Rogers Centre. Jay Bruce

McCutchen's hit in ninth lifts Pirates over Tribe >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andrew McCutchen singled in Jack Wilson with the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning to boost Pittsburgh over Cleveland, 3-2, in the rubber match of a three-game series. McCutchen, playing in

Smoltz activated from DL, makes season debut >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-handed pitcher John Smoltz was activated from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday in time to make his season and Red Sox debut. It was not a successful one for the 42-year-old, who w

Knicks get draft rights to Douglas from Lakers >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks acquired the draft rights of Florida State shooting guard Toney Douglas from the Los Angeles Lakers. The Knicks sent the Lakers 2011 second-round draft choice and cash considerations. Do

FOOTBALL BETTING : Braylon Edwards Traded to the New York Jets

Sportsbook Betting

After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.