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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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
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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
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Players Cup.
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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.
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Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Super Bowl XLIV Odds
Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.
Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.
That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.
Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.
After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.
The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).
To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.
NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV
New England Patriots 8/1
Dallas Cowboys 9/1
New York Giants 10/1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1
Indianapolis Colts 12/1
San Diego Chargers 12/1
Baltimore Ravens 14/1
Tennessee Titans 16/1
Carolina Panthers 18/1
Philadelphia Eagles 18/1
New Orleans Saints 20/1
Atlanta Falcons 25/1
Denver Broncos 25/1
Green Bay Packers 25/1
Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1
Minnesota Vikings 25/1
New York Jets 25/1
Arizona Cardinals 30/1
Chicago BearS 30/1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1
Buffalo Bills 35/1
Houston TexaNS 35/1
Miami Dolphins 35/1
Washington Redskins 35/1
Seattle SeahawkS 50/1
Cleveland Browns 55/1
Cincinnati Bengals 60/1
San Francisco 49ers 60/1
Oakland Raiders 75/1
St. Louis Rams 75/1
Detroit Lions 100/1
Kansas City Chiefs 100/1
Odds as of: 2/2/09
Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds
To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.