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06/25/2010 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dustin Pedroia homered three times, including a two-run blast in the top of the 10th inning, and drove in five runs overall, as the Boston Red Sox avoided a sweep and outslugged the Colorado Rockies, 13-11, at Coors Field.
Pedroia finished 5-for-5 with a walk and four runs scored for the Red Sox, who entered this three-game set having won six straight.
The 2008 American League MVP, Pedroia clubbed a two-run homer off reliever Rafael Betancourt to give the Red Sox an 11-8 lead in the top of the eighth, but the Rockies got a run in the bottom half on a pinch-hit single from Jason Giambi, who hit the walk-off home run against Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon on Wednesday.
Papelbon (3-4) came on again to protect a lead in the ninth, but Todd Helton lined a one-out single off the right-field wall. Carlos Gonzalez followed with a base hit to put men on the corners and pilfered second. Brad Hawpe then sliced a single down the left-field line to tie the game. It was the second straight blown save for Papelbon.
Seth Smith made a bid for his 11th home run of the season, but center fielder Darnell McDonald made a catch against the wall. Papelbon retired Miguel Olivo on a fly ball to send the game to extras.
Marco Scutaro reached on an infield single with one out in the 10th. After Daniel Nava flied out, Pedroia hammered the second pitch he saw from Huston Street (0-1) to the seats in left.
Papelbon fared much better in the 10th as he retired the side in order.
The first inning could have been a lot worse for returning starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, who failed to retire any of the first five batters he faced. Jonathan Herrera got things started with a single and consecutive walks by Helton and Gonzalez loaded the bases.
Following a coaching visit to the mound, Hawpe hit a chopper over a leaping Adrian Beltre at third base to bring home a pair. After Smith drew a walk to reload the bags, Matsuzaka set down three in a row, limiting the damage to two runs.
Matsuzaka had been on the disabled list since June 12, when he was scratched from a start against Philadelphia after straining his right forearm while warming up.
Pedroia homered to left field leading off the fourth, snapping starter Jason Hammel's scoreless streak at 28 1/3 innings. David Ortiz singled and Beltre doubled before Mike Cameron put the Red Sox on top with a two-run double. A two-out single by Matsuzaka plated Cameron to make it 4-2.
After Beltre hit a two-run homer in the fifth, the Rockies moved ahead with six runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Helton, Olivo, Ian Stewart and Clint Barmes.
Boston quickly responded in the top of the seventh. Beltre grounded an RBI single and Jason Varitek stroked a two-run double off Manuel Corpas to give the visitors a 9-8 lead.
Game Notes
It was the first three-homer game of Pedroia's career...Matsuzaka gave up two runs on five hits, walked four and struck out six in five innings...The Red Sox placed third baseman Mike Lowell on the 15-day DL with a strained right hip to make room for Matsuzaka...Hammel allowed four runs on seven hits over four innings.
<< Pacers, Thunder exchange second-round picks
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder
exchanged second-round picks in Thursday night's NBA Draft.
Louisiana Tech forward Magnum Rolle was drafted No. 51 overall by Oklahoma
City and acquired by the Pace
<< Clippers get Bledsoe from Thunder
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers acquired the draft
rights to Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe in a deal with the Oklahoma City
Thunder.
Bledsoe was selected 18th overall by the Thunder, who will receive a protected
first
<< Suns pick up Gentry's option for 2011-12
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phoenix Suns managing partner Robert Sarver has
exercised head coach Alvin Gentry's contract option for the 2011-12 season.
Gentry's contract was already partially guaranteed for that season after
guiding t
<< Blazers fire GM Pritchard
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers fired general
manager Kevin Pritchard just before the NBA draft began Thursday night.
Pritchard was promoted to general manager in March of 2007. The draft was
actually Pritchard
Dodgers finally solve Angels >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Furcal's two-run double fueled a five-
run fourth inning, as the Dodgers notched their first win this season in the
Freeway Series with a 10-6 decision over the Angels.
Casey Blake and Jamey Carroll
Inside the NBA Draft: CBA is league's biggest problem >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Television productions tend to embellish on
a fairly regular basis so I must confess snickering a little bit when I
overheard the Worldwide Leader call the 2010 NBA Draft historic from my perch
above its set at M
Clijsters cruises into fourth round at Wimbledon >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Belgium's Kim Clijsters met little
resistance in her third-round match against Maria Kirilenko at Wimbledon and
posted a straight-set victory on Friday at the All England Club.
The eighth-seeded
Isner bows out quickly after marathon match >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Isner's second match at Wimbledon
didn't last nearly as long as his first and it also marked the American's exit
at the All England Club.
Thiemo De Bakker of the Netherlands took advantage of an o
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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