Johnson, Giants vie for another win over reeling Cards
Baseball Betting Lines
06/30/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ageless lefty Randy Johnson seeks a third straight win and a fifth in six decisions tonight, when the San Francisco Giants visit Busch Stadium for game two of four against the host St. Louis Cardinals.
The Giants won the opener, 10-0, Monday on the strength of a pitching gem - a two-hit shutout from reigning Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.
Now 8-2, Lincecum gave up just a bloop single to Rick Ankiel in the fifth inning and a double to Albert Pujols in the seventh. He fanned eight and didn't walk a batter, tossing his third complete game in his last four starts. It was the third shutout of his young career.
Meanwhile, Johnson, a California native who'll be 46 in September, was 3-4 on the season after a 9-6 loss to the New York Mets on May 16 and a subsequent no-decision against Seattle six days later.
He's rebounded nicely in the last month-plus, however, picking up career wins 299 and 300 on May 27 and June 4, then adding Nos. 301 and 302 on June 13 and 24.
In the four triumphs, Johnson has allowed just four earned runs in 26 innings while walking four batters and striking out 16.
Most recently, he went seven innings and gave up six hits and a run en route to a 6-3 victory against Oakland in his last start.
Lifetime against the Cardinals, Johnson is 6-7 in 15 starts with a 4.12 earned run average in 102 2/3 innings.
For St. Louis, right-hander Chris Carpenter will try to stay perfect for his career against the Giants.
Now 34 years old, the New Hampshire native and former first-round draft pick is 3-0 in five lifetime starts against San Francisco, posting a 3.03 earned run average in 35 2/3 innings.
Win No. 3 came May 30 in California, where he allowed six hits and two runs in six innings of a 6-2 St. Louis triumph.
Carpenter has split four decisions since, beating Cincinnati and Kansas City while losing to Cleveland and the New York Mets. He's also 3-0 at home this season, allowing just seven hits and a single earned run in 21 innings at Busch.
Elsewhere in Monday's game, Travis Ishikawa hit a three-run homer, Edgar Renteria went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Juan Uribe had two hits -- including a solo homer -- for San Francisco, which has won four of its last six.
Brad Thompson (2-4) was touched for four runs on seven hits in a six-inning start for the Cardinals, who have dropped five of six.
The Giants won two of three games from the Cardinals at AT&T Park back in May and have taken five of the past six meetings in this series.
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New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC forward Nate Jaqua claimed Major League Soccer's Player of the Week award for Week 15. Jaqua tallied two goals and an assist in Sunday's 3-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids in front of mo
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Los Angeles clinches playoff berth >>
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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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