Young makes second homer a game-winner for D'Backs

Baseball Betting Lines

06/13/2010 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Young's second homer of the game, a two- run blast in the bottom of the ninth inning, rescued the Arizona bullpen and lifted the Diamondbacks to a 7-5 win over St. Louis in the rubber match of a three-game series at Chase Field.

Arizona closer Chad Qualls, who began the day sporting an inflated 7.77 ERA, was called on to protect a three-run lead in the ninth and promptly allowed a double to the leadoff batter, Felipe Lopez. Colby Rasmus then hit a chopper to first and was safe after Qualls bobbled the toss from Adam LaRoche.

Albert Pujols then grounded an RBI single to left field. Rasmus advanced to third on a Matt Holliday flyout and came home on a base hit to center by Randy Winn.

Esmerling Vasquez (1-2) replaced an ineffective Qualls on the mound and uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Pujols to score, tying the game at 5-5. Vasquez retired the next two batters to end the frame.

Kyle McClellan (0-2) took the hill for St. Louis in the bottom of the ninth and quickly set down the first two batters. Miguel Montero lined a single to left before Young crushed an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left-center for his third career walk-off home run.

"He gave me a good pitch to hit. I knew it had a chance," Young said.

LaRoche joined Young with three runs batted in for the Diamondbacks, who posted a 6-4 record on their 10-game homestand. Edwin Jackson was tagged for two runs on eight hits and four walks in 6 2/3 innings.

Pujols also stroked a two-run double for St. Louis, which has dropped six of seven. Chris Carpenter gave up three runs on six hits over six innings. The 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner recorded eight strikeouts but did walk a season- high five batters.

"They put good at-bats on me the whole game, fouling some tough pitches off," Carpenter said. "But I was able to continue to make pitches and keep my team in the game."

The Diamondbacks got to Carpenter for a pair of runs in the first inning. Kelly Johnson led off with a single and consecutive two-out doubles by Mark Reynolds and LaRoche, the latter ripped down the right-field line, gave Arizona an early 2-0 edge.

Young homered to left field off Carpenter to give the Diamondbacks a three-run lead in the fourth.

St. Louis came up empty with the bases loaded in the fifth and stranded a runner on third the next inning before finally breaking through in the seventh when Pujols doubled home Lopez and Rasmus with two outs.

Arizona got the two runs back off Cardinals reliever Dennys Reyes in the home half of the inning. Stephen Drew led off with a double and scored on LaRoche's one-out single. Montero followed with an RBI double to make it 5-2.

Game Notes

Johnson extended his hitting streak to 10 games...St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina went 3-for-4 with a walk...Carpenter had two hits...Pujols has 47 RBI this season.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.