Saunders, Angels salvage game with Twins

Baseball Betting Lines

07/22/2007 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Saunders hurled seven solid innings, and Garret Anderson homered as the LA Angels of Anaheim downed Minnesota, 7-2, in the finale of a three-game set at the Metrodome.

Saunders (4-0), who was called up from Triple-A Salt Lake before the game to take the spot in the rotation previously held by Ervin Santana, allowed just two runs on six hits while walking one and fanning five.

Anderson was 2-for-4 for the Angels and his long ball snapped a 14-game homerless drought for the team. Meanwhile, Robb Quinlan and Casey Kotchman each drove in a pair of runs for LA, which avoided a sweep in the series and now stands two games ahead of Seattle in the AL West.

Jeff Cirillo and Justin Morneau each had an RBI for the Twins, who have lost four of six.

Matt Garza (1-2) allowed four runs -- three earned -- on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings of work en route to the loss.

The Angels jumped on top quickly with a run in the first. With runners at first and second and two down Garza lost the strike zone. The starter issued consecutive walks to Kotchman and Maicer Izturis to force in a run.

Los Angeles added another run in the second thanks to some shoddy fielding. Nathan Haynes reached second when Jason Bartlett threw away his ground ball and Chone Figgins followed by slapping an RBI single up the middle.

Anderson made it 3-0 in the third when he blasted a one-out solo homer to right, his fourth of the year.

The Twins got on the board in the home half of the third. Consecutive singles by Luis Rodriguez, Nick Punto and Bartlett loaded the bases before Cirillo lofted a sacrifice fly to left that made it a 3-1 game. Saunders averted any further damage by inducing Joe Mauer to hit into a 4-6-3 twin-killing.

The Angels got that run back in the sixth. Consecutive one-out singles by Kotchman and Izturis and a walk to Mike Napoli loaded the bases and chased Garza from the game. Juan Rincon entered and promptly issued a walk to Quinlan that made it a 4-1 game. The reliever did get Haynes to line into a double play after that to end the threat.

Minnesota made it a 4-2 game in the sixth. Cirillo laced a one-out double to left and came around to score on Morneau's two-out RBI single up the middle.

Los Angeles answered again in the seventh. Figgins singled and moved to third on an Orlando Cabrera base hit. Rincon managed to fan Vladimir Guerrero but Twins manager Ron Gardenhire went to Dennys Reyes from there. After Cabrera swiped second and Reyes intentionally walked Anderson to load the bases, Kotchman hit a sac fly to center to make it 5-2.

Consecutive doubles by Napoli and Quinlan in the eighth extended LA's advantage to four, 6-2.

Kotchman's run-scoring double in the ninth accounted for the final margin.

Game Notes

Saunders filled the hole on the roster created when catcher Jose Molina was traded to the New York Yankees for a minor league pitcher Jeff Kennard on Saturday...Saunders last threw at the major league level against Pittsburgh back on June 22, a game in which he allowed four runs on seven hits and fanned three in six innings of work.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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