Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
09/04/2010 - Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Thames clubbed a two-run homer to snap a seventh-inning tie, lifting the New York Yankees to a 7-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in the second of a three-game series at Yankee Stadium.
Robinson Cano singled home a pair of runs in New York's season-high eighth straight victory. Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter also knocked in a run apiece as the Yankees increased their lead in the AL East to two games over Tampa Bay, which is set to play Saturday night against Baltimore.
Javier Vazquez was back in New York's starting rotation after a stint in the bullpen and was roughed up for five runs on four hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings. Joba Chamberlain (2-4) picked up the win with a scoreless inning of relief and Mariano Rivera worked around a two-out single in the ninth for his 29th save.
Lyle Overbay homered, doubled and drove in three runs for Toronto, which has lost three straight and five of its last six. John McDonald also connected for a two-run homer in defeat.
The Yankees snapped a 5-5 deadlock with a two-out rally in the seventh against Toronto reliever Jason Frasor (3-4). After the first two batters were retired, Cano singled and Thames followed with a blast over the wall in left-center field for his 11th home run of the season.
"Big. Huge home run," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi about Thames' homer. "Marcus has been a huge addition for us."
Kerry Wood took over for Chamberlain in the eighth and set Toronto down in order and Rivera came on in the ninth, striking out Aaron Hill to end it.
Vazquez retired the side in order in the first, but immediately ran into trouble in the second. Overbay connected for a one-out homer, his 17th of the season, and McDonald added his two-run shot off the left field foul pole to make it 3-0.
The Yankees tied it in the third. Francisco Cervelli hustled out a double with one out and Gardner drew a walk before Jeter doubled just inside the bag at third to score one run. Mark Teixeira walked to load the bases for Cano, who came through with a two-run single to center.
New York then went ahead with two in the fourth. Cervelli doubled to put two aboard for Gardner, who scored one with a grounder to shortstop. After Jeter walked, Cervelli scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-3.
Vazquez issued a two-out walk to Jose Bautista in the fifth and Vernon Wells singled. Dustin Moseley came on for the Yankees and Overbay greeted him with a double to chase home both runners.
"I was battling all day," said Vazquez, who was surprised at being lifted one out away from qualifying for a win. "It could have been a better outing, but the fact that I got taken out early...I didn't have a chance. He's still the manager and you have to respect that."
Game Notes
Bautista, the big league leader with 43 homers, was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing a called third strike...Toronto starter Mark Rzepczynski was tagged for five runs on six hits in four innings...The Yankees evened the season series at seven wins apiece...Yankees lefty Andy Pettitte, sidelined with a groin strain, threw a simulated game and reported no pain...Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez also hit during the simulated game and could be activated off the disabled list Sunday.
<< Nesbitt leads Georgia Tech in season-opening rout
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Nesbitt ran for 130 yards and three
touchdowns, as the 16th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets opened the 2010
season by trouncing South Carolina State, 41-10, at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Roddy Jones
<< Murray, Georgia get season started with rout of Louisiana
Athens, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Murray threw for three touchdowns and ran
for another, as the 23rd-ranked Georgia Bulldogs trounced the Louisiana Ragin
Cajuns', 55-7, at Sanford Stadium.
Murray, a redshirt freshman making his first c
<< Cubs' Silva to return Tuesday
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Cubs right-hander Carlos Silva will
make his return to the rotation on Tuesday against the Houston Astros.
The club made the announcement Saturday, shuffling their rotation so that
rookie Case
<< Serbia, Spain advance to World Championship quarters
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aleksandar Rasic's free throw with one
second left gave Serbia a 73-72 victory over Croatia and berth in the
quarterfinals of the FIBA World Championship.
The Serbs led by seven during the fou
Kahne takes pole for Atlanta Nationwide race >>
Hampton, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kasey Kahne will start on the pole for
Saturday's Great Clips Nationwide Series race after posting the quickest lap
in qualifying at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Kahne turned a lap of 181.479 m.p.h. ar
Broncos place Stokley on IR, cut 10, trade for TE Gronkowski >>
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wide receiver Brandon Stokley was placed on
season-ending injured reserve Saturday, with the Broncos also cutting 10
players and dealing for Detroit Lions tight end Dan Gronkowski to reduce the
roster to 53 play
Sisk still two clear Mylan Classic >>
Canonsburg, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Geoffrey Sisk carded a two-under 69
Saturday to maintain his two-stroke lead after three rounds of the Mylan
Classic.
Sisk, who played the final three holes of his second round earlier Saturday,
completed 5
Steelers trim 11 to finish cuts, including center Hartwig >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Center Justin Hartwig, a 16-game starter for
the Pittsburgh Steelers over the past two seasons, was among the prominent
players cut as part of the team's final "cut-down day" maneuvers on Saturday.
Hartwig e
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting