Dunn, D-Backs overcome early deficit to clip Padres
Baseball Betting Lines
08/21/2008 -
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Dunn hit a three-run homer and walked
twice, as the Arizona Diamondbacks held on for an 8-6 win over San Diego, in
the second of three games with the Padres.
The game was expected to be a pitchers' battle between Arizona's Dan Haren,
who came into the game with a 2.96 earned run average, and San Diego ace Jake
Peavy, who won the 2007 NL Cy Young Award and carried a 2.61 ERA into the
contest.
Instead, Haren (14-6) got enough run support to take the win, after allowing
five runs on 11 hits in six innings. Peavy (9-9) took the loss after
surrendering six runs -- five earned -- on five hits and four walks in five
frames.
Conor Jackson and Mark Reynolds each finished with a hit and two runs batted
in for the Diamondbacks, who have won both games of the series so far and five
of six overall.
Jody Gerut went 3-for-5 with a solo homer, and Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a two-run
blast for the Padres, who have lost three in a row.
San Diego did most of its damage in the first inning. Gerut and Tadahito
Iguchi led off with back-to-back doubles to plate one run, and two batters
later, Adrian Gonzalez singled home Iguchi. Kouzmanoff followed with a two-run
shot to left field to give San Diego a 4-0 lead.
But the Diamondbacks responded in the home half. With one out, Augie Ojeda
doubled, and Jackson followed with a walk. That brought up Dunn, who hit his
National League-best 34th home run of the season to bring the D-Backs within
one.
Arizona surged ahead in the second. With one out, Chris Snyder launched a solo
homer to left field to tie the game. Haren then worked a walk and
Stephen Drew singled -- both runners advanced because of right fielder Brian
Giles' fielding error. After Ojeda popped out, Jackson smacked a two-run
single to right for a 6-4 lead.
The game stayed that way until the sixth inning, when the Padres trimmed one
run off its deficit. Nick Hundley stroked a one-out double and advanced to
third on a ground out, then scored when pinch-hitter Brian Myrow singled.
Haren, though, rebounded to get Gerut to line out and end the inning.
The Diamondbacks plated a pair of insurance runs in the seventh.
Ojeda led off with a walk facing Clay Hensley, who came on for Peavy in the
sixth. Hensley got Jackson to fly out, but was then lifted for Wilfredo
Ledezma. However, the new Padres pitcher walked Dunn and pinch-hitter Tony
Clark to fill the bases. Reynolds hit a two-run double to left to provide an
8-5 lead for Arizona.
After Tony Pena tossed a scoreless eighth for Arizona, Jon Rauch entered
for the ninth and got the first two outs before giving up a solo homer to
Gerut. However, Rauch got Iguchi to ground out, ending the game.
Game Notes
Kouzmanoff's homer was his 19th of the season, a new career high. He hit 18
last season for the Padres...Rauch notched his 18th save of the season...No
Diamondbacks player had more than one hit, and the club had fewer hits (six)
than runs.
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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