Votto helps Reds down Jays
Baseball Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joey Votto went 4-for-5 with a double, homer and three runs batted in as the Cincinnati Reds edged the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-5, in the finale of a three-game interleague series at Rogers Centre.
Jay Bruce chipped in with a two-run double and Willy Taveras had three hits with an RBI and run scored for the Reds, who salvaged one win in the series and snapped a four-game slide.
Johnny Cueto (7-4) picked up the win after allowing five runs on as many hits. He struck out four and walked three. Francisco Cordero earned his 18th save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.
Vernon Wells and Scott Rolen each had a pair of RBI, while Aaron Hill hit a solo homer for Toronto, which had a three-game winning streak halted.
Brett Cecil, who was making only his sixth big league start, lasted only three innings. The lefy was raked for nine hits and five runs while walking three, but did not figure in the decision. Shawn Camp (0-3) was tagged with the loss despite giving up a run on three hits in four innings of relief.
With the game deadlocked at 5-5, Votto, born and raised in the Toronto area, belted a first-pitch slider over the right-field wall to lead off the seventh. The Reds then tacked on another in the eighth. Paul Janish doubled to start the inning, took third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Taveras' squeeze bunt single.
Cordero took the hill for the bottom of the ninth and issued a one-out walk to Lyle Overbay, but the hard-throwing closer set down Rod Barajas and Russ Adams to end the game.
Cincinnati jumped on Cecil for a four spot in the top of the first. Taveras got things started with a double and after the next two batters were retired, back-to-back RBI doubles by Votto and Jonny Gomes made it 2-0. Ramon Hernandez then drew a walk and Bruce chased in two more with another two-bagger.
Hill's solo homer in the bottom half got the Blue Jays on the board.
Votto's run-scoring single in the second put the Reds in front 5-1. However, Toronto pushed across four runs to even things in the fifth. With the bases loaded and two away, Wells roped a two-run base hit to left, then after a brief mound visit, Rolen's two RBI single up the middle tied it.
Game Notes
Cincinnati opens a three-game interleague set at Cleveland on Friday, while Toronto welcomes Philadelphia to the Rogers Centre...The Reds finished 5- for-14 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine, while the Blue Jays went 2-for-4 with RISP and left four men on base.
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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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