Johnson, Giants vie for another win over reeling Cards
Baseball Betting Lines
06/30/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ageless lefty Randy Johnson seeks a third straight win and a fifth in six decisions tonight, when the San Francisco Giants visit Busch Stadium for game two of four against the host St. Louis Cardinals.
The Giants won the opener, 10-0, Monday on the strength of a pitching gem - a two-hit shutout from reigning Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.
Now 8-2, Lincecum gave up just a bloop single to Rick Ankiel in the fifth inning and a double to Albert Pujols in the seventh. He fanned eight and didn't walk a batter, tossing his third complete game in his last four starts. It was the third shutout of his young career.
Meanwhile, Johnson, a California native who'll be 46 in September, was 3-4 on the season after a 9-6 loss to the New York Mets on May 16 and a subsequent no-decision against Seattle six days later.
He's rebounded nicely in the last month-plus, however, picking up career wins 299 and 300 on May 27 and June 4, then adding Nos. 301 and 302 on June 13 and 24.
In the four triumphs, Johnson has allowed just four earned runs in 26 innings while walking four batters and striking out 16.
Most recently, he went seven innings and gave up six hits and a run en route to a 6-3 victory against Oakland in his last start.
Lifetime against the Cardinals, Johnson is 6-7 in 15 starts with a 4.12 earned run average in 102 2/3 innings.
For St. Louis, right-hander Chris Carpenter will try to stay perfect for his career against the Giants.
Now 34 years old, the New Hampshire native and former first-round draft pick is 3-0 in five lifetime starts against San Francisco, posting a 3.03 earned run average in 35 2/3 innings.
Win No. 3 came May 30 in California, where he allowed six hits and two runs in six innings of a 6-2 St. Louis triumph.
Carpenter has split four decisions since, beating Cincinnati and Kansas City while losing to Cleveland and the New York Mets. He's also 3-0 at home this season, allowing just seven hits and a single earned run in 21 innings at Busch.
Elsewhere in Monday's game, Travis Ishikawa hit a three-run homer, Edgar Renteria went 2-for-4 with three RBI and Juan Uribe had two hits -- including a solo homer -- for San Francisco, which has won four of its last six.
Brad Thompson (2-4) was touched for four runs on seven hits in a six-inning start for the Cardinals, who have dropped five of six.
The Giants won two of three games from the Cardinals at AT&T Park back in May and have taken five of the past six meetings in this series.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Milwaukee Brewers are improving their stance in the National League Central, they're making it very difficult for the New York Mets to climb the NL East standings. The NL Central-leading Brewers will resume a thr
<< Phils head to Atlanta for NL East clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies will close out the last portion
of their current road trip with the first of three straight games against the
NL East-rival Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.
Philadelphia is 2 1/2 games ahead of the
<< Rookies square off in Marlins-Nationals tilt
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of rookies face their respective opponents - and
each other - for the first time tonight, when the Washington Nationals visit
the Florida Marlins for the middle test of a three-game series at Land Shark
Stadium.
Th
<< Reds return home to face slumping D-Backs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Dan Haren looks for a measure of midseason
revenge tonight, when his Arizona Diamondbacks travel to Cincinnati for the
opener of a three-game series with the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Haren, a 16-game
<< Rays put win streak on the line in Toronto
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays bested one of the best pitchers in the
majors last night and will try to duplicate that success Tuesday, when they
resume a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
The Rays knoc
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC forward Nate Jaqua claimed Major League Soccer's Player of the Week award for Week 15. Jaqua tallied two goals and an assist in Sunday's 3-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids in front of mo
D.C. United releases Peters >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United has released defender Anthony
Peters. The 25-year old was originally signed by United in March, and made one
appearance in the U.S. Open Cup.
"We'd like to thank Anthony for his hard work an
Los Angeles clinches playoff berth >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-place Los Angeles Sol have become the
first team in Women's Professional Soccer to clinch a playoff spot.
The Sol's 4-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars Saturday, combined with the Saint
Louis Athleti
Yankees acquire Hinske from Pittsburgh >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees have acquired utilityman
Eric Hinske and cash considerations from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a pair of
minor leaguers.
Hinske appeared in 54 games for the Pirates this season and was b
Brazilian Melo extends deal with Fiorentina >>
Florence, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brazil midfielder Felipe Melo has pledged
his immediate future to Fiorentina by signing a one-year contract extension
which ties him to La Viola until the summer of 2013.
The 25-year-old has been li
NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.