Mauer's inside-the-park HR lifts Twins past Angels

Baseball Betting Lines

07/22/2007 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Mauer's inside-the-park three-run home run in the eighth inning lifted the Minnesota Twins over the LA Angels of Anaheim, 5-2, in the second game of a three-game set at the Metrodome.

Jason Bartlett and Torii Hunter also homered for the Twins, who won their second straight after dropping three games to Detroit. Boof Bonser, who has not earned a victory since the second week of June, allowed two runs on five hits with one strikeout over 7 2/3 innings before Pat Neshek (5-1) got the final out in the eighth for the win.

Chone Figgins ended 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored a run for the Angels, who have dropped five of their last six. Garret Anderson and Maicer Izturis both added a pair of hits in the loss.

Jered Weaver, who has not won in more than a month, gave up two runs on five hits with a walk and two strikeouts over seven innings for LA.

With the score knotted at two, Minnesota plated three runs in the eighth off Scot Shields (2-3), who scattered a single to Nick Punto before walking Luis Castillo. Shields then helped himself by catching Punto too far off the bag, and picked him off.

But, Bartlett singled to put runners at the corners, and Mauer hit an inside- the-park home run on a full count over the head of Gary Matthews Jr., who attempted the catch but crashed into the wall in left-center field. Anderson made his way over to get the ball, but Mauer scored standing up without a throw to home plate.

Dustin Moseley then stopped the bleeding by striking out Justin Morneau looking and Hunter swinging, but the damage was done, and Joe Nathan closed a scoreless ninth for his 20th save of the season.

The loss prevented the Angels from extending their slim lead over the Seattle Mariners, who trail by just one game in the AL West playoff race.

Trailing 2-0, the Angels tied the score with two runs in the eighth. Izturis led off with a single, and Figgins later lined an RBI triple, prompting Neshek to relieve Bonser. Orlando Cabrera got Figgins home on a single to tie the game, but then got caught stealing second to end the inning.

Minnesota put up a run in the sixth on Bartlett's solo shot to left field on a 2-1 pitch; and another in the seventh on Hunter's homer to left-center on the first pitch of the frame.

Game Notes

Mauer's was the first inside-the-park homer for a Twin since Hunter converted one at Oakland on July 26, 2001...The Angels took two of three from the Twins earlier in the season and are 17-13 in the series since the start of the 2004 campaign.

Rouelette Baseball Betting News

<< Chakvetadze, Morigami reach Cincinnati final
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze and seventh-seed Akiko Morigami of Japan will battle in the final of the $175,000 Western & Southern Financial Open after both completed hard-fought victories on Satu

<< Marlins sink Reds with eight-run eighth
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hanley Ramirez hit a three-run home run as part of an eight-run eighth inning as the Florida Marlins crushed the Cincinnati Reds, 11-1, in the third of a four-game set at Dolphin Stadium. The big news for Fl

<< Cards agree with top pick Kozma
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals agreed to terms with their top draft pick, shortstop Pete Kozma, on Saturday. Kozma, who was the 18th pick overall in the first-year player draft on June 7, will report to the club'

<< Herron takes lead at U.S. Bank Championship
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While Tim Herron plays for his fifth PGA Tour win on Sunday, he'll be chased by two players looking to finally claim their first. Herron took a one-shot lead over Tim Clark and Joe Ogilvie after shooting

<< Red Sox rout Chicago for second straight day
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kason Gabbard tossed a three-hitter over seven innings, as the Boston Red Sox pounded the Chicago White Sox, 11-2, in the third game of a four-game set from Fenway Park. Gabbard (4-0) struck out one batter

Bowden among those enshrined into College Football Hall of Fame >>
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Bowden, the winningest coach in major college football history, led a group that was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Other notables included former Heisman Trophy winners

Bay and LaRoche help Bucs end skid >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Bay and Adam LaRoche both drove in two runs, as the Pittsburgh Pirates downed the Houston Astros, 7-3, at PNC Park in game two of a three-game series for their first win since the All-Star break. Fredd

Injured Beckham sits out scoreless first half >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Beckham did not start for Los Angeles on Saturday night as the Galaxy are hosting English Premiership power Chelsea in a friendly at The Home Depot Center. With the match scoreless at the i

Scherrer extends lead to three shots >>
Springfield, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Looking for his first win in seven years, Tom Scherrer will carry a three-shot lead into the final round of the Nationwide Tour's Price Cutter Charity Championship. Scherrer fired a six-under 6

Yankees acquire C Molina from Angels >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees announced Saturday they have acquired catcher Jose Molina from the Los Angels of Anaheim in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jeff Kennard. Molina, 32, has a .224 batting average wi

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.