Abreu homers twice in Angels' win over O's

Baseball Betting Lines

07/03/2009 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Abreu hit a pair of homers, accounting for four runs batted in, and John Lackey threw eight strong innings, as the Angels beat Baltimore, 5-2, in the opener of a four-game series.

Chone Figgins had three hits and drove in the other run for Los Angeles, which began a 10-game homestand on the right foot, snapping a two-game skid while winning for the seventh time in nine contests.

Lackey (3-3) had seven strikeouts while giving up four hits and two runs, moving to 7-3 lifetime against the Orioles. Brian Fuentes tossed the ninth inning for his major league-leading 23rd save.

"I established the fastball pretty good tonight," said Lackey. "I mixed my pitches well and located my fastball."

Jeremy Guthrie (6-8) surrendered nine hits and five runs over seven innings to have a personal two-game win streak broken.

Luke Scott homered for the Orioles, who lost for the fourth time in five games.

Abreu homered to right field leading off the fourth inning, but the Orioles tied it in the next inning, when Matt Wieters singled in Nolan Reimold with one out. Baltimore, though, wasted a chance with runners at the corners, as Robert Andino and Brian Roberts each struck out.

Los Angeles exploded for four runs in the bottom of the fifth to take command. Maicer Izturis led off with a triple, and Mike Napoli walked. One out later, Figgins blooped an RBI single to left-center. Abreu then jumped all over an 0-2 offering for his sixth homer of the year, a shot barely over the wall in right field.

"My game is a line-drive hitter," said Abreu. "I try not to force it. When the homers come, they're welcome."

Scott homered to center with one out in the seventh, but Aubrey Huff's single in the ninth represented Baltimore's only hit over the final two innings.

"There wasn't much to hit," said Scott. "I actually hit a good pitch. I got lucky, but he (Lackey) mixed up his pitches and he was on his game."

Game Notes

It was Abreu's 14th career multi-homer game and first this season...The Angels are 8-3 in their last 11 home games and have won 14 of 19 overall...Abreu upped his total to 48 RBI this season... The O's are just 4-13 in Anaheim since the start of the 2006 campaign.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog 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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Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship

(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

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Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.

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