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07/30/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A walk-off victory and the acquisition of a six-time All- Star made Thursday one exciting day for the San Diego Padres.
San Diego will hope Friday is just as good, as it is expected to have infielder Miguel Tejada available for tonight's opener of a three-game series against the Florida Marlins, a club that has lost five straight to the Padres.
Owners of a 3 1/2-game lead for first place in the National League West, San Diego began its Thursday by getting Tejada from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for cash considerations and minor league right-hander Wynn Pelzer. A former American League MVP, the 36-year-old is hitting .269 with seven homers and 39 RBI in 97 games this year and is expected to play both third base and shortstop for his new club.
"Hopefully, [Tejada] can come over here to this situation and contribute somewhere in our lineup," said Padres manager Bud Black.
It is unknown if Tejada will be in the starting lineup tonight.
The good feelings of the bold move made by the Padres front office did not disappear at game time. Looking to claim victory over the Dodgers in the rubber match of a three-game series, Oscar Salazar scored Scott Hairston with a pinch-hit single up the middle with one out to give San Diego a 3-2 victory and series win over Los Angeles.
Chase Headley and Yorvit Torrealba both knocked in a run for the Padres, who have won five of their last six games.
Wade LeBlanc will try to extend the momentum tonight after snapping his personal four-decision losing streak with a victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Padres left-hander gave up three runs on eight hits over six innings, improving to 5-8 with a 3.35 earned run average on the season.
LeBlanc, 25, has made one career start versus the Marlins prior, earning a no- decision on Aug. 29 after yielding four runs in six innings of work.
He won't have to face Jorge Cantu after the Marlins dealt their third baseman to the Texas Rangers for a pair of pitching prospects. Cantu was hitting .262 on the season with 10 homers and 54 RBI.
He went 2-for-4 and twice in Thursday's 5-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants, then was traded following the contest.
Anibal Sanchez was spectacular versus San Francisco, notching his second career shutout, a one-hitter that also featured a walk and eight strikeouts. Sanchez, who engineered a no-hitter back in 2006, gave up a single in the fifth inning on the way to earning his eighth victory of the season.
"Everything was working for [Sanchez]," said Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez. "He had command of all his pitches, so we knew something good was going to happen today."
Mike Stanton and Ronny Paulino knocked in two runs apiece for the Marlins, who split this four-game series at AT&T Park and have won 11 of their last 17 games overall to get back to .500 at 51-51.
Florida's Chris Volstad will be seeking his first victory since June 13 tonight, having gone 0-2 with a 6.31 ERA in five starts since. The 23-year-old made his first start on Sunday since July 6 after a brief demotion to Triple-A and earned a no-decision versus the Braves, getting charged with three runs on five hits and three walks over six innings of work.
Volstad is 4-8 with a 4.76 ERA on the season and 1-2 with a 6.14 ERA in three career meetings with the Padres. The right-hander lost to them on June 25, allowing three runs on seven hits over six innings while striking out six in the 3-0 setback.
San Diego's five-game win streak over the Marlins includes a three-game sweep in Florida from June 25-27. The Fish did win all three meetings in San Diego a season ago.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After struggling badly during one of their most
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis' bats have failed the Cardinals on more than one
occasion over the club's current funk. With Chris Carpenter set to take the
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nobody expects new Houston Astros starter J.A. Happ to
replace the traded Roy Oswalt, yet that is what the young left-hander must do
tonight.
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Phi
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Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints have agreed to terms
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BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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