Giles is the hero as Padres down Giants

Baseball Betting Lines

09/26/2007 - San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Giles' two-out, three-run home run capped a four-run ninth-inning rally, as the San Diego Padres ended a four-game losing streak with a 6-4 win against the San Francisco Giants in the middle contest of a three-game series at AT&T Park.

Trailing 4-2, San Diego rallied for four runs in the ninth off Brian Wilson (1-2). Khalil Greene grounded a lead-off double, advanced to third on a Josh Bard groundout, and scored on a Brady Clark single two batters later. Oscar Robles then walked, and Giles smacked a three-run shot to right field on a 2-0 pitch before reliever Scott Munter stopped the bleeding by inducing a Scott Hairston lineout.

Hairston and Greene also homered for the Padres, who are now two games behind National League West-leading Arizona which lost to Pittsburgh 6-5. San Diego is a game ahead of Philadelphia, which lost to Atlanta 10-6, and Colorado in the wild card race. Kevin Kouzmanoff and Brady Clark both had a pair of hits in the win.

Brett Tomko, who had won his previous two starts, allowed four runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts over six innings for San Diego. Joe Thatcher (1-1) earned the win after 1 1/3 innings of relief, and Trevor Hoffman tossed the ninth for his 41st save in 46 chances.

Randy Winn homered for the Giants, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Kevin Frandsen went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Matt Cain, who lost his second straight start and third consecutive decision on Thursday against Cincinnati, allowed two runs on five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts over seven innings for the Giants.

San Francisco attained early control with a four-spot in the second. Fred Lewis led off with a walk, Cain bunted him over to second, and Dave Roberts and Frandsen followed with RBI base hits. Winn then belted a two-run blast to center field on a 1-0 pitch.

The Padres got on the board in the sixth when Hairston homered to left field on the first pitch he saw, and again in the seventh, as Greene led off with a long ball to left field on a 2-1 pitch.

Game Notes

The Padres are playing the final week without two of their key offensive contributors. Milton Bradley was involved in a freak accident Sunday, tearing his ACL when his manager Bud Black pushed him away from a verbal argument he was having with first base umpire Mike Winters. Mike Cameron's hand was stepped on in the outfield by Bradley earlier in that game, and the outfielder is only available to pinch-run the rest of the week...The Padres purchased the contract of outfielder Drew Macias from San Antonio, recalled infielder Chase Headley from San Antonio, and placed pitcher Clay Hensley on the 60-day disabled list prior to the game...San Diego has won 13 of its 17 matchups with the Giants this season, including five of eight in the Bay Area.

Cnssports Baseball Betting News

<< Murphy lifts Rangers over Halos
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Murphy went 2-for-3 and drove in a run as Texas topped Los Angeles, 3-1, in the middle contest of three between the clubs. Jamey Wright (4-5) finished off the game with four innings of two-hit b

<< Pena powers Royals past White Sox
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Pena homered and matched a career-high with four hits as the Kansas City Royals rallied to beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 in the opener of a three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field. Russ Gload drove

<< Navarro's blast lifts D-Rays over Yankees
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dioner Navarro led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a game-winning home run as Tampa Bay edged New York, 7-6, at Tropicana Field. Navarro, an ex-Yankee farmhand, crushed a hanging changeup fro

<< Astros power past Reds in Queen City
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hunter Pence homered and Lance Berkman doubled twice as the Houston Astros downed the Cincinnati Reds, 8-5, in the first of a three-game set at Great American Ball Park. Craig Biggio and Josh Ande

<< Mets maintain NL East lead despite losing to Nats
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Glavine suffered a loss for the first time since early July and Washington held off a furious late rally by New York to post a 10-9 win over the Mets at Shea Stadium. Austin Kearns hit a three-run home

Rockies win ninth straight, top fading Dodgers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Helton posted three hits and two RBI while Troy Tulowitzki homered, as the Colorado Rockies matched a franchise- best winning streak with their ninth consecutive victory in a crucial 9-7 decisio

Indians eliminate Mariners from playoff race after 12 innings >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kenny Lofton's sacrifice fly in the top of the 12th inning lifted Cleveland over Seattle, 4-3, and eliminated the Mariners from the AL playoff picture. Pinch-hitter Asdrubal Cabrera led off the 12th by dra

Rockies win ninth straight; Dodgers eliminated >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Helton posted three hits and two RBI while Troy Tulowitzki homered, as the Colorado Rockies matched a franchise- best winning streak with their ninth consecutive victory in a crucial 9-7 decisio

Bobby Petrino in early 0-3 hole as Falcons coach >>
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) -Any remaining part of Bobby Petrino's honeymoon period as Atlanta's coach that wasn't spoiled by Michael Vick's guilty plea has been wiped out by the Falcons' 0-3 start.Petrino said he has never before lost his first three

William Wirtz, owner of the Chicago Blackhawks, dead at 77 >>
CHICAGO (AP) - William Wirtz, the longtime owner of the Chicago Blackhawks notorious for driving a hard bargain, died Wednesday at age 77.In an announcement on the team Web site, the Blackhawks said Wirtz died at Evanston Hospital after battling can

Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game

How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).

Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.

The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).

Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.