Church's grand slam lifts Mets over Brewers

Baseball Betting Lines

09/03/2008 - Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Church set the tone with a grand slam in the first inning and New York went on to beat Milwaukee, 9-2, to complete a three-game sweep at Miller Park.

Brian Schneider added a solo homer for the Mets, who have won four straight games and now lead the NL East by 2 1/2 games over Philadelphia. The Phillies play Washington Wednesday night and then travel to Shea Stadium to face the Mets in a three-game set beginning Friday.

"We have played good baseball for a long period of time," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "We have to continue that until there are no more games. It's very encouraging to come in here and win three games."

Oliver Perez (10-7) surrendered just two runs on five hits with five walks and five strikeouts in 6 2/3 solid innings to earn the win.

"I walked too many but the important thing is I made good pitches when I needed them and never lost my focus," Perez said.

J.J. Hardy had a solo home run for the Brewers, who lead the NL wild card race by four games over Philadelphia.

Dave Bush (9-10) allowed six runs -- all in the first inning -- on seven hits in five innings en route to the loss.

The Mets jumped all over Bush with six runs in the first. Daniel Murphy, David Wright and Carlos Delgado started things with consecutive one-out singles to make it a 1-0 game. After Carlos Beltran walked to load the bases, Church turned on a Bush offering and deposited over the wall in right for his second career grand slam. The Mets weren't done, however. After Luis Castillo bounced back to the box, Schneider ripped his seventh homer of the year to cap the frame.

"It's always important to score a lot of runs early and take the momentum," Church said.

The Brewers finally got to Perez in the sixth when Gabe Kapler ripped a ground-rule double to center and came around to score on Corey Hart's one-out, two-bagger.

Hardy's two-out solo homer in the seventh inning made it a 6-2 game.

The Mets put things away with two runs off the Brewers bullpen in the eighth. Beltran worked a walk off Mitch Stetter and moved to second on Castillo's one- out walk. After pinch hitter Fernando Tatis popped out, New York executed a double-steal. Nick Evans, another pinch hitter, then came through with a big two-run single to put the game well out of reach 8-2.

Wright's sacrifice fly in the ninth accounted for the final margin.

"After the six-run first inning, Bush settled down from there," Brewers manger Ned Yost said. "But, it's difficult to battle back. I kept thinking we were just a swing or two way from getting in it."

Game Notes

Reyes was 1-for-4 with a triple, his big league-leading 18th of the year...Alcides Escobar singled to left in his first major league at-bat in the ninth...Delgado has 46 RBI in his last 45 games.

Slost Baseball Betting News

<< Zito pitches Giants over Rockies
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Zito was phenomenal on the mound to pick up his third win in four starts, while Scott McClain and Travis Ishikawa drove in three runs apiece, as the San Francisco Giants salvaged the finale of a three-g

<< Cubs recall Hart
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs recalled pitcher Kevin Hart from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday. Hart, 25, is up for his fourth stint with the Cubs this season. He is 2-1 with a 7.91 earned-run average in 14 relief appearances

<< Former PGA Tour winner Tommy Bolt dead at 92
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World Golf Hall of Fame member Tommy Bolt died last week at the age of 92. Bolt, who began his PGA Tour career at age 28 after serving in World War II and working for a decade in the constr

<< BoSox rally late to edge O's
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Cora scored the game-winning run in the ninth to help the Boston Red Sox to a 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles to complete a three-game sweep at Fenway Park. In the ninth, Cora led off with a si

<< Hoops, Rapids battling to stay in playoff race
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids aren't in must-win territory just yet, but it's getting close. The two Major League Soccer clubs square off on Thursday night at Pizza Hut Park with the hopes of not get

"Thunder" in Oklahoma City >>
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oklahoma City's NBA team will be called the Thunder. The team was set to formally reveal the nickname and logo at an afternoon press conference on Wednesday, but the team's official Web site let the cat

Bryans reach doubles final at U.S. Open >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The American twin Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, were easy men's doubles semifinal winners Wednesday at the 2008 U.S. Open. The second-seeded Bryans whipped an unseeded tandem of Spaniard Tommy R

Report: Chelios, Wings close to deal >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings are reportedly close to closing in on a contract with defenseman Chris Chelios, which means the veteran is set to return for his 25th NHL season. According to TSN of Canada, repo

MLB maintains scorer's ruling, Sabathia denied no-hitter >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that CC Sabathia's controversial one-hitter from Sunday's 7-0 Milwaukee win in Pittsburgh will stand. Sabathia held the Pirates hitless for the first four innings

Bombers ink QB Chang >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed quarterback Timmy Chang Wednesday. Chang, a former star at the University of Hawaii, spent the entire 2007 season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, starting one gam


Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.









COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting