Loney's HR lifts Dodgers over Padres in 13 innings

Baseball Betting Lines

07/05/2009 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Loney went 2-for-6 and smacked a solo home run in the top of the 13th to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers past the San Diego Padres, 7-6, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Petco Park.

Edward Mujica (2-4), who took over on the hill in the top of the 13th for San Diego, quickly offered up the eventual game-winning homer to Loney, who drove a 2-0 fastball just over the wall in right field.

Jeff Weaver (5-2) tossed a scoreless 11th, 12th, and 13th to collect the win for the Dodgers, who are 4-2 in their last six games. Chad Billingsley allowed three runs on four hits in eight-plus frames, but didn't factor into the decision. Billingsley also hit his first career MLB home run and doubled.

Casey Blake belted a three-run homer and Andre Ethier hit a solo homer for Los Angeles. Juan Pierre went 4-for-7 with an RBI for the victors.

Josh Banks, who is filling in for the injured Wade LeBlanc, went 4 1/3 frames in the start, allowing six runs on nine hits with one walk for the Padres, who finished 2-5 on a seven-game homestand.

Kevin Kouzmanoff and Chase Headley each hit a solo homer for San Diego. Everth Cabrera had a two-run single, while Eliezer Alfonzo and Will Venable added an RBI apiece.

Down 6-1, the Padres rallied for five runs in the bottom of the ninth to deadlock the tilt. Headley started the frame with a homer to right off Billingsley, who was replaced by Jonathan Broxton on the hill after giving up a double to Tony Gwynn, Jr. Broxton got David Eckstein to fly out before walking Scott Hairston. Adrian Gonzalez went down swinging to record the second out.

Pinch-hitter Venable then hit an RBI single to left to cut the deficit to three. Edgar Gonzalez and Alfonzo both walked, with the latter forcing in a run. Broxton's disastrous frame continued when Cabrera stroked a two-run single to center. Alfonzo was thrown out at third on the play to send the contest into extra innings.

Heath Bell came on to pitch for the Padres in the top of the 10th and put men on the corners with two outs. Bell, though, got Ethier to line out to get out of the jam.

San Diego loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom half, but Brent Leach got Venable to fly out to end the threat.

The Dodgers used an Ethier lead-off homer to center in the second inning to take the early edge.

Blake belted a three-run homer in the third to extend Los Angeles' margin to four. Billingsley doubled and Rafael Furcal hit a bunt single to put runners on the corners. Pierre moved Furcal up a base when he grounded out. Billingsley was thrown out at home when Loney grounded into a force out. Blake then drove the ball over the wall in center.

The Dodgers plated two more runs in the top of the fifth to make it a 6-0 game. Billingsley started the frame with a homer to left. Furcal followed with a triple and crossed the plate on Pierre's single.

Billingsley, who retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced, gave up a solo homer to Kouzmanoff in the bottom of the fifth.

Game Notes

Later Sunday, it was announced the Padres dealt Hairston to Oakland for pitchers Ryan Webb and Craig Italiano, and a player to be named later...Dodgers left fielder Manny Ramirez flied out as a pinch-hitter in the 11th...The Padres placed catcher Henry Blanco (right hamstring) on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday. The club also selected the contract of catcher Jose Lobaton from Triple-A Portland and designated pitcher Edwin Moreno for assignment...The Dodgers have won nine of 13 matchups with the Padres this season...Los Angeles will head to New York for a three-game set with the Mets, starting Tuesday. San Diego will begin a seven-game road trip with a three-game series versus the Arizona Diamondbacks, beginning Monday...Eckstein left the game in the bottom of the 12th after running to first base on a groundout...Billingsley, Broxton, and Dodgers second baseman Orlando Hudson made the NL team for the All-Star game. Bell and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez were selected from San Diego.

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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.

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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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