Phils try to keep perfect homestand intact against Reds

Baseball Betting Lines

07/06/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies will try to stay unbeaten on their current homestand when they kick off a four-game series tonight versus the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park.

Philadelphia entered the residency having lost 12 of 15 games before sweeping the despised New York Mets in three games over the weekend. It completed the sweep with a 2-0 victory on Sunday thanks to solo home runs by Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, and 7 1/3 shutout innings from starter Joe Blanton. Blanton allowed four hits, struck out five batters and issued three walks to outduel Mets ace Johan Santana, who suffered the loss for allowing both homers through seven innings of work.

"You never know when it might be the last run against a great pitcher like that," Blanton said on the team's Web site.

The Phillies remained one game ahead of the Florida Marlins for the top spot in the NL East division, and will also host the Pittsburgh Pirates for three games on the homestand. Meanwhile, Utley and injured left fielder Raul Ibanez were selected as starters for the All-Star Game to be played July 14 in St. Louis, while first baseman Ryan Howard was named as a reserve. Ibanez is hitting .312 with 22 home runs and 59 RBI, but has been on the disabled list since June 18 with a strained left groin. He is expected to join the Phillies before the Mid-Summer Classic.

Ibanez is slated to start a rehab assignment Monday with Double-A Reading.

Taking the ball for the first-place Phillies today will be ace Cole Hamels, who has lost three straight starts and is winless over the past five trips to the mound. Hamels was rocked in his latest outing on July 1 at Atlanta, where he allowed seven runs and nine hits in four innings of an 11-1 loss to the Braves. He has allowed four or more runs in three of his last five starts.

The left-hander fell to 4-5 in 15 starts this season and saw his earned run average balloon from 4.44 to 4.98. Hamels, who is 2-2 in eight home starts, will face Cincinnati for the second time this season. He beat the Reds on the road back on May 19, as he yielded three runs in six innings of a 4-3 win. He also struck out seven batters that day to improve to 4-0 with a 1.25 ERA in five career appearances against Cincy.

Cincinnati will open a seven-game road trip Monday against the Phillies and Mets, and lost two of three meetings versus St. Louis over the weekend. In Sunday's 10-1 blowout loss at Great American Ball Park, Reds starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo surrendered eight runs --five earned -- on 11 hits in five innings of work to suffer the loss.

"I've been through worse stretches," Arroyo said on the team's site. "That's just the way it goes. I have no excuses other than the fact that this game isn't easy."

Jay Bruce accounted for the offense with an RBI triple for the Reds, who will have one representative for this year's All-Star Game in closer Francisco Cordero. Cordero will be making his third All-Star Game appearance after he went in 2004 with Texas and in 2007 for Milwaukee.

Jerry Hairston Jr. finished with a team-high two hits in defeat. Cincinnati sits three games off the lead in the NL Central standings.

Taking the ball for the Reds Monday will be Johnny Cueto. Cueto has won two straight and four of his last six starts, including a July 1 outing versus Arizona. In the 1-0 victory over the Diamondbacks, Cueto hurled six shutout innings of one-hit ball, struck out eight and walked four batters to lift his record to 8-4 in 16 starts, while lowering his ERA from 2.86 to 2.69.

The right-hander, who is 6-2 in nine starts this season, opposed Hamels back in mid May and suffered the loss for giving up four runs and seven hits in seven innings of work. It was Cueto's first appearance against Philadelphia.

Philadelphia took two of three matchups in Cincinnati from May 19-21, and has won six of the last eight meetings between the teams.

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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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