A-Rod hits grand slam as Yankees overpower Indians

Baseball Betting Lines

05/31/2010 - Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez hit a grand slam to highlight a six-run seventh inning and ended with six RBI, as the Yankees closed out a four-game series against the Indians with a 11-2 victory.

Andy Pettitte (7-1) rolled through Cleveland's lineup for seven innings, allowing just four hits -- one a Jhonny Peralta solo homer -- with five strikeouts and zero walks.

Robinson Cano extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a solo home run and later chipped in a two-run single.

Rodriguez finished with three hits -- the others an RBI double and run-scoring single. It was his 20th career grand slam, passing Eddie Murray for third place on the all-time list.

Brett Gardner added three hits and an RBI, while Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher each picked up two hits and scored twice as New York picked up its fifth win in seven games behind a season-high 18-hit attack.

Indians starter Mitch Talbot (6-4) was charged with three runs on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings. A combination of Rafael Perez and Chris Perez came on to surrender five runs during the fateful seventh frame without retiring a batter.

It was a 2-1 Yankee lead going into the seventh where everything fell apart for Cleveland.

Gardner began the onslaught with a single, but was quickly erased on an attempted steal of second. Derek Jeter then singled, but was replaced by a pinch-runner. He had taken a pitch to the back of his left thigh in the second inning. Yankee manager Joe Girardi indicated after the game the hamstring had stiffened as the game went along.

Rafael Perez came on for Talbot and gave up a base hit to Granderson, uncorked a wild pitch to advance the runners and intentionally walked Mark Teixeira to load the bases.

Chris Perez was called upon to limit the damage, but instead served up a 3-1 fastball that Rodriguez crushed to dead center. Cano then ripped a pitch over the wall in right and Swisher doubled to bring Jamey Wright out of the pen.

Francisco Cervelli capped the frame's scoring with a sacrifice fly to make it an 8-1 affair. New York stretched its lead further with Rodriguez's RBI double and Cano's two-run single in the eighth.

Pettitte, meanwhile, had retired 14 straight following a Mark Grudzielanek single in the third leading up to New York's huge seventh inning. Chan Ho Park took over where Pettitte left off by retiring the next five before hitting a snag with two outs in the ninth. He put three on and gave up a Shelley Duncan RBI single before getting the final out.

The Yankees got on the board in their first at-bat. Granderson lifted a ground-rule double to right and came home two batters later on Rodriguez's base hit into right-center.

Peralta turned on a Pettitte fastball and put it well into the right-field bleachers leading off the second for his 100th career home run.

The game remained tied until the fourth when Swisher led off with a double and Gardner laced a two-out single to center for a 2-1 edge.

Game Notes

The Yankees took three of four in the series after winning five of the eight matchups a year ago...Pettitte lowered his earned-run average to 2.48 on the season with three earned runs and no walks over his last two starts (15 innings). He evened his record at 8-8 in 20 career starts against the Tribe and was 0-4 in his previous six starts against the Indians in the Bronx...It was A-Rod's seventh homer this year and 590th of his career. Only Yankee legend Lou Gehrig (23) and Dodgers left fielder Manny Ramirez (21) have more career grand slams than Rodriguez...Cano hit his 11th home run this season and is batting .450 (27-for-60) with eight doubles, two homers and 17 RBI over his hitting streak....Gardner was caught stealing twice in the same game for the first time in his career.

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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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