Bonds goes 0-for-2; Lincecum leads Giants past Brewers

Baseball Betting Lines

07/22/2007 - Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Bonds went 0-for-2, failing to move any closer to Hank Aaron's all-time home run record, but his teammates provided enough offense to power San Francisco past the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-0, in the second of a three-game series at Miller Park.

Commissioner Bud Selig was in attendance, with Bonds sitting two home runs shy of Aaron's mark of 755. Selig plans to be there for the third game of the series as the home run chase goes through his home town.

Not only is Milwaukee the home of Selig, but also where Aaron played from 1954-65 with the Braves and then in 1975-76 with the Brewers. On this date back in 1976, Aaron hit historic home run No. 755 right here in Milwaukee.

Pedro Feliz homered for the Giants, who have won three of their last five games. Ray Durham went 2-for-5 with three RBI in the win. Tim Lincecum (5-2), who posted back-to-back wins on July 1 and 7, extended his stretch of impressive outings by tossing a four-hitter with eight strikeouts and a walk over eight innings, retiring the first 11 batters he faced.

Craig Counsell went 1-for-3 for the Brewers, who have lost three of four. Dave Bush (8-8) allowed three runs on six hits with two walks and seven strikeouts over six innings, while avoiding becoming the 444th pitcher to allow a Bonds homer.

San Francisco scored a run in the second, as Ryan Klesko grounded a lead-off single, Bengie Molina doubled him over to third, and he came home on Feliz's single.

The Giants plated a pair of runs in the fourth. Klesko walked and then stole second, and Feliz blasted a two-run shot to right-center field on a 3-0 pitch rather than seek the walk.

San Francisco turned it into a rout with a five-run ninth off reliever Chris Spurling, who got reinstated from the bereavement list prior to the game. Feliz singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by J.J. Hardy. Omar Vizquel and Lincecum both walked to load the bases for Dave Roberts and then Randy Winn, both of whom singled in a run before Derrick Turnbow replaced Spurling on the mound. Durham lined a bases-clearing double before Fred Lewis grounded out and Klesko struck out swinging.

Game Notes

There was a chance that Bonds would not be in the starting lineup due to Saturday's 3:55 p.m. (et) start time. The two teams squared off in a night contest Friday and Bonds recently sat out the first three games of a four-game set with the Cubs to rest his legs...Johnny Estrada got hit on the right arm by a pitch in the ninth and left the game...Vizquel appeared in his 2,512th game at shortstop, surpassing Ozzie Smith for second place on the all-time list behind Venezuelan countryman Luis Aparicio...Milwaukee optioned outfielder Gabe Gross to Triple-A Nashville prior to the game...The Brewers had won seven straight -- all at home -- versus the Giants until Friday's loss. That included a three-game sweep this year in Milwaukee from June 18-20.

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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.