Carmona, Indians top Braves to avoid sweep

Baseball Betting Lines

06/17/2007 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fausto Carmona pitched seven-plus strong innings, as the Cleveland Indians avoided a three-game sweep with a 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Jacobs Field.

Carmona (8-2) gave up two runs on five hits while striking out five and walking two. Joe Borowski kept Atlanta off the scoreboard in the ninth to record his 20th save of the season.

Casey Blake went 1-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 26 games for the Indians, who won for just the third time in their last eight games. Franklin Gutierrez finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Atlanta starter Kyle Davies went 5 1/3 innings and allowed five runs -- three earned -- on six hits. Davies (3-6) has now dropped three straight starts and four of his last five overall.

Chipper Jones, who went 2-for-4, recorded his 2,000 career hit with a single in the second inning for the Braves, who were looking to sweep their first interleague series on the road since winning three in a row at Boston in 2002.

Scott Thorman went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in the loss.

After four scoreless innings, Cleveland went up 1-0 in the fifth. Trot Nixon led things off with a walk and Gutierrez bunted for a single. Davies then recorded two outs before Jason Michaels roped a single to center to plate Gutierrez.

The Indians tacked on four runs in the sixth to extend their lead to 5-0. Victor Martinez led off the frame with a single and Jhonny Peralta followed with a double. Ryan Garko's grounder to first got past Thorman as Martinez and Peralta both scored on the play.

Nixon followed with a ground out to move Garko to third and he scored on Gutierrez's base hit. Chad Paronto then relieved Davies and Gutierrez stole second and hustled to third as Brian McCann's throw sailed into the outfield. The throwing error proved costly as Gutierrez scored on Josh Barfield's ground out to make it a five-run game.

The Braves scored twice in the eighth to get on the board. Thorman led things off with a home run and Carmona issued consecutive walks to Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson before being relieved by Rafael Betancourt. Willie Harris greeted Betancourt with a double down the right-field line to plate Escobar. However, Betancourt managed to settle down and recorded three straight outs to end the inning.

Atlanta put two runners on base in the ninth with one out, but Borowski got Escobar to ground out and Johnson to fly out to end the game.

Game Notes

Blake's hitting streak is the longest in the majors this season and longest in Cleveland history since catcher Sandy Alomar, Jr., hit safely in 30 straight games in 1997...Atlanta went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight.

Gambling-online-sportsbook Baseball Betting News

<< Toronto hammers Hoops
Toronto, Ontario (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto FC scored a franchise-high four goals en route to a 4-0 win over FC Dallas at BMO Field on Sunday. Maurice Edu, Danny Dichio, Carl Robinson and Jeff Cunningham each found the back of the ne

<< Zimmerman, Nationals down Blue Jays
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Zimmerman homered to help the Washington Nationals avoid the sweep by edging the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-2, at Rogers Centre. Frank Thomas made some history in defeat, hitting his 244th home run a

<< Reds' Phillips injures hand
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips left Sunday's game against Texas with an injured hand. Phillips was hit on the left hand by a pitch from Texas starter Kevin Millwood in the bottom of

<< Jankovic outlasts Sharapova to capture Birmingham crown
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jelena Jankovic of Serbia rallied to beat Russia's Maria Sharapova in Sunday's final at the weather-plagued DFS Classic. The rain finally held off Sunday and allowed play at this Wimbledon tuneup to fi

<< Twins' Hunter leaves with hand injury
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins outfielder Torii Hunter left Sunday's contest against the Milwaukee Brewers after being hit by a pitch on his left hand. In the first inning, Milwaukee starting pitcher Jeff Suppan thr

Nady lifts Pirates past ChiSox >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Xavier Nady snapped a seventh-inning tie with a two-run single and Jason Bay made a game-saving catch in the ninth, as the Pittsburgh Pirates held on for an 8-7 victory over the Chicago White Sox in the

Roddick is again King of Queen's >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Andy Roddick saved a match point and rallied for a three-set victory over unseeded Frenchman Nicolas Mahut to capture the Artois Championships at the Queen's Club. The second-seeded Roddick ea

German lifts Royals past Florida >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Esteban German plated the go-ahead run with a double in the sixth and the bullpen took care of the rest, as the Kansas City Royals edged the Florida Marlins, 5-4, in the rubber match of a three- game in

Tracy helps D-Backs complete sweep of O's >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Snyder went 1-for-3 with a home run and a pair of RBI and Chad Tracy drove in the go-ahead run with a single, as Arizona swept Baltimore with a 6-4 victory in the finale of a three-game interle

Madrid wins La Liga as Reyes sparks late rally >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Antonio Reyes came on as a second- half substitute and scored two goals to help Real Madrid claim its first La Liga title since the 2002-03 season with a 3-1 win against Mallorca at Estadio Santiag

MySportsbook.com offers Blackjack contest and $10,000.00 in Free Prize money!

Every month MySportsbook.com's casino host, Jack Black, gives away $10,000.00 in free casino prize money. To Enter - All you have to do is play at least 10 hands (total) of Blackjack on one of the specified dates of the blackjack contest. The online casino host randomly hands out free bonuses ranging from $50 - $500, and one lucky player who will receive a free $2,500.00 bonus.

"We have been running this monthly free blackjack contest to our active mebers for 5 years now, and the players just love it," says Jack Black, online casino host at MySportsbook.com. "And why wouldn't they love a free chance to win some extra online blackjack cash."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.

MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.