Victorino, Blanton and bullpen get Phils past Padres
Baseball Betting Lines
08/28/2010 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shane Victorino provided a much-needed offensive spark with two hits and two RBI for the Phillies, who defeated the San Diego Padres, 3-1, in the second of three games at PETCO Park.
Victorino, who tripled and scored a run, also was a defensive presence, throwing a runner out at home to help Philadelphia win the first two games of this series following a four-game losing streak. With the victory, the Phillies crept to within 1 1/2 games of first-place Atlanta while increasing their lead in the wild card to one game over San Francisco.
Joe Blanton (6-6) pitched well to earn the win, allowing one run on six hits and a walk in six innings. Brad Lidge earned his 18th save.
Jon Garland (13-9) was unable to beat Philadelphia yet again, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in 6 1/3 frames for San Diego, which has dropped three straight but still holds a 5 1/2 game lead over the Giants in the NL West.
Garland, who added an RBI single as the only offense for the Padres, fell to 0-5 in six career starts against the Phillies.
With the game tied, 1-1, entering the seventh, the Phillies forged ahead.
Jayson Werth drew a walk leading off after being down 0-2 in the count, and, two batters later, Victorino drilled a ball toward center that sliced away from outfielder Chris Denorfia for an RBI triple.
The hit spelled the end of Garland's outing, and Joe Thatcher came in to intentionally walk Carlos Ruiz before Luke Gregerson was called upon to pitch to pinch-hitter Mike Sweeney. Sweeney bounced into what looked like a sure double play, but barely beat out the relay to first, allowing Victorino to score for a 3-1 advantage.
The Phillies' bullpen took over from there.
Jose Contreras threw a perfect seventh inning and was followed by Ryan Madson's flawless eighth.
Lidge, who balked in the tying run in Friday's ninth inning, completed the bullpen's third consecutive perfect inning to polish off the victory.
The offenses, which struggled in the series opener on Friday, continued that trend early on Saturday.
While the Phillies went without a hit for the first four innings, the Padres managed only two baserunners over the same stretch. Philadelphia's first hit came in the fifth, and it was a timely one that put the visitors ahead.
Werth became Philadelphia's third baserunner when he was hit by a pitch leading off the inning. Werth advanced to second on a Raul Ibanez groundout, and Victorino sent a grounder up the middle for a single that plated the runner for a 1-0 lead.
The Padres came right back, nearly taking the lead.
Chase Headley drew a leadoff walk and, two batters later, was retired on Denorfia's fielder's choice. Nick Hundley kept the inning going with a single that put runners on the corners, and Garland tied the game by lining the first pitch into left for an RBI single.
David Eckstein followed with a single up the middle, but Victorino threw out Hundley at home plate to end the inning.
Game Notes
The Phillies lead the season series, 4-2, and clinched their fourth straight season series win over San Diego...Philadelphia has won 13 of its last 15 games against NL West opponents and six straight at San Diego...The Phillies are 35-23 in games decided by two runs or fewer, the best such record in the majors...Despite the win, Philadelphia has not scored more than three runs in nine of its last 10 games, including six straight...Garland had a three-start win streak snapped...The Phillies have won nine of their last 10 day games.
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NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams
It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
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