Mauer's inside-the-park HR lifts Twins past Angels

Baseball Betting Lines

07/22/2007 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Mauer's inside-the-park three-run home run in the eighth inning lifted the Minnesota Twins over the LA Angels of Anaheim, 5-2, in the second game of a three-game set at the Metrodome.

Jason Bartlett and Torii Hunter also homered for the Twins, who won their second straight after dropping three games to Detroit. Boof Bonser, who has not earned a victory since the second week of June, allowed two runs on five hits with one strikeout over 7 2/3 innings before Pat Neshek (5-1) got the final out in the eighth for the win.

Chone Figgins ended 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored a run for the Angels, who have dropped five of their last six. Garret Anderson and Maicer Izturis both added a pair of hits in the loss.

Jered Weaver, who has not won in more than a month, gave up two runs on five hits with a walk and two strikeouts over seven innings for LA.

With the score knotted at two, Minnesota plated three runs in the eighth off Scot Shields (2-3), who scattered a single to Nick Punto before walking Luis Castillo. Shields then helped himself by catching Punto too far off the bag, and picked him off.

But, Bartlett singled to put runners at the corners, and Mauer hit an inside- the-park home run on a full count over the head of Gary Matthews Jr., who attempted the catch but crashed into the wall in left-center field. Anderson made his way over to get the ball, but Mauer scored standing up without a throw to home plate.

Dustin Moseley then stopped the bleeding by striking out Justin Morneau looking and Hunter swinging, but the damage was done, and Joe Nathan closed a scoreless ninth for his 20th save of the season.

The loss prevented the Angels from extending their slim lead over the Seattle Mariners, who trail by just one game in the AL West playoff race.

Trailing 2-0, the Angels tied the score with two runs in the eighth. Izturis led off with a single, and Figgins later lined an RBI triple, prompting Neshek to relieve Bonser. Orlando Cabrera got Figgins home on a single to tie the game, but then got caught stealing second to end the inning.

Minnesota put up a run in the sixth on Bartlett's solo shot to left field on a 2-1 pitch; and another in the seventh on Hunter's homer to left-center on the first pitch of the frame.

Game Notes

Mauer's was the first inside-the-park homer for a Twin since Hunter converted one at Oakland on July 26, 2001...The Angels took two of three from the Twins earlier in the season and are 17-13 in the series since the start of the 2004 campaign.

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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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