08/28/2008 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Emil Brown hit a two-run homer and finished with three runs driven in, while Rajai Davis scored twice and notched his first career four-hit game, as the Oakland Athletics edged the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 6-5, in the rubber match of a three-game set.
Bobby Crosby had a two-run double for the A's, who have alternated wins and losses for the last eight games. Eric Patterson went 2-for-4 and drove in a run in the win.
Starter Gio Gonzalez received a no-decision as he gave up four runs on three hits and five walks in three-plus innings of work. Huston Street (4-5) got the win as he tossed 1 2/3 innings of perfect relief with three strikeouts. Brad Ziegler recorded the final five outs to earn his sixth save of the year.
Erick Aybar went 2-for-4 with three RBI, before leaving with a hamstring issue, for the Angels, who have dropped nine of their last 14 games. Howie Kendrick had an RBI, but also left the game in the fourth with a tight hamstring.
Joe Saunders (14-7) took the loss as he lasted just 1 1/3 innings and yielded six runs on eight hits. Saunders now has two losses and no wins over his last five starts.
"What bothered me was not getting ahead of guys and not throwing strikes," Saunders said. "I need to start making adjustments, it's not a good feeling to let your team down."
Trailing 6-5 in the ninth inning, LA mounted a rally. Garret Anderson hit a grounder to short off Ziegler, but Crosby's throw to first sailed high and the runner was safe. Pinch-hitter Reggie Willits followed with a sac bunt that moved Anderson to second base and Robb Quinlan worked a walk. Juan Rivera, though, grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
"I just try to get as many ground balls as I can," said Ziegler. "Those guys have been turning double plays for me all year."
Oakland got on the board in the first inning. Davis led off with a single, stole second and crossed home as Brown singled to right field for a 1-0 lead.
The A's tacked on five more runs in the second. Daric Barton led the frame off with a single, stole second and scored as Patterson singled back up the middle. Davis kept it going with a single and Crosby followed with a two-run double. Brown cleared the table with a homer to left-center field to chase Saunders in favor of Shane Loux and give Oakland a 6-0 lead.
The Angels rallied for four runs in the fourth. The bases were loaded as Anderson led off with a triple, Mike Napoli walked and Quinlan was hit by a pitch. Aybar followed with a two-run single and Alan Embree was called on in relief.
Gary Matthews was walked to load the bases and Kendrick plated a run as he grounded into a force out. Mark Teixeira closed out the scoring with an RBI single, and it was 6-4.
Napoli worked a one-out walk in the fifth before Santiago Casilla was summoned from the bullpen. Quinlan followed with a base-hit and Aybar made it 6-5 with an RBI single.
Game Notes
Angels manager Mike Scioscia was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Paul Schrieber...The Angels have not won any of their last five series...Oakland hadn't won in 12 consecutive sets prior to Wednesday's triumph...The Angels have won nine of the 16 meetings between these AL West foes in 2008 but fell to 5-5 vs. Oakland in the games played in Anaheim this year...Willits was activated from the 15-day disabled list earlier Wednesday. In a corresponding move, pitcher Jason Bulger was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake.
<< Angels' Kendrick and Aybar leave game early
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim second baseman
Howie Kendrick and shortstop Erick Aybar both left Wednesday's 6-5 loss to
the Oakland Athletics with hamstring injuries.
Kendrick was running to second ba
<< Angels' Kendrick leaves game early
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim second baseman
Howie Kendrick left Wednesday's game against the Oakland Athletics in the
fourth inning with an injured leg.
Kendrick was running to second base on Mark
<< Ludwick leads Cards past Brewers
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Ludwick finished 3-for-4 with two runs
batted in, as St. Louis used a four-run eighth inning to upend Milwaukee, 5-3,
and earn a split in the two-game set with the Brewers.
Albert Pujols and Yadier Mo
<< Roddick, Djokovic, Davydenko cruise in Big Apple
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Andy Roddick along with
last year's runner-up Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Russian star Nikolay
Davydenko were easy first-round winners Wednesday at the U.S. Open.
Third-seeded D
Red Sox hoping to pay last respects to Yankee Stadium with sweep >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Lester attempts to bounce back from one of his worst
starts of the season this afternoon, when the Boston Red Sox try to complete a
three-game sweep of the New York Yankees in what will likely be the final game
played
Around FCS: CAA Heavyweights Take Aim For Title >>
Philadelphia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Every week in the Colonial Athletic
Association is something akin to a series of heavyweight elimination bouts.
The contestants get battered and bruised and a team or two is eventually is
left standing with
Harang targets back-to-back wins in finale with Astros >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Aaron Harang will try to win consecutive
starts for the first time this season tonight when the Cincinnati Reds close
out a three-game midweek series with the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Harang, a 16
Dodgers try to avoid sweep at hands of lowly Nats >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the Los Angeles Dodgers wind up eventually falling
short in their quest to win the National League West, the team will likely
point to its current road trip -- and in particular, this series with the
Washington Nationals
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
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 MySportsbook.com’s “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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