Eckstein's homer in 10th sends Padres past Giants
Baseball Betting Lines
04/20/2010 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Eckstein's solo home run to lead off the 10th inning helped San Diego take a 3-2 decision over San Francisco in the opener of a three-game set.
Eckstein was the first batter in the 10th and he hit an inside fastball just inside the left field pole for the win.
Adrian Gonzalez and Will Venable each drove in a run while Kyle Blanks had two hits and a run scored for the Padres, who have won four straight. Clayton Richard went 6 1/3 innings in the start and gave up just one run on seven hits with a walk and five strikeouts. Tim Stauffer (2-0) got the win for pitching a scoreless 10th.
Juan Uribe hit a solo home run and Pablo Sandoval drove in the other run for the Giants, who have dropped three of four. Matt Cain went six innings in the start and gave up two runs on seven hits with a walk and four strikeouts. Jeremy Affeldt (2-2) was tagged with the loss.
San Diego got on the board in the first inning as back-to-back singles from Everth Cabrera and Eckstein put runners at the corners and Gonzalez followed with a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead.
San Francisco tied the game in the fourth as Edgar Renteria reached third base to start the inning on a double and error by Scott Hairston and Sandoval followed with a single to make it a 1-1 game.
The Padres, though, took the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Blanks led off with a triple and Venable brought him home with a sacrifice fly for a 2-1 lead.
The Giants threatened in the seventh as the team had runners on second and third with just one out, but Luke Gregson took over on the mound and struck out Mark DeRosa and Eugenio Velez to end the inning.
San Francisco tied the game in the ninth as Uribe hit a solo homer to left with one out in the frame.
Game Notes
San Diego took 10 of the 18 games with San Francisco last season...Jonathan Sanchez takes the mound for San Fran on Tuesday while Mat Latos will toe the rubber for San Diego...Both teams stranded eight men on base.
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Super Bowl 2009 Betting
Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog 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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