05/13/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays try to extend their franchise-record home-winning streak to 11 games this evening, when they continue their four- game series with the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field.
Tampa moved six games above .500 for the first time in team history on Monday, as Matt Garza threw seven shutout innings in a 7-1 victory. Jonny Gomes had two hits with an RBI and scored three times for Tampa Bay, which has won five in a row overall.
The Rays (22-16), who now sit a half-game behind Boston for first place in the AL East, also got three hits and two RBI from Dioner Navarro. Jason Bartlett added a two-run triple for Tampa Bay, which won for the 14th time in its last 19 contests.
Garza (2-1) allowed five hits, walked one and fanned three before being removed after throwing 108 pitches in his longest outing of the season.
Andy Pettitte (3-4) was pounded for eight hits and five runs over four innings to suffer a rare loss against the Rays. The lefty fell to 14-4 lifetime versus Tampa Bay and had his seven-game Tropicana Field winning streak broken. It was his first road loss versus the Rays since September 16, 1998.
Alberto Gonzalez had two of the six hits for the Yankees, losers in four of their last six games. To make matters worse, the club learned that star third baseman Alex Rodriguez will be out a little longer with his strained quadriceps and will likely miss this weekend's series with the New York Mets.
Extending the streaks may be easier said than done tonight for the Rays, who have dropped four of five and six of their last nine to the Yanks. Tampa is also just 16-27 in the series since the start of the 2006 campaign, including losses in six of its last eight at home to New York.
Tampa will also have its hands full tonight when it faces Yankees ace Chien- Ming Wang, who is coming off his first loss of the season. Wang was defeated by the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday, when he allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings. That dropped him to 6-1 on the year and raised his earned run average to 3.12.
Wang picked up a win over the Rays earlier in the season and is 7-4 lifetime against them with a 3.53 ERA in 12 starts.
The Rays will counter with righty Edwin Jackson, who is winless in his last five starts and 2-3 with a 4.04 ERA on the season. Jackson received a no decision against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, despite pitching eight scoreless innings during his team's 8-3 win.
Jackson lost to the Yanks back on April 5 and is 2-2 in his career against them with a 5.40 ERA in nine games, five of which have been starts.
<< D'Backs try to stop slide vs. Rockies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suddenly, the Diamondbacks are a team that can be beat.
Arizona will try to halt its season-long losing streak tonight in the opener
of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field.
Arizona was sw
<< Red-hot Berkman, Astros square off against Giants
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both Lance Berkman and his Houston Astro teammates aim to
keep up their recent hot streaks when the surging club plays the second of
four consecutive clashes with the San Francisco Giants tonight at AT&T Park.
Houston
<< Tigers continue to be victimized by poor starting pitching
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having completed the first quarter of the season, there is
no question what has been the culprit for the Detroit Tigers' horrendous
start.
The starting pitching, by and large, has just been awful. Entering play
Tuesday, D
<< Weaver leads Angels vs. White Sox
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jered Weaver hopes to bounce back from one of the worst
starts in his career this evening when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
resume their four-game series with the Chicago White Sox at Angel Stadium.
Weaver
Struggling Dodgers begin trek in Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Penny will try to rebound from a horrible outing when
he takes the hill tonight for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will open a six-
game road trip with the first of three straight matchups against the Milwaukee
Brewers
Cardinals limp home to take on Pirates >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals hope that the home crowd can lift
their depleted spirits, as the slumping club opens a six-game homestand
tonight with the first of three straight games versus the Pittsburgh Pirates
at Busc
Royals sliding down AL Central standings >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals have officially fizzled out.
After getting off to a decent start to the season, the losses are occurring
more frequently and just like that they are five games below .500. They've
lost five of their
Former Pats employee Walsh meets with NFL commissioner >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former New England Patriots employee Matt
Walsh met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday to discuss what he
knows about the team's videotaping practices.
Walsh is now on his way to a separa
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting