White Sox rally, beat Dodgers in 13 innings
Baseball Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Podsednik drove in the game-winning run with a single in the 13th inning as the Chicago White Sox took a 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the conclusion of a three-game set.
In the 13th, Paul Konerko led off with a single and A.J. Pierzynski followed with a double. Chris Getz was then intentionally walked to load the bases and the Dodgers brought their defense in.
Josh Fields had the first chance to win the game, but he lined out to center. Dewayne Wise then popped out to center for the second out of the inning, but Podsednik punched a line drive to center that hopped just in front of a diving Matt Kemp and Konerko scored to win the game.
Pierzynski hit a three-run home run while Konerko had a solo homer for the White Sox, who have won four of their last five games.
Clayton Richard lasted just 4 1/3 innings in the start for Chicago and was charged with four runs on six hits with a walk and a strikeout. Aaron Poreda (1-0) got his first career win for throwing a perfect 13th inning.
Orlando Hudson went 3-for-6 with two RBI and a run scored, and Mark Loretta had two doubles and drove in a pair for the Dodgers, who dropped the last two games of the series.
Chad Billingsley started for Los Angeles and over six innings was charged with five runs on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Jeff Weaver (4-2) was charged with the loss.
The game was scoreless until the fourth when the Dodgers surged ahead. Juan Pierre was hit by a pitch to start the frame, moved to second on a Russell Martin fly out and then stole third. Hudson then singled to left to score Pierre for the game's first run. Casey Blake then singled and, after Kemp flied out which moved Hudson to third, he stole second base. Loretta brought home both runners with a double to left for a 3-0 lead.
Los Angeles tacked on another run in the fifth as Hudson's RBI single plated Juan Castro for a 4-0 advantage.
Chicago, though, cut its deficit in half in the fifth. Konerko led off the frame with a shot over the left field wall. With two outs, Fields kept the inning alive with a walk and Wise followed with a triple to chase home Fields and make it a 4-2 game.
The White Sox then took the lead in the sixth as, with two outs and two men on base, Pierzynski worked a full count before launching a ball into the bullpen in left field for a 5-4 lead.
Los Angeles, though, tied the game in the seventh thanks to a sloppy play. With one out, Martin slapped an easy grounder to short that Alexei Ramirez fielded cleanly. However, he sent a soft toss to first that drew Konerko off the bag and Martin was safe. Hudson then hit a grounder to right that put Martin on third and a groundout from Blake allowed Martin to cross the plate and tie the game.
Game Notes
The Dodgers return home to face Seattle for three games starting on Friday...The White Sox host the Cubs for three games starting on Friday...Chicago has won nine of the last 11 games against the Dodgers...Chicago is 1-2 in extra innings this season while Los Angeles is 6-2...Chicago stranded 11 men on base while Los Angeles left nine.
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Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.