Twins hold on to beat Red Sox in homer-filled game

Baseball Betting Lines

05/11/2008 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Craig Monroe clubbed a pair of homers and drove in four runs, and Minnesota held on for a 9-8 victory over the Boston Red Sox, in the third installment of a four-game series.

Justin Morneau had three hits and scored twice for the Twins, who have won eight of their last 11 games. Adam Everett belted a two-run homer and Mike Lamb stroked a two-run single.

Coco Crisp smacked a two-run homer and had three RBI for Boston, which has lost two games so far in this series, both by a run. Alex Cora had three hits in defeat.

Nick Blackburn (3-2) earned the victory by allowing nine hits and four runs through six innings, and Joe Nathan held on for his 12th save in as many opportunities despite allowing three hits and two runs in the ninth.

Tim Wakefield (3-2) was charged with seven hits and seven runs -- six earned -- in 2 2/3 innings and took the loss.

Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell singled with one out in the ninth and J.D. Drew doubled to center field over the head of Carlos Gomez, who misjudged the ball. That pulled Boston within 9-7. Crisp then hit a ball up the middle and off the glove of Nathan, but he recovered to throw out Drew going to third, as Lowell came home. Manny Ramirez, who didn't start the game due to a sore right hamstring, came on as a pinch-hitter. Crisp stole second, but Ramirez grounded out to shortstop to end the game.

The Twins entered the game with just 17 home runs this season, the fewest in the majors, but Monroe and Everett provided the power on Sunday with much of it coming in the second inning.

Morneau singled and Michael Cuddyer doubled to start the inning before Monroe homered to left. Lamb walked with one out and Everett followed with another homer to left for the 5-0 lead.

The Red Sox loaded the bases with nobody out in the third, but got just one run, coming on a Lowell sacrifice fly.

Lamb singled in Morneau and Delmon Young in the bottom of the third, but Boston scored three times in the fourth thanks to RBI singles from Kevin Cash and Youkilis, while the other run came home on a throwing error from second baseman Matt Tolbert.

Lowell's fielding error allowed Joe Mauer to score in the bottom of the fourth before Crisp homered to right in the seventh, getting the Sox within 8-6. However, Monroe led off the bottom of the inning with a blast off Mike Timlin, over the wall in left.

Game Notes

Livan Hernandez (5-1) will pitch for the Twins on Monday, while Clay Buchholz (2-2) heads to the mound for Boston...The Red Sox went 4-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base...Wakefield fell to 13-5 lifetime against the Twins.


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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.



MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds

According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.

Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet.  The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.

MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.  In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State.  Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.

Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL.  In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.


ODDS TO WIN THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Notre Dame
Ohio State
West Virginia
Texas
USC
Florida
California
Auburn
Oklahoma
Iowa
Louisville
Florida State
Michigan
Miami (FL)
LSU
Penn State
Virginia Tech
Nebraska
Tennessee
Georgia
Arizona State
Oregon
Clemson
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Alabama
Arkansas
Boston College
Michigan State
Maryland
South Carolina
Colorado
Purdue
Georgia Tech
TCU
UCLA
Arizona
Pittsburgh
Iowa State
Wisconsin
North Carolina State
Virginia
North Carolina
Fresno State
Hawaii
Northwestern
BYU
Oregon State
UNLV
Field (Any Other Team)
5-1
7-1
8-1
8-1
8-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
18-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
70-1
70-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
150-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
250-1
250-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
400-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
1000-1
1000-1
40-1



ODDS TO WIN ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Miami (FL)
Florida State
Virginia Tech
Clemson
Georgia Tech
Boston College
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina State
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Duke
2-1
2-1
3-1
7-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
50-1
500-1



ODDS TO WIN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Texas
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Texas Tech
Colorado
Iowa State
Texas A&M
Kansas State
Missouri
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State
7-5
9-5
9-2
12-1
14-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
35-1
100-1
100-1



ODDS TO WIN SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Auburn
Florida
LSU
Georgia
Tennessee
Arkansas
Alabama
Mississippi
South Carolina
Mississippi State
Kentucky
Vanderbilt
5-2
11-4
4-1
6-1
7-1
7-1
9-1
20-1
28-1
75-1
100-1
300-1

For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.