Bergesen strong on mound as Orioles prevail over Mariners

Baseball Betting Lines

05/12/2010 - Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Bergesen surrendered a run in 7 2/3 innings and Miguel Tejada drove in two runs, as the Baltimore Orioles earned a 5-2 win over the Seattle Mariners, in the second test of a three-game set at Camden Yards.

Bergesen (3-2) scattered five hits with two walks and three strikeouts to break the Orioles' three-game skid. Alfredo Simon picked up his fourth save.

Luke Scott blasted a home run in the win, while Adam Jones went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

Ryan Langerhans finished 2-for-3 and Ken Griffey Jr. drove in a run for the Mariners, who had won two straight coming in.

Ryan Rowland-Smith (0-3) remained winless after allowing three runs on seven hits in three-plus frames.

In the ninth, Koji Uehara allowed a Matt Tuiasosopo lead-off walk and a Langerhans single before he was pulled for Simon, who struck out Josh Wilson for the first out. Pinch-hitter Griffey then plated a run on a sacrifice fly. Langerhans then took second on defensive indifference, but Simon got Michael Saunders to fly out to center, ending the game.

Baltimore struck first in the third. Corey Patterson led off with a single to right and moved to second on Jones' base hit. After Nick Markakis struck out, Tejada doubled in both runners for a 2-0 lead. Tejada was then thrown out trying to score by Langerhans on Matt Wieters' single.

Scott made it 3-0 in the fourth with a lead-off bomb to right. Scott then doubled to start the sixth off Ian Snell, moved to third on Garrett Atkins' double and scored on Cesar Izturis' sac fly. Patterson then flied out for the second out, but Jones made it 5-0 with an RBI base hit to right-center.

Seattle pulled within 5-1 on a two-out RBI single from Chone Figgins in the eighth. Ichiro Suzuki scored on the play after reaching on an infield single. Will Ohman entered and gave up a Casey Kotchman single to make way for Uehara, who retired Jose Lopez on a long fly ball that was caught inches in front of the left field fence.

Game Notes

The game started after a 24-minute rain delay...Seattle has prevailed in nine of the past 13 overall meetings in the series...Suzuki has recorded a hit in 32 of last 34 games against Baltimore. He went 2-for-4...Kotchman has played 214 consecutive games without committing an error at first base...The Orioles selected the contract of outfielder Corey Patterson from Triple-A Norfolk. In order to make room for Patterson on the 40-man roster, the Orioles transferred infielder Brian Roberts from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list (abdominal strain). Outfielder Nolan Reimold was optioned to Norfolk to make room on the 25-man roster...Seattle went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position...Tejada finished 2-for-4.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog 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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