Smoltz struggles in Red Sox debut as Nationals cruise to win
Baseball Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Harris and Josh Bard each finished with three hits and drove in a pair of runs as Washington spoiled the Red Sox debut of John Smoltz with a 9-3 thrashing in the finale of a three-game interleague series at Nationals Park.
Anderson Hernandez and Cristian Guzman also knocked in a pair of runs each for the Nationals, who avoided the sweep and snapped a three-game losing skid.
Jordan Zimmermann (3-3) went seven innings for the victory, scattering five hits and a run while fanning six.
Rocco Baldelli hit a two-run homer and David Ortiz drove in the other run for the Red Sox, whose four-game win streak came to an end.
Smoltz (0-1), finally able to make his season and Boston debut, was tagged in the loss for seven hits and five runs over five innings. The 42-year-old fanned five and walked one but suffered his first defeat since April 27, 2008 as a member of the Atlanta Braves.
It was the first appearance on the mound for Smoltz since last June 2, when his season was derailed due to surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder.
For the third straight time in the series, the Nats got on the board first, tagging the unlucky Smoltz for four runs.
Nick Johnson was drilled with a pitch two batters in, and Ryan Zimmerman followed with a double before Adam Dunn walked to load the bases. Josh Willingham's single plated one run, then Bard followed with another RBI hit. After a Harris line out, Hernandez dumped a single to left that brought in two more.
Willingham doubled with one out in the third and Bard drove him in two batters later for a 5-0 contest.
Boston finally hit the scoreboard in the sixth. Back-to-back singles from J.D. Drew and Jason Bay with one out put runners on the corners, and Ortiz lofted a sacrifice fly to left to plate Drew.
Washington was not done, and pushed across two runs in the home sixth on a two-run single by Guzman. The Nationals plated two more in the seventh on a second-deck blast to right by Harris.
Baldelli deposited a Tyler Clippard pitch into the left-field seats with one out in the ninth for a 9-3 game, but the reliever struck out Nick Green and Ramon Ramirez to finish off the win.
Game Notes
It was the first victory by any Washington-based club over Boston since September 18, 1971, when the Senators were based in the American League and played in RFK Stadium...It was also the first win over the Sox for the franchise since the Montreal Expos posted an 11-7 victory at Olympic Stadium on July 17, 2001...Smoltz had been activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the contest...Johnson had to leave the game in the second inning with a bruised left shin suffered when Smoltz hit him in the first.
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NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams
It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
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