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Boston goes with Buchholz in road test with RaysBaseball Betting Lines05/24/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luck wasn't on Clay Buchholz's side the last time the Boston hurler faced Tampa Bay. That might need to change this evening if the Red Sox are to slow down the red-hot Rays. Buchholz will try to remain undefeated on the road this season as the Red Sox try to make up ground on the American League East-leading Rays in the opener of a three-game series tonight at Tropicana Field. The right-handed Buchholz is 2-2 with a 2.01 earned run average in five career starts versus the Rays, including a loss on April 17. All four of the runs Buchholz allowed in that outing were unearned, as he also gave up three hits and four walks over five innings. Buchholz hurled a season-high eight-plus innings on Wednesday to beat Minnesota, working around two runs and five hits while striking out seven to win his second straight start. "We want to give this kid the ball because there is a lot there to like. We are seeing that, and it is exciting," said Boston manager Terry Francona of his 25-year-old hurler. Buchholz is 5-3 with a 3.26 ERA on the season, going 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA in three road starts. He has allowed four earned runs in 19 1/3 frames as the guest pitcher this season. His loss to the Rays was part of a four-game sweep that Tampa Bay posted at Fenway Park from April 16-19, as it outscored Boston 24-9. A shift to Tropicana Field isn't likely to help the Red Sox, who are just 4-14 there over the last two regular seasons. The Rays have won eight of their last nine overall, giving them a six-game lead over the second-place Yankees in the AL East. The Red Sox are 8 1/2 games behind the Rays and 1 1/2 games in back of the Blue Jays for third place. Tampa Bay belted out 15 hits in beating Houston, 10-6, on Sunday. John Jaso hit a two-run homer and also plated a pair of runs with a triple, while David Price got the win despite giving up five runs over five innings. "The offense did a great job of keeping us in the game," Price said. Ben Zobrist went 3-for-6 with a solo homer and two RBI to run his hitting streak to seven games, a span in which he is hitting .500 (14-for-28) with two homers and seven RBI. Carl Crawford, meanwhile, had two hits, drove in a run, scored three times and stole three bases on Sunday. Tampa Bay, which won two straight after dropping Friday's opener, improved to 32-12 on the season, good for baseball's best start after 44 games since the 2001 Mariners went 33-11. Hoping to keep the Rays in the win column tonight will be Wade Davis, who halted a two-start skid on Wednesday with a victory over the Yankees. The righty allowed two runs on seven hits and three walks over 5 2/3 innings, striking out seven. "He had some really good breaking balls. I thought he battled through some tough moments," Rays manager Joe Maddon said of Davis. The 24-year-old is 4-3 with a 3.35 ERA this year and has faced the Red Sox just twice before with varying results. In his second MLB start on Sept. 12 of last year, Davis was drilled for eight runs over just 2 2/3 innings of work in a loss. However, he limited Boston to a run on two hits and four walks over five innings on April 16, getting a no- decision in a game that had to be completed the following day. The Red Sox have won five of their last six, including back-to-back wins over the Phillies. They took Sunday's rubber match, 8-3, thanks to eight scoreless innings from Tim Wakefield, who outdueled Philadelphia's Roy Halladay to pick up his first win since July 8, 2009. "It starts with your pitching. [Wakefield] came out and did a great job against a good lineup," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "Halladay may be the best there is now. You have to work for everything you get. If he makes a mistake you better hit it. And we did that." Adrian Beltre and Jacoby Ellsbury each drove in two runs, while Kevin Youkilis went 2-for-4 with a home run and three runs scored. Beltre has been red-hot over his last 10 games, hitting .359 (14-for-39) with a homer and seven RBI. Youkilis, meanwhile, is batting .397 in 21 games this month to go along with six homers and 15 RBI.
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Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDSNFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with. Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win. Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year. Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City. The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash. To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs. |
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