Span's hit in eighth boosts Twins over Blue Jays

Baseball Betting Lines

07/06/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denard Span's RBI single in the eighth proved to be the difference, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-6, in a back-and-forth affair at Rogers Centre.

Span finished with two RBI for the Twins, who came into the series having lost nine of their last 13 games. Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer both homered, while Delmon Young had three hits, an RBI and a run scored.

Jason Kubel hit a solo homer and scored twice, and Jose Mijares (1-0) grabbed the win for getting two outs in the seventh. Jon Rauch recorded his 19th save.

Lyle Overbay, DeWayne Wise and Edwin Encarnacion all homered for the Blue Jays, who have dropped eight of nine to fall two games below .500 (41-43). Fred Lewis drove in two runs in defeat, while Jason Frasor (3-2) was issued the loss for yielding the Twins' seventh run.

With the game tied, 6-6, entering the eighth, the Twins used some small ball to plate the go-ahead run. Young hit a sharp ground ball up the middle that tipped Frasor's glove and slowed for an infield single. He was sacrificed to second on a bunt from Nick Punto, and Span singled off Scott Downs to score Young.

After the Blue Jays went down in order in the ninth, Rauch retired the first two Toronto batters of the ninth before Encarnacion singled to keep the game alive. Pinch-hitter Vernon Wells, though, struck out to help the Twins take the win.

The Twins struck for two runs in the second. Morneau walked leading off, and Kubel singled him to second. The pair both moved up a base on a groundout, and Morneau scored on Jim Thome's groundout to first. Young added an RBI single for a 2-0 advantage.

Overbay led off the third with a ground-rule double and scored on Lewis' two- base hit for a 2-1 contest, and the Blue Jays battered starter Carl Pavano for four runs to move in front.

Overbay immediately tied the game, launching a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left for his ninth homer of the season. Encarnacion followed with a ground-rule double and scored on Lewis' one-out single to right.

Following Lewis' steal of second, Wise crushed Pavano's 0-1 offering over the wall in right for a 5-2 lead.

Morneau and Kubel hit back-to-back homers with one out in the sixth to cut the Twins' deficit to one, and Minnesota loaded the bases with one out after a single, double and intentional walk. Punto fouled out for the second out, but Span worked a walk to tie the game, 5-5.

Mauer followed by beginning the seventh with his fourth home run of the season for a one-run Twins edge, but Encarnacion tied it up in the home half with his 10th longball of 2010.

Game Notes

The Twins are 33-14 when scoring first...Minnesota leads the season series, 2-1...Pavano allowed six runs and eight hits in 6 1/3 innings for the Twins, while Jesse Litch yielded five runs, seven hits and two walks in 5 1/3 frames.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.