Victorino, Blanton and bullpen get Phils past Padres

Baseball Betting Lines

08/28/2010 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shane Victorino provided a much-needed offensive spark with two hits and two RBI for the Phillies, who defeated the San Diego Padres, 3-1, in the second of three games at PETCO Park.

Victorino, who tripled and scored a run, also was a defensive presence, throwing a runner out at home to help Philadelphia win the first two games of this series following a four-game losing streak. With the victory, the Phillies crept to within 1 1/2 games of first-place Atlanta while increasing their lead in the wild card to one game over San Francisco.

Joe Blanton (6-6) pitched well to earn the win, allowing one run on six hits and a walk in six innings. Brad Lidge earned his 18th save.

Jon Garland (13-9) was unable to beat Philadelphia yet again, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in 6 1/3 frames for San Diego, which has dropped three straight but still holds a 5 1/2 game lead over the Giants in the NL West.

Garland, who added an RBI single as the only offense for the Padres, fell to 0-5 in six career starts against the Phillies.

With the game tied, 1-1, entering the seventh, the Phillies forged ahead.

Jayson Werth drew a walk leading off after being down 0-2 in the count, and, two batters later, Victorino drilled a ball toward center that sliced away from outfielder Chris Denorfia for an RBI triple.

The hit spelled the end of Garland's outing, and Joe Thatcher came in to intentionally walk Carlos Ruiz before Luke Gregerson was called upon to pitch to pinch-hitter Mike Sweeney. Sweeney bounced into what looked like a sure double play, but barely beat out the relay to first, allowing Victorino to score for a 3-1 advantage.

The Phillies' bullpen took over from there.

Jose Contreras threw a perfect seventh inning and was followed by Ryan Madson's flawless eighth.

Lidge, who balked in the tying run in Friday's ninth inning, completed the bullpen's third consecutive perfect inning to polish off the victory.

The offenses, which struggled in the series opener on Friday, continued that trend early on Saturday.

While the Phillies went without a hit for the first four innings, the Padres managed only two baserunners over the same stretch. Philadelphia's first hit came in the fifth, and it was a timely one that put the visitors ahead.

Werth became Philadelphia's third baserunner when he was hit by a pitch leading off the inning. Werth advanced to second on a Raul Ibanez groundout, and Victorino sent a grounder up the middle for a single that plated the runner for a 1-0 lead.

The Padres came right back, nearly taking the lead.

Chase Headley drew a leadoff walk and, two batters later, was retired on Denorfia's fielder's choice. Nick Hundley kept the inning going with a single that put runners on the corners, and Garland tied the game by lining the first pitch into left for an RBI single.

David Eckstein followed with a single up the middle, but Victorino threw out Hundley at home plate to end the inning.

Game Notes

The Phillies lead the season series, 4-2, and clinched their fourth straight season series win over San Diego...Philadelphia has won 13 of its last 15 games against NL West opponents and six straight at San Diego...The Phillies are 35-23 in games decided by two runs or fewer, the best such record in the majors...Despite the win, Philadelphia has not scored more than three runs in nine of its last 10 games, including six straight...Garland had a three-start win streak snapped...The Phillies have won nine of their last 10 day games.

Wwwplayblackjack Baseball Betting News

<< Browns DB Sorensen leaves game
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Browns defensive back Nick Sorensen left Saturday's game with an undisclosed injury. Sorensen was hurt in the second quarter when he was blocked by a pair of Lions defenders on a kickoff.

<< Sevilla, Valencia win big in La Liga openers
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Abdoulay Konko and Joaquin Sanchez scored twice for their respective clubs as the Spanish La Liga opened its 2010-11 campaign with three fixtures on Saturday. Konko's two goals helped Sevilla top Leva

<< Blackburn, Fuentes shut out M's; Twins win third straight
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Blackburn hurled 8 2/3 scoreless innings and Denard Span drove in the lone run as Minnesota clipped Seattle, 1-0, in the middle test of three from Safeco Field. Blackburn (8-8) yielded two hi

<< Goldberg tied for lead at Canadian Tour Champ
St. Catharines, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Leading money winner Aaron Goldberg shot a four-under 66 to join Kane Hanson in the lead Saturday after the third round of the Canadian Tour Championship. Hanson, the 36-hole leader, managed only an

<< Afleet Express holds off Fly Down to win Travers
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Afleet Express, ridden by Javier Castellano, edged a late running Fly Down to capture Saturday's $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. The time for the 1 1/4-miles was 2:03.28

Rangers put P Francisco on DL >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers placed closer Frank Francisco on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a strained right latissimus dorsi muscle. The right-hander suffered the injury in Friday's game aga

Toulouse continues perfect with win over Nancy >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - French Ligue 1 leaders Toulouse continued its perfect start to the 2010-11 season with a 2-0 win over Nancy on Saturday. Midfielders Etienne Capoue and Franck Tabanou scored second-half goals to lead Toulouse

Red Sox activate Okajima from DL >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox activated pitcher Hideki Okajima from the 15-day disabled list on Saturday. Okajima had been out since August 6 with a right hamstring strain. Before the setback, he was 4-3 with a

49ers NT Franklin signs tender >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers announced Saturday nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin has signed his franchise tender. A number of sources have placed the tender's value at close to $7 million for the eighth-year pro. Fr

Ambrose edges Villeneuve for Nationwide pole at Montreal >>
Montreal, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcos Ambrose outran Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in the closing minutes of qualifying to take the pole for Sunday's NAPA Auto Parts 200 Nationwide Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Ambrose,

Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

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