Longoria's clutch hit helps Rays keep pace with Yankees

Baseball Betting Lines

09/01/2010 - St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Longoria singled in Ben Zobrist with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and Rafael Soriano survived a shaky ninth as the Rays edged Toronto, 2-1, in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Sean Rodriguez homered in the fifth inning off Shaun Marcum, as the Rays remained a game behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. New York edged Oakland, 4-3, on Wednesday.

David Price (16-6) added to his club-record in victories by pitching eight solid innings, allowing four hits, including a homer to John Buck in the fifth. Price also had two walks and fanned seven batters to move his career mark to 6-0 in seven lifetime starts against Toronto.

Marcum gave up five hits and fanned seven over six frames. Shawn Camp (4-3) was hit with the loss, Toronto's third in four games.

The Rays, who posted their fourth victory in five games, barely pulled it out with Soriano getting his major league-best 40th save. Vernon Wells tripled to left-center with one out in the ninth. Adam Lind then struck out and Buck flied out to the warning track in left.

Buck started the fifth with a homer, but Rodriguez tied it with one out in the bottom half of the frame. Tampa Bay wasted a bases-loaded chance later in the inning when Dezmond Jennings grounded a ball back to the mound, and Marcum made a great stop and flip to home for the force play.

The Rays stranded a runner at third in the seventh, but Zobrist walked in a pinch-hitting role with one out in the next frame. Scott Downs then entered from the bullpen, but Carl Crawford singled to left field. Longoria followed with a ground single to left and the throw home was late.

Brad Hawpe struck out swinging to leave the bases full before Soriano survived the ninth.

Game Notes

Soriano's 40 saves are the third-most in a season by a Ray, trailing only Roberto Hernandez (43 in 1999) and Danys Baez (41 in 2005)...Blue Jays left fielder Fred Lewis left the game due to an injured elbow...The Rays (82-51) assured themselves of becoming just the seventh team all-time to follow 10- plus losing seasons with three straight winning campaigns, joining the Philadelphia/KC A's (3 times, 1915-27; 1934-49 and 1953-70); Boston Braves (1903-1916), Washington Senators (1901-14) and Montreal Expos (1969-81)...Before the game, the Blue Jays recalled catcher J.P Arencibia from Triple-A Las Vegas and reinstated pitcher David Purcey from the 15-day disabled list.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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