Ramirez, Marlins host Pirates in Miami
Baseball Betting Lines
07/03/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hanley Ramirez will try to stretch his franchise-record RBI streak to 11 games this evening when the Florida Marlins begin a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates at Land Shark Stadium.
Florida, meanwhile, has won eight of its last 11 games and has moved into a tie atop the NL East with the struggling Philadelphia Phillies.
Ramirez has been a huge reason behind the latest surge, as he has hit .475 (19-for-40) with five homers and 24 RBI over the last 10 games, knocking in at least one run in each of those contests.
"They are doing a good job getting on base," said Ramirez, who banged out eight hits and seven RBI in the Marlins' recent three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals. "It's a team, not just me."
His RBI streak, which is the longest ever by an NL shortstop, is also the longest in the majors since Garret Anderson had a 12-game run from August 26- September 7, 2007, while with the Los Angles Angels.
Hoping to keep the Marlins atop the division tonight will be 22-year-old right-hander Chris Volstad, who has just one win over his last six starts. Volstad did not factor in the decision of his team's 3-2 loss to Tampa on Saturday, as he allowed a pair of runs and five hits in six innings.
Volstad, who is 5-7 with a 4.63 earned run average on the season, has never faced the Pirates.
Pittsburgh will counter with righty Charlie Morton, who is 0-1 with a 4.09 ERA in three starts for the Bucs. Morton, acquired from Atlanta in the Nate McLouth deal, absorbed his first loss of the season on Sunday against Kansas City, which reached him for three runs and seven hits in five innings.
This will be Morton's fourth-ever start against the Marlins and is 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA in the three previous encounters.
The Pirates lost in heartbreaking fashion on Thursday, as they blew an early five-run lead, only to rally with three runs in the ninth to send the game to extra innings, before dropping a 9-8 decision to the New York Mets in the makeup contest of a postponed June 3 game from PNC Park.
Garrett Jones went 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBI and three runs scored for the Pirates, losers in four of their last five. Adam LaRoche launched a two-run home run, and Robinzon Diaz also posted three hits and knocked in a pair.
Matt Capps (1-4) surrendered the go-ahead run in the 10th for the loss. Paul Maholm didn't make it out of the fifth during his start, touched for 11 hits and six runs over 4 1/3 frames.
"I was very proud of the way our guys batted back," Pirates manager John Russell said. "It's easy just to fold up, especially when Rodriguez comes in the game...I was really proud of the effort today."
Pittsburgh swept a three-game set from the Marlins in April and has won four straight and five of the last six matchups in the series.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees will try to start a new winning streak this afternoon, when they play the first of four straight games versus the American League East-rival Toronto Blue Jays in the Bronx. New York had a seven-game wi
<< Ray carries Eskimos over Bombers; Lumsden hurts shoulder
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ricky Ray went 29-for-41 passing for 318 yards
and a touchdown, as the Edmonton Eskimos edged the Winnipeg Blue Bombers,
19-17, in the teams' season-opener.
Edmonton took the win after Winnipeg kicker
<< Abreu homers twice in Angels' win over O's
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Abreu hit a pair of homers, accounting
for four runs batted in, and John Lackey threw eight strong innings, as the
Angels beat Baltimore, 5-2, in the opener of a four-game series.
Chone Figgins had
<< Mariners end Yankees' seven-game win streak
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russell Branyan belted a two-run homer and the
Mariners pounded CC Sabathia early on the way to an 8-4 win, ending New
York's winning streak at seven contests.
Franklin Gutierrez had three hits, inclu
<< NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees announced
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR on Thursday revealed the 25 nominees
for the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame induction class. Nominees included
pioneers, former champions and driver-turned-team owners of the sport.
A 21-member committe
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves try to push their season-high winning streak to five games this evening when they open a three-game series with the lowly Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Although it still sits in fourth pl
Cubs' Zambrano takes mound against Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Zambrano takes aim at his first win in five starts
this afternoon when the Chicago Cubs continue their four-game series with the
Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.
Zambrano was roughed up by the Chicago White S
Serena and Venus reach fourth Wimbledon doubles final >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The incomparable Williams sisters,
Serena and Venus, will appear in their fourth Wimbledon doubles final on
Saturday.
The fourth-seeded sisters drilled a top-seeded tandem of Zimbabwe's Cara
Road-weary Phils return home to host Mets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies limp back home tied atop the NL
East after a dreadful road trip. Tonight, they try to improve upon their
horrific play in front of their own fans when they open a three-game series
against
King Felix goes for Mariners at Fenway >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners enter the final leg of a challenging
road trip with tonight's opener of a three-game series with the American
League East-leading Boston Red Sox from Fenway Park.
The surprising Mariners have acquitte
COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING
NCAA Football BettingMany fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sports betting