Nats top Rockies in 10

Baseball Betting Lines

07/20/2007 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pinch hitter D'Angelo Jimenez slapped a game-winning single in the bottom of the 10th inning as Washington edged Colorado, 5-4, in the opener of a four-game set at RFK Stadium.

Austin Kearns led off the 10th by singling to right off LaTroy Hawkins (1-5). Kearns then advanced to second on Brian Schneider's sacrifice bunt before moving to third when Hawkins uncorked a wild pitch. Jimenez then rifled a single up the middle to win it.

Jesus Flores drove in a pair of runs for the Nationals, who have won six of nine games. Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Langerhans added an RBI apiece for Washington.

Matt Chico started on the hill and surrendered four runs on seven hits over six innings en route to a no decision. Jon Rauch (4-2) earned the win after hurling a perfect 10th.

Troy Tulowitzki and Garrett Atkins both hit two-run home runs for the Rockies, who lost for the first time in four games.

Ubaldo Jimenez, who was making his 2007 debut for Colorado, allowed two runs on four hits in five-plus innings of work as the starter.

The Rockies quickly went on top with a pair of runs in the first. Willy Taveras walked to lead off the game and Tulowitzki deposited his 11th homer of the year over the wall in left.

The Nats got one right back in the home half when Zimmerman plated Ronnie Belliard, who had walked, with an RBI double in the left field corner.

Colorado gained some breathing room in the fourth when Atkins blasted a two- run homer. After Todd Helton walked, the Rockies third baseman poked his 14th of the year over the fence in left.

Washington drew within two runs in the sixth. With the bases loaded and two down, Langerhans hit what looked like a double-play grounder to first off pitcher Matt Herges. However, Langerhans raced down the line and beat the throw, enabling Robert Fick to score.

The Nats finally evened things in the eighth off Jeremy Affeldt thanks to some shoddy defense in right by Brad Hawpe. Ryan Church got on with a one-out single and moved up 90 feet when Kearns was hit by a pitch. After Schneider lined out Flores, a pinch hitter, sliced a single to right that Hawpe misplayed badly, enabling both runners to score.

Game Notes

The Nats' Dmitri Young was tossed in the bottom of the third inning. The bulky first baseman, who is hitting .341 this season, was called out on strikes with runners on the corners and one down. Young began to argue with home plate umpire Rob Draje and was tossed as he walked back toward the dugout. Fick replaced Young in the lineup. Young was 0-for-1 in the game and ended a a 10-game hitting streak...This was the first meeting between the two clubs this season. Colorado won all eight meetings during the 2006 campaign.

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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.

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