Berkman's timely hit lifts Astros over White Sox

Baseball Betting Lines

06/09/2007 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lance Berkman had three-hits, including an RBI single in the top of the ninth to lift the Houston Astros over the Chicago White Sox, 3-2, in the second of a three-game interleague series at U.S. Cellular Field.

Adam Everett opened the ninth with a single off Bobby Jenks (2-2). Orlando Palmeiro lined out, but Mark Loretta punched a base hit to right field before Berkman's single to center scored Everett and broke a 2-2 tie.

The three-hit performance was a highlight in an otherwise tumultuous week for Berkman, who is appealing a suspension by Major League Baseball for his outburst following an ejection on Tuesday against Colorado. He was ejected again Friday night in the top of the fourth inning after arguing a called third strike.

Chad Qualls (5-3), who got the final out of the eighth, also came back for the ninth, striking out Rob Mackowiak with a runner on third to end the game.

Eric Munson homered for the Astros, who have won two straight. Houston starter Jason Jennings, bidding for his first win with the team, took a 2-0 lead into the eighth inning before Chicago eventually tied the game. Jennings departed with an official line of one run on six hits, with a walk and six strikeouts over seven-plus innings.

Jon Garland gave up a run and eight hits in seven innings for the White Sox, who have dropped five straight and 11 of their last 13 games overall. Jim Thome added a two-run double.

Munson's leadoff homer in the top of the third gave the Astros a 1-0 lead.

The White Sox, meanwhile, had at least a runner on in every inning through the fourth, before back-to-back, one-out singles by Luis Terrero and Josh Fields in the fifth. Mackowiak and Tadahito Iguchi both flied out to end the inning, however, as the Sox continued to struggle with runners in scoring position.

Houston tacked on a run in the eighth, loading the bases against reliever Bret Prinz. Loretta drew a leadoff walk, Berkman doubled, and Prinz intentionally walked Carlos Lee before he was replaced by Boone Logan. Luke Scott grounded into a force out, with Iguchi cutting down the lead runner at the plate, but Mike Lamb's sacrifice fly plated Berkman for a 2-0 edge.

Chicago then managed to scrape two together in the eighth. Fields started things with a leadoff single, chasing Jennings, and Mackowiak was hit by a pitch from reliever Trever Miller. Iguchi's sacrifice bunt moved the runners, and Thome followed with a two-run double to make it a 2-2 game.

Game Notes

White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski was suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball for his inappropriate actions during the bottom of the eighth inning of Thursday's game against the New York Yankees. Pierzynski appealed, and the suspension will be held in abeyance until the process is complete....Houston improved to 81-73 all-time in interleague play, while the White Sox fell to 101-79 versus the NL.

Wnorthernlight Baseball Betting News

<< Smoltz to miss Sunday's start
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves veteran righty John Smoltz will miss his scheduled start Sunday against the Chicago Cubs. He will miss the game due to inflammation in his right shoulder. Smoltz is 7-3 with a 2.83 earned ru

<< Rangers' Teixeira placed on DL
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers placed first baseman Mark Teixeira on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a strained left quadriceps, after he had left Friday's 9-6 victory over Milwaukee, snapping a streak of 507 consec

<< Girl Power: Rags to Riches wins Belmont
Elmont, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rags to Riches became the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes in 102 years, edging Preakness winner Curlin by a head. Riden by John Velazquez, Rags to Riches finished in an unofficial time of two minutes, 28.7

<< Scott leads by three shots at St. Jude
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Scott shot a two-under 68 Saturday to take a three-shot lead heading into the final round of the Stanford St. Jude Championship. Scott was at nine-under 201 and looking for his second win of the season aft

<< Wilson on pole at PIR
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Doornbos won Saturday's second Champ Car qualifying session, but Justin Wilson's time on Friday was faster and he will start on the pole for Sunday's Grand Prix of Portland. Qualifying in the middl

Harren sizzles, Zito fizzles against former club >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Crosby and Mark Ellis homered and Dan Haren threw seven scoreless innings as the Oakland Athletics shut out the San Francisco Giants 6-0 in the second of a three-game set at AT&T Park. Haren (

Donovan makes history as U.S. men win >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Landon Donovan moved into sole possession of first place on United States' all-time points list in a 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago in the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday. Donovan assisted on the second goal

Navarro returns to Devil Rays >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay catcher Dioner Navarro was back with the Devil Rays Saturday, a night after being taken off the field on a stretcher following being hit in the throat by a low pitch. Navarro was taken to Broward Genera

Weaver activated from 15-day DL >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners activated pitcher Jeff Weaver from the 15-day disabled list Saturday, prior to their interleague matchup with the San Diego Padres, in which Weaver is expected to start.

Rookie Min leads LPGA Championship >>
Havre de Grace, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Na On Min was making just her sixth start on the LPGA Tour. Sunday, she'll carry a lead into the final round at her first major. Min, a rookie from South Korea, fired a seven-under 65 Saturday at

Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional basketball lines can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.


MySportsbook.com is one of the most efficient and professional online sportsbook today. While some sportsbooks only excel during the busiest seasons, MySportsbook is an excellent choice for the player who wants year-round quality. From their baseball true dime line to their interactive wagering, MySportsbook makes sure their clients would miss them if they went elsewhere.

Players won’t find any novelties at this sportsbook. The site is clean and simple and most importantly, fast. Customer Service handles matters in an expedient manner and accounting does everything possible to assure players that they have full control of their funds. The online banking center is open 24/7 in which time Neteller payouts are processed.

Management’s background and understanding of sports gambling has helped make them pioneers in the online betting market. MySportsbook was the first betting site to offer sports wagering in the best form. Interactive wagering was first offered in 1997. Players who don’t stop wagering when the game begins consider this sportsbook a true asset.

Players who are looking for outstanding value, extensive wagering options and inexpensive payouts will appreciate what MySportsbook.com offers. Those who are looking for perks and high bonuses would be best suited in a sportsbook geared towards the regular player.

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