Reyes, Mets deal Marlins first loss

Baseball Betting Lines

04/11/2009 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Reyes finished 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBI as the New York Mets doubled up Florida, 8-4, in the middle test of a three-game set from Dolphin Stadium.

Carlos Delgado collected three hits and two RBI for the Mets, who snapped a two-game slide. Luis Castillo was 4-for-4, scored three runs and drove one in, while Alex Cora and David Wright knocked in a run each.

Livan Hernandez (1-0) allowed six hits and two runs over his 6 2/3-inning start.

Emilio Bonifacio was 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Marlins, who lost for the first time in 2009 after beginning the year with a franchise-best four consecutive victories. Hanley Ramirez, Wes Helms and Ross Gload added an RBI each in the setback.

Starter Ricky Nolasco (1-1) allowed seven hits and four runs over five innings for the loss.

Already ahead by three, the Mets put the game away with three runs in the eighth.

Facing Hayden Penn, Brian Schneider singled and moved to second on Jorge Cantu's throwing error. Castillo laid down a sacrifice bunt, but an error by Bonifacio left runners at the corners. Pinch-hitter Cora's groundout scored Schneider, and after Reyes fanned and Daniel Murphy walked, Wright and Delgado each brought in a run on back-to-back base hits for an 8-2 contest.

In the ninth, Florida picked up two runs -- one off Darren O'Day, as Gload's pinch-hit sacrifice fly brought in Cody Ross, and one against Francisco Rodriguez, on Ramirez's two-out RBI single. Rodriguez, though, induced a game- ending fly out from Cantu in the next at-bat.

The Mets picked up a run in the third as Castillo led off with a single, moved to second on Hernandez's sacrifice, then scored on a Reyes double.

Reyes added a two-run shot in the fifth for a 3-0 New York lead, and later in the frame a Delgado double scored Murphy for a four-run edge.

In the sixth, Ryan Church led off with a double and scored two batters later on a Castillo single.

Florida got on the board in the seventh, plating a pair of runs with two outs. First, pinch-hitter Helms drove in Dan Uggla off Hernandez, then Bonifacio scored Ross with a base hit after Brian Stokes entered the game.

Game Notes

Church finished with two doubles and a walk for the Mets...Cameron Maybin was 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Marlins...O'Day was charged with three hits and two unearned runs in 1 1/3 relief frames.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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