Rays, Red Sox get testy in fight for first

Baseball Betting Lines

06/05/2008 -

Fighting for first-place in the AL East, the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox have quickly developed a testy rivalry.

Josh Beckett and the David Ortiz-less Red Sox regained the top spot in the division Wednesday night with a 5-1 victory over Tampa Bay that featured a hard slide and an exchange of heated words.

Beckett (6-4) allowed one run in six innings and the Red Sox won their 12th straight home game.

Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp was involved in a flareup in the eighth when he slid into second baseman Akinori Iwamura hard and late. Crisp was thrown out, but that was hardly the end of it. After Julio Lugo struck out, Rays manager Joe Maddon went to the mound to remove pitcher Jason Hammel, turned toward the Red Sox dugout and said something to Crisp.

``Everybody else on the mound started looking over there so I got louder,'' Crisp said. ``I don't know if he could hear what I was saying but basically I just said, `I did that on my own so don't punish anybody else on the team.'''

Crisp was upset with shortstop Jason Bartlett, not Iwamura, after Bartlett put his knee down in front of the bag on Crisp's successful steal in the sixth. Crisp came out of that with a sprained left thumb that was bandaged after the game but may not sideline him.

``I told him ... I'd get back on base and then I'm going to show him how I felt about it,'' Crisp said. ``It wasn't as dramatic as it probably would have been if he would have covered the bag.''

Maddon said Crisp intended to injure Iwamura.

``There's no place for that when you intentionally try to hurt somebody,'' Maddon said.

Crisp said that wasn't his intention and he and Iwamura - who said he wasn't hurt - declared the matter closed.

In other AL games, it was: Oakland 10, Detroit 2; Los Angeles 5, Seattle 4; New York 5, Toronto 1; Cleveland 15, Texas 9; Minnesota 7, Baltimore 5; and Chicago 6, Kansas City 4, 15 innings.

Despite ending 10 days in first place, the Rays are a franchise-high 11 games over .500 (35-24). Last season, they finished last for the ninth time in their 10 seasons, 30 games behind the division-winning Red Sox.

Boston now leads the division by a half game

J.D. Drew, batting third in place of the injured David Ortiz, continued his surge with an RBI double and a single. In Tuesday night's 7-4 win over Tampa Bay, Drew had a two-run homer, a double and two outstanding catches in right field.

The Red Sox are 3-1 since Ortiz injured his left wrist on a swing Saturday night. He went on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday.

Tampa Bay starter Edwin Jackson's struggles at Fenway continued as he left after five innings trailing 4-1. Jackson (3-5) is 0-3 in his career there, allowing 20 earned runs in 22 innings.Angels 5, Mariners 4

At Seattle, Torii Hunter hit a two-run single in a big first inning before Jered Weaver and three relievers preserved the victory for Los Angeles.

Weaver (5-6) allowed 10 hits for the fifth time in 13 starts this season - but won for the third time in four starts. He allowed four runs, struck out three and walked one.

Francisco Rodriguez finished for his 24th save in 25 chances as Los Angeles moved to a season-best 13 games over .500.

Carlos Silva (3-6) was down 3-0 in the first following an RBI double by Howie Kendrick and Hunter's two-run single.Athletics 10, Tigers 2

At Oakland, Calif., Justin Duchscherer allowed three hits over 6 2-3 innings and the Athletics completed a three-game sweep.

Duchscherer (5-4) struck out three and faced only one batter over the minimum through the first five innings while winning for only the second time in his last five starts despite a season-high five walks.

Tigers' starter Nate Robertson (3-6) gave up five runs and eight hits in 6 1-3 innings.Yankees 5, Blue Jays 1

At New York, Mike Mussina tied for the American League lead in wins and Derek Jeter passed Mickey Mantle on the Yankees career hits list.

Wilson Betemit homered off Jesse Litsch (7-2) and the Yankees snapped a three-game skid by handing Toronto only its seventh loss in 22 games.

Mussina (9-4) pitched six strong innings and Jeter, Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera and Hideki Matsui hit RBI singles to back him.Twins 7, Orioles 5

At Minneapolis, Joe Mauer homered and drove in three runs and Boof Bonser got a win in his first relief appearance for Minnesota.

Mauer went deep against Jamie Walker in the seventh to give Minnesota a two-run lead.

In the fifth, Mauer drove in two runs with one sacrifice fly - the first such feat in the majors in more than seven years - to bring his team within one.

Daniel Cabrera (5-2) lost for the first time in six starts.

Bonser (3-6) threw 2 2-3 scoreless innings. Joe Nathan worked a perfect ninth for his 16th save.Indians 15, Rangers 9

At Arlington, Texas, Ryan Garko drove in a career-high six runs and had four hits and David Dellucci hit a three-run homer for Cleveland.

Dellucci extended Cleveland's lead to 11-6 in the sixth inning against Elizardo Ramirez (0-1) with his sixth homer. It came one batter after Garko's two-run single had put the Indians in front.

Cliff Lee (9-1) threw 112 pitches in five innings and struck out eight. He began the night with an AL-best 1.88 ERA, but the Rangers got to him for six runs and nine hits.White Sox 6, Royals 4, 15 innings

At Chicago, Paul Konerko hit a two-run homer in the 15th to win it.

Konerko, batting .198 when he came up against Jimmy Gobble (0-1), hit his seventh homer.

Octavio Dotel (3-2) pitched 2 2-3 innings of hitless relief.

David DeJesus hit a tying two-run single in the ninth off White Sox closer Bobby Jenks, who blew his third save in 17 chances.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.

NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.

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Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.

Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&amp;M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6

For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

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