Sizemore, Tigers take opener of shortened series with Tribe

Baseball Betting Lines

05/08/2010 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Sizemore knocked in three runs and Miguel Cabrera contributed two RBI as Detroit dispatched Cleveland, 6-4, in the opener of a truncated series.

Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch each collected two hits and scored once for the Tigers, who claimed victory after Friday night's game was postponed due to heavy rains.

Justin Verlander (3-2) allowed four hits and three runs over six innings, fanning a season-high nine batters despite walking four. Jose Valverde notched his eighth save of the season with a perfect ninth.

Austin Kearns drove in three runs while Travis Hafner had three hits and an RBI for the Indians, who suffered their fifth straight loss and seventh in eight tries.

Kerry Wood (0-1) recorded just two outs in the loss and was charged with two hits and two runs with two walks. Starter Justin Masterson worked six frames and yielded five hits and three runs while striking out eight.

The Tigers forged ahead in the seventh with a pair of runs off Wood.

The veteran reliever retired the first two batters he faced, but Jackson came up with a double. Johnny Damon walked then Magglio Ordonez followed suit, before Cabrera's base hit brought in Jackson and Damon for a 5-3 contest.

Sizemore worked a two-out walk in the eighth then Ramon Santiago singled before Indians shortstop Luis Valbuena was late with the throw to second on Jackson's grounder, allowing the Tigers' sixth run to cross the plate.

In the home half, Shin-Soo Choo singled with one down, moved to third on a Hafner double and came in on a sacrifice fly from Kearns for a 6-4 game.

Hector Ambriz worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the ninth by getting Alex Avila on a double-play grounder, but Valverde sent down the Indians in order to preserve the win.

Detroit loaded the bases in the fourth on a walk and two singles, then Sizemore's double to the gap in left-center scored all three.

Cleveland picked up a run in the home fourth as Sizemore and Choo walked with one out and Hafner followed with an RBI single.

Kearns tied the game in the Indians' turn in the sixth, knocking in a pair on a single up the middle with the bases loaded.

Game Notes

Detroit has won all four games over Cleveland this season, and 10 in a row dating back to last September...The Tigers have also taken 18 of 22 over the Tribe since the start of last season...Valbuena was a last-minute substitution for Asdrubal Cabrera, who hasn't played since Monday with a strained left quad...Jackson has hit safely in 27 of Detroit's 30 games this year.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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