Drew and Red Sox down Tampa in AL East battle

Baseball Betting Lines

06/04/2008 - Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.D. Drew hit a double and home run, and made several key defensive plays, as the Boston Red Sox opened a three-game set against Tampa Bay with a 7-4 win over the Rays.

The Red Sox officially placed slugger David Ortiz on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, with an injured wrist, and there is no timetable for his return.

They also recalled Justin Masterson (2-0), who started Tuesday's game and picked up the win after throwing six solid innings, in which he gave up four runs on six hits and a pair of walks, and struck out five.

"He competed great. I thought he threw some sliders tonight that were better than we have seen, with some depth to them," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "He also left a couple up. I don't think the atmosphere has gotten out ahead of him or anything. He goes up and we expect him to give us a good ballgame, and he did that."

Mike Lowell hit a two-run homer, while Coco Crisp had a two-run double for Boston, which extended its home winning streak to 11 games.

Carlos Pena went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and three runs batted in for Tampa Bay, which had a three-game win streak broken but maintained its lead in the American League East. The front-running Rays lead Boston by one-half game, though have now lost six straight at Fenway Park.

"To win in this league, you have to win at this ballpark," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "They're difficult, they're very difficult. But we have to get it done here. At some point, we've just got to make that leap. We had a great opportunity tonight. We just kept giving up leads."

Matt Garza (4-2) struggled at the end of his outing, and finished by allowing seven runs -- five earned -- on six hits in 5 1/3 frames.

After the Rays took the lead in the top of the sixth, Boston roared back in the bottom half. Garza hit Kevin Youkilis to start and Manny Ramirez reached base on a fielding error by Jason Bartlett at short.

Lowell popped out, but Drew walked to load the bases. Jason Varitek got one run home by grounding a single up the middle. Crisp then delivered the big blow with a double to left that plated Ramirez and Drew, and chased Garza from the game.

Grant Balfour came on and immediately walked Julio Lugo to load the bases again, and a Jacoby Ellsbury sacrifice fly brought one more run in to push the Red Sox's lead to 7-4.

From there, Manny Delcarmen, Javier Lopez, Craig Hansen and Jonathan Papelbon kept the Rays scoreless, as Papelbon also picked up his 17th save of the season.

Akinori Iwamura started the game with a home run, an opposite field shot that just hit off the top of the Green Monster.

But after Ramirez led off the home second with a single, Lowell scorched a ball high over the left field wall to put Boston in front, 2-1.

The Rays kept the back-and-forth game going in the fourth, as B.J. Upton doubled and Pena just missed out on a home run. He turned hard on a pitch and lofted a ball to right that bounced over the short wall to plate Upton.

Tampa Bay might have tacked on more runs, but Drew made the catch on an Evan Longoria fly ball as he ran to the corner in right field for the first out. Masterson struck out Cliff Floyd and got Eric Hinske to ground out to end the inning.

Drew then put the Red Sox back in front, by a 3-2 score, in the home half, when he knocked a solo shot to right-center. The Red Sox right fielder made another nice defensive play in the visitors' fifth, when Dioner Navarro slugged the ball deep toward the fence. Drew, though, extended just enough to make the catch as he stepped on the warning track.

But Drew had no chance to get the ball that Pena crushed in the top of the sixth. After Upton singled and stole second, Pena hammered a hanging changeup over the wall for a 4-3 Rays lead.

Game Notes

In addition to placing Ortiz on the DL and calling up Masterson, the Red Sox on Tuesday also recalled infielder Chris Carter from Triple-A Pawtucket and optioned infielder Jeff Bailey to Pawtucket...Tampa Bay left eight runners on base, while the Red Sox stranded four...Ellsbury stole his 28th base of the season, while Upton's stolen base was his 18th.

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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

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