Lopez solid on the mound as Phils handle Mets

Baseball Betting Lines

07/03/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phillies recalled Rodrigo Lopez from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start the opener of a three-game series with the rival Mets, and the right-hander responded with a quality outing in a 7-2 Philadelphia win.

Lopez (1-0), who had not started a game in the majors since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2007, held New York to two runs on six hits and a walk in 6 1/3 frames for the Phils, who were coming off a 3-6 road trip.

Jimmy Rollins, trying to put a season-long slump behind him, recorded two doubles and two RBI, while Chase Utley and Greg Dobbs each drove in a pair for Philly, which also received a solo homer from Jayson Werth.

Livan Hernandez (5-4) dropped his third straight start, as the veteran was pelted for seven runs on 10 hits and four walks in a season-low three-plus innings for the Mets, who have dropped six of eight.

Nick Evans and Brian Schneider each knocked in a run in defeat.

The Phillies' first four hitters reached base, with Rollins doubling and Shane Victorino and Utley following with base hits, the latter knocking in a run. Ryan Howard walked, and after a Werth strikeout, Dobbs singled in front of a diving Evans in left field to give the Phils a 3-0 lead.

Victorino tripled to center in the second and Utley chased him home with a sacrifice fly.

Werth homered to left to open the third, and Rollins drove in a pair later in the inning after Pedro Feliz and Paul Bako singled and doubled, respectively.

The Phillies wasted a bases-loaded, no-out opportunity in the fourth, but Lopez kept the Mets silent until the seventh. Ryan Church led off with a double, while Evans and Schneider answered with one-out, RBI two-baggers.

Chan Ho Park recorded the final two outs of the seventh and worked a scoreless eighth, and Ryan Madson hurled a 1-2-3 ninth to cap the win.

Game Notes

To make room for Lopez, a two-time 15-game winner for the Baltimore Orioles, the Phillies designated pitcher Jack Taschner for assignment...Victorino and Church each finished with three hits...The Phillies improved to just 14-22 this season at home, where they will play their next nine games...The season series is tied, 4-4.

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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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