Burrell blasts Giants over Dodgers

Baseball Betting Lines

07/31/2010 - San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pat Burrell smacked a two-out, two-run homer off Jonathan Broxton in the eighth inning to help the Giants steal a 2-1 decision over the Dodgers in the second meeting of a three-game series.

Hong-Chih Kuo plunked Buster Posey with two outs in the eighth and was promptly pulled for Broxton (3-3), who battled back from a 3-0 count to Burrell before serving up a payoff fastball that was redirected over the left- field wall for the go-ahead score.

Guillermo Mota (1-3), who struck out Rafael Furcal and Matt Kemp to strand two runners in the eighth, finished off San Francisco's fourth win in five games with a 1-2-3 ninth, sending Los Angeles to its fourth straight loss.

Burrell's blast spoiled a terrific start for Chad Billingsley, who pitched on three day's rest and allowed just two hits and two walks while fanning five over 6 2/3 scoreless innings.

Barry Zito also received a no-decision, as the veteran lefty gave up one run on Casey Blake's homer over seven innings, scattering three hits and two walks to go with six punchouts.

Both starters were on cruise control until the seventh, which Blake opened by taking a high-and-in fastball over the left-field wall.

Kuo relieved Billingsley with two outs and one on in the seventh and gave up a pinch-hit single to Aaron Rowand. A wild pitch put both runners in scoring position, but Kuo fanned Andres Torres to end the threat.

Game Notes

Billingsley, who has thrown 21 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, was 0-2 with a 22.50 earned-run average in two previous starts on less than four day's rest...Kuo's scoreless streak ended at 16 2/3 frames...The Giants finished July with a 20-8 record, their first 20-win month since September 2000...Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier did not play, as he flew back to Los Angeles to witness the birth of his second child...Clayton Kershaw's five-game suspension ends on Sunday and he will toe the rubber against San Fran's Matt Cain...The Dodgers got several reinforcements at the trade deadline Saturday, netting starter Ted Lilly and infielder Ryan Theriot from the Cubs and reliever Octavio Dotel from the Pirates...The Giants added bullpen help in the form of Ramon Ramirez from the Red Sox and Javier Lopez from the Pirates.

Jazzsorts Baseball Betting News

<< Hahn, Chappell share lead at Cox Classic
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Hahn fired a seven-under 64 and Kevin Chappell had a three-under 68 to share the third-round lead Saturday at the Cox Classic. They finished 54 holes on the Champions Run course at 17-under 196 to take a o

<< Hanigan, Arroyo lead Reds past Braves
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Hanigan delivered the tie-breaking two- run double in the seventh inning, and Bronson Arroyo tossed seven sturdy frames in Cincinnati's 5-2 win over Atlanta in the middle tilt of a three-game set.

<< A Little Warm is hot horse in Jim Dandy Stakes
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A Little Warm, ridden by John Velazquez, took the lead in mid-stretch on his way to winning Saturday's $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. The 1 1/8-mile contest is the

<< Sunderland signs Richardson to extension
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland signed midfielder Kieran Richardson to a contract extension through the 2012-13 season on Saturday. Richardson, 25, joined Sunderland from Manchester United in 2007 and has made 85 appea

<< Giants agree to terms with second-round pick Joseph
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants have reportedly agreed to terms on a contract with defensive tackle Linval Joseph. Joseph was selected 45th overall by the Giants in this year's draft. The Star- Ledger reports t

Yanks, Phils set themselves up for a rematch >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I guess the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians really enjoyed last year's World Series. After the Astros paid the Philadelphia Phillies to basically take Roy Oswalt off their hands, Houston general manager Ed Wade

Couples joins Langer in lead at U.S. Senior Open >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hometown favorite Fred Couples fired a five- under 65 Saturday to grab a share of the lead after three rounds of the U.S. Senior Open. Second-round leader Bernhard Langer birdied the 18th hole to card a t

Boston calls up Kalish; designates Hermida for assignment >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox designated outfielder Jeremy Hermida for assignment to make room on the 25-man roster for outfield prospect Ryan Kalish, who was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket. Kalish was immediately ins

Ortiz's late heroics helps BoSox slip past Detroit >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Ortiz provided some late-game dramatics yet again, belting a game-winning three-run double in the ninth inning to lift the Red Sox to a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Ryan Perry, who came into t

Hamilton scratched from Rangers' lineup >>
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -Major league batting leader Josh Hamilton was scratched from the Texas Rangers' lineup Saturday night because of patella tendinitis in his right knee.Hamilton, hitting .362 with 23 homers and 75 RBIs, started in center field in

Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.