Baker, Cuddyer lead Twins over Angels

Baseball Betting Lines

08/22/2010 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Cuddyer hit a three-run double to back Scott Baker's solid performance on the mound, as the Minnesota Twins took down the Angels, 4-0, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Target Field.

Danny Valencia hit a solo homer for the Twins, who ended a nine-game homestand with a 7-2 record. Minnesota is now five games ahead of the White Sox in the AL Central standings. Chicago lost to the Royals on Sunday.

Baker (11-9) pitched seven scoreless innings to win his fourth straight decision. The right-hander also struck out four and walked two to beat Los Angeles for the first time in his career. He came into the game with an 0-5 mark in eight career starts against them.

Hideki Matsui and Alberto Callaspo each had two hits for the Angels, who finished a six-game road trip with a 2-4 mark.

Jered Weaver (11-9) went six frames in the start, giving up four runs on six hits to suffer his second consecutive loss. He walked four batters and fanned three.

The Angels failed to score after putting men on first and second in the fourth. With two outs, Matsui and Erick Aybar singled. Mike Napoli, though, flied out to end the frame.

Minnesota put four runs on the board in the fifth to break a scoreless tie. Valencia led off the inning with a blast into the second deck in right field. Following two outs, Orlando Hudson tripled in front of a pair of walks to load the bases. Cuddyer then cleared the bases with a double to center. He was thrown out between second and third, but not before the Twins took a 4-0 lead.

Los Angeles stranded a runner on second in the seventh.

Jesse Crain started on the hill for the Twins in the eighth. Callaspo singled and Torii Hunter walked with two outs. Crain, though, struck out Matsui to end the threat.

Matt Capps tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the victory.

Game Notes

Minnesota wins the season series with Los Angeles, 5-2....Weaver fell to 4-2 lifetime versus the Twins...The Angels placed infielder Maicer Izturis on the 15-day disabled list and selected the contract of pitcher Jordan Walden from Triple-A Salt Lake. Walden tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

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Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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