Utley Ties HR Record, Phillies Force Game Six
By the time the ninth inning rolled around, Brad Lidge was nowhere to be found. The Philadelphia Phillies could not afford to risk this one. It would've been the last one.
The New York Yankees were charging, and fans at Citizen's Bank Park were gasping during a furious rally in which the AL champs nearly recovered a six-run deficit. It was 8-5 in the final inning, and instead of putting the game into Lidge's hand, it was Ryan Madsen's turn to fight off the top of the lineup.
Derek Jeter grounded into a double-play, and Mark Teixeira struck out and the series is on it's way back to the Bronx after an 8-6 Phillies win that covered the spread.
"We didn't have a choice. It was either go home and watch football and college basketball or extend the season," Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins said.
The win preserve a decision for Cliff Lee, who deserved it after another quality outing against the highest-scoring team in baseball. He went seven innings and was charged five earned runs, although most of those were surrendered after he was lifted.
Chase Utley continued is monster November with two more home runs and has already tied Reggie Jackson's all-time mark of five homers in the World Series. He went 2-for-4 with four RBI and is making a case for MVP even if the Phillies lose. His homer in the seventh gave Philadelphia the difference in the game, although it didn't seem that way at the time. It was followed by a Raul Ibanez solo shot that made it 8-2 and it appeared the route was on.
Key word: appeared.
Manager Charlie Manuel was hoping to preserve his bullpen with the large lead and stuck with Chan Ho Park in the eighth inning even though he was roughed up to the tune of three runs when Alex Rodriguez again sparked a comeback. His double scored Johnny Damon and Teixeira before Robinson Cano finally got involved with a sac fly that scored A-Rod.
With Madsen anchoring the ninth, Jeter's grounder scored another run to create even more anxiety.
"We definitely have the momentum," said Madson, who got the save. "I didn't care if they scored one or two, as long as they didn't score three."
Utley has seven home runs in 10 career World Series games and Lee is 2-0 with 2.81 ERA, making it hard to find any two players in the championship who have been more valuable to their team.
The Yankees, however, continued a streak of their own, although it's not one to boast about. They have now lost three consecutive games in which they could've won the World Series. They are hoping that this series is more like the ALCS, however, in which the Los Angeles Angels won Game Five at home, only to fall in the first game back in the Bronx.
(c) 2009 USAplayer.com - All Rights Reserved.
New game fixing scandal hits baseball; probe begins
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Prosecutors have launched a new investigation into allegations of possible game fixing during the 2009 regular season of Taiwan's professional baseball league, dealing another harsh blow to the league's already tainted image.
The Banqiao District Prosecutors Office raided lockers, dorms and homes of six players on the Elephants team yesterday, plus three witnesses as well on underground betting bookies around the country.
The prosecutors also issued summonses to 17 people, including the baseball players, for questioning in connection with the investigation.
The latest investigative action is believed to have been taken now on concern that some players who returned for the season could leave the country again as the 2009 season officially concluded on Sunday.
All the players involved in the case vehemently denied the allegation for possible foul play.
The main focus of the probe, which covers the alleged fixing of games in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) from May to September, is an underground bookie with the family name of Tsai, who goes by the nickname ''Windshield Wiper.''
Prosecutors believe Tsai enticed players to throw games or manipulate the final score in ways to help the bookie's syndicate cash in on illicit bets.
According to evidence collected by the Taipei branch of the Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau, the players rigged games in a number of ways, including throwing easy pitches to hit, walking batters, purposely committing fumbles or deliberately striking out.
Once the gambling syndicate run by Tsai cashed in on its bets as a result of the players' actions, it would then pay off the players through intermediaries, the Investigation Bureau believes.
Though the investigation has been underway for a while, prosecutors wanted to wait for the league's showcase, the best-of-seven Taiwan Series, to conclude before summoning persons of interest for questioning and conducting raids.
The Taiwan Series ended Sunday, with the Uni-President Lions defeating the Brother Elephants 5-2 in Game 7 to win its third consecutive CPBL title.
Though the seven-game series is not within the scope of the investigation, at least six Elephants players have been implicated in the case.
Elephants general manager Hung Rei-ho confirmed that searches had been conducted on the dorm rooms or residences of six of the team's players -- pitchers Tsao Chin-hui, Liu Yu-chan, Wu Bau-hsien, Wang Chin-li, Li Hao-jen and catcher Wang Chun-tai. The six players will also report to the prosecutors office for questioning.
Tsao, the first Taiwanese pitcher to ever compete in the U.S. Major Leagues, became particularly agitated at one point over the issue, according to Hung.
In a statement, Tsao insisted that he was clean. He felt that after fighting repeated arm injuries and pressure he was perplexed over being searched and wrongly implicated in the case.
''After playing overseas for nine years, there were still some overseas teams that I could have joined, but I decided to come home, expecting to continue fighting and contributing in front of my family and friends,'' Tsao said.
''Little did I expect that after my teammates and I played hard for a full season that I would be summoned for questioning about a controversy I know nothing about. I feel angry and disappointed.''
He wondered in the statement if, after being caught up in allegations that had yet to be substantiated with proof, he had made the right choice to play in Taiwan this year.
Hung, who vowed last year during a similar game-fixing scandal to disband his team if any of his players were involving in gambling and game fixing, said he chose to believe his players' professions of innocence, pending the results of the investigation.
The CPBL also issued a statement expressing regret over the latest probe. It urged prosecutors to wrap up the investigation based on solid evidence as early as possible to avoid further damage to the league and the sport in Taiwan.
The league is still in the process of nurturing itself back to health after a series of scams in recent years.
(c) 1999 - 2009 The China Post.
LA Angels Face Off vs. New York Yankees in G4 ALCS Betting
Once upon a time in Game 3, the Yankees used three solo home runs to take a 3-0 lead that looked like it would carry them to a tremendous victory to take a stranglehold on the ALCS. However, thanks to some shoddy work by the bullpen and LHP Andy Pettitte's fading arm, the Yanks blew the lead and let the Halos get back into the series. Now, manager Joe Girardi will hand the ball off to his horse, LHP CC Sabathia on just three days' rest. Sabathia was dominant in Game 1 against Anaheim, allowing just one earned run on four hits in eight frames to record his second victory of the playoffs. His shaky playoff history and the glamour that comes with being a New York Yankee haven't seemed to concern the southpaw yet in the playoffs, and Yankees betting fans will hope that that continues on Tuesday night.
For the second time in these playoffs, the Halos will rely on the left arm of Scott Kazmir to pitch them to victory. Kaz wasn't great in his first start of the postseason against the Red Sox, as he allowed five runs in six innings, but was bailed out by his bats to avoid the loss. Those bats lit up New York's pitching staff for five runs in the final six innings on Monday night, including a 3/5 night from 2B Howie Kendrick, who came up a double short of the cycle. In the end, it was C Jeff Mathis, who started the game on the bench, who knocked home the game-winning run on his RBI hit in the 11th off of Alfredo Aceves. Even though the Yankees used more arms in their bullpen than the Angels did yesterday, the Halos bullpen boys threw a ton of pitches to preserve the victory. The good news for the unit is that there's an off day on Wednesday in this series, so there should be plenty of time to rest and all hands should be on deck.
Both of these teams have been scorching hot with their hurlers on the mound of late. The Angels are 5-1 in Kazmir's L/6 starts including the playoffs, while the Yanks are 13-1 in Sabathia's L/14 starts. The victory for the Halos last night snapped a six-game losing streak in the ALCS.
(c) 2009 insider.justbet.
ALCS Preview - Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees
Analyzing the Yankees-Angels Series
AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
New York Yankees -190
Los Angeles Angels +155
EXACT SERIES RESULT
Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees
LA Angels to win 4-0 +2200
LA Angels to win 4-1 +750
LA Angels to win 4-2 +650
LA Angels to win 4-3 +600
NY Yankees to win 4-0 +750
NY Yankees to win 4-1 +450
NY Yankees to win 4-2 +300
NY Yankees to win 4-3 +350
The American League Championship Series gets underway on Friday night at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, with CC Sabathia of the Yankees taking the ball against John Lackey of the Angels. The Yankees and Sabathia are a -170 favorite in that opener (the Angels are +150) with a posted total of eight and a half runs.
Here are some of the MLB Baseball betting trends as they relate to the series:
LA has won ten of its last 11 games
LA has played five of its last six games UNDER the total
NY has won its last four games
NY has won 11 of its last 14 games
NY has played six of its last eight games UNDER the total
As far as the head-to-head matchup is concerned, the teams split ten meetings this season. The Angels won four of the six games that were played in Anaheim, but the Yankees took two of three at the Big A in late September, busting up an unfortunate string where they had lost eight of nine games in Orange County.
This series matches up the two highest scoring teams in the American league. The Yankees averaged 5.65 runs a game, while the Angels scored 5.45 runs per contest. New York outscored its opposition by a full run per game. The Yankees had a .636 winning percentage, and they were potent against both southpaws (.654) and righties (.627). The Angels were torrid against southpaws (.714) and they also went 32-25 as an underdog, which is unusual.
The Angels were incredibly consistent between what they did on the road (49-33, including playoffs) and at home (51-32, including the Boston series). The Yankees played at a commanding .711 clip (59-24) at their eponymous ballpark, while they were merely outstanding (47-35) away from home.
The thing I have been worried about from a Yankee standpoint is their ability to throw stoppers out there. CC Sabtahia may have been a contender for the Cy Young Award in some other year, and he shared the lead in wins in the AL with 19. As a southpaw, however, he seems to be the kind of foe the Angels like to see, and he's only so-so against them (5-7, 4.72 ERA) in his career. After Sabathia, there is AJ Burnett, who was outstanding in Game 2 of the playoff series against Minnesota, and truthfully, has been very good over his last five starts. The only issue is that he walked five batters in six innings on Friday, but that didn't hurt him. Then there is old reliable, Andy Pettitte, who has 15 post-season wins and held the Twins to a run on three hits on Sunday but he did have a 7.88 ERA in three starts against Los Angeles this year.
The Yankees look like they're going with a three-man rotation, because they trust Joba Chamberlain a lot more in the bullpen than they do as a starter, and the only other guy they would consider starting is Chad Gaudin, who leaves them at a disadvantage. If Sabathia and Burnett can go innings, that can turn out well for the Yanks, because they will be that much stronger in the bullpen, with the likes of Joba, Alfredo Aceves (10-1 on the year), Phil Hughes and the incomparable Mariano Rivera to take them the rest of the way.
As well as Brian Fuentes has pitched for the Angels (48 saves), he still had a high ERA (3.93) and when it comes down to it, the Yankees have one of the greatest post-season performers ever in Rivera, who has an ERA of 0.74 ERA under that kind of pressure, allowing only two homers in 121 innings.
Bobby Abreu, who had 100 RBI's and thirty steals, will be aiming to come back and haunt his former teammates. The Angels had eleven players with 50 or more RBI's, meaning that they are all skilled at bringing runs home. Everybody in the lineup is at .287 or better, and like the Yankees, there really isn't a spot where you can start pitching around guys. They can steal bases too, which will keep the Yankees on their toes. We also assert that Mike Scoscia is a little to sharp to fall victim to some of the stupid things that Ron Gardenhire did in the losing series against the Yankees.
With a 1.75 ERA from September 1 forward, Scott Kazmir gave a boost to the Los Angeles staff, but he'll have to do better than the five runs in six innings he allowed the Red Sox on Sunday. Otherwise, you may get something strong out of this staff, which surrendered just eight hits in the first two series games to Boston.
Rivera is the elephant in the room; I admit that. But the Angels will be coming in with a ton of confidence as they got past their post season nemeses with a three game sweep of the Red Sox.
With an offense that is constantly in motion they can keep the Yankees off balance, and they should be able to get some base runners against those Yankee starters. We're going to go out on a limb here and take the Angels to win the series, at +155 in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds, and we'll call it a seven-game victory. A Freeway Series, perhaps?
LOS ANGELES ANGELS TO WIN +600
(c) 1994-2009 BetUS.com. All Rights Reserved.
2009 MLB Playoffs Power Poll - The Usual Suspects
The MLB playoffs are finally here! Though there are still eight teams alive in the chase for the World Series, fall is clearly in the air. Here's how BetUS Sportsbook stacks up the squads in the Hunt for October...
1) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (97-65, +$2,176) It seems like an annual happening now, but the Halos are heading to the playoffs as the AL West champions. Once again, the team standing in their way of the ALCS is the Boston Red Sox though, and the Sox have had their number in years' past. The difference this time is that Anaheim has one of the best offenses in baseball, as it finished the regular season second in runs scored, first in batting average, third in OPS, and third in stolen bases.
2) Colorado Rockies (92-70, +$1,434) It's Rocktober once again! In spite of challenges from Atlanta, Florida, and San Francisco, the Rockies held on to the NL Wild Card and took the Dodgers to the wire for the NL West crown as well. Ever since they fired manager Clint Hurdle, they've been unstoppable, and now they'll get to take on the defending champs in their first step towards trying to get to the World Series for the second time in three years.
3) New York Yankees (103-59, +$1,390) The Yankees are clearly back, and anything less than a World Series crown would be a bitter disappointment. They get to face a Minnesota team that expended a ton of energy throughout the last month of the regular season just to get into the postseason in the first round. New York clearly has the best lineup in baseball and should easily advance, but if they overlook the Twins, the most expensive roster in baseball WILL be watching the ALCS from the comfy confines of their own living rooms.
4) Boston Red Sox (95-67, +$1,174) Earlier in the season, everyone complained about Boston's offense, especially the production of DH David Ortiz. Then the problem was the pitching staff. Well guess what? Big Papi hit 28 homers and drove in nearly 100 runs, and Josh Beckett and Jon Lester combined to go 32-14. The Sox are the Wild Card yet again, and they'll get a familiar foe in the first round of the playoffs in the Angels.
5) Los Angeles Dodgers (95-67, +$1,090) Shame on the Dodgers for nearly blowing a double digit-game lead in the NL West at the end of the season. Once upon a time, this looked like the best team in baseball, and even though they finished with the best record in the National League, there's a reason oddsmakers aren't banking on them advancing to the World Series.
6) Philadelphia Phillies (93-68, +$447) The defending champs haven't exactly looked stellar down the stretch either, but at least they'll get to open up their title defense at home. The Rockies are a dangerous foe though. There's still a big, big question mark about how the Phils are going to finish up games. Closers Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson have both been awful in the second half of the season.
7) Minnesota Twins (87-76, +$348) Give it up for the Twins, who never gave up on their hopes to make the playoffs. C Joe Mauer should ultimately win the MVP now that he
Won his second straight batting crown with a .365 average (highest ever by a catcher). The biggest question is whether this pitching staff can hold it together. Either way, this team looks a lot like the Colorado team that made it all the way to the World Series a couple years ago.
8) St. Louis Cardinals (91-71, +$240) St. Louis really slumped down the stretch of the regular season, and their punishment is that they have to go on the road to start their NLDS with the Dodgers. Still, in a short series, is there a better 1-2 punch in baseball than SPs Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter? With those two horses, the Cardinals should still be considered a huge threat to win the whole thing.
(c) 1994-2009 BetUS.com. All Rights Reserved.
MLB Lock Alert - Red Sox to Bounce Back Behind Beckett
The Toronto Blue Jays (72-84 SU, 75-81 RL, 77-73-6 O/U) will be looking to extend their three-game winning streak while the Boston Red Sox (91-64 SU, 79-75 RL, 70-75-9 O/U) will be trying to snap a three-game losing streak when they meet at Fenway Park tonight at 7 PM ET.
Rod Barajas hit a run-scoring double in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Blue Jays to a narrow 5-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Sunday.
The Blue Jays cashed in for MLB betting members as +100 home underdogs, while the game's final score played out as a Push against the 9-run Over/Under total.
The Red Sox were swept by the New York Yankees in their three-game set, dropping the finale on Sunday 4-2 while getting one RBI from Mike Lowell in the loss.
The Red Sox failed to cash in as +170 road underdogs while the game's final score played Under the 10.5-run O/U total.
Tonight, the Blue Jays will hand the ball to right-hander Scott Richmond (7-9, 5.39 ERA) while the Red Sox counter with ace right-hander (16-6, 3.78 ERA).
Here is a look at tonight's key trends and MLB Odds, followed by my in-depth analysis and expert MLB Free Picks.
Blue Jays are 6-1 in their last 7 overall.
Blue Jays are 4-1 in their last 5 games vs. a right-handed starter.
Blue Jays are 2-8 in Richmond's last 10 starts.
Blue Jays are 1-4 in Richmond's last 5 road starts vs. a team with a winning record.
Red Sox are 13-4 in their last 17 vs. American League East.
Red Sox are 45-14 in their last 59 home games vs. a team with a losing record.
Red Sox are 7-0 in Beckett's last 7 home starts vs. a team with a losing record.
Red Sox are 21-5 in Beckett's last 26 starts vs. a team with a losing record.
Over is 4-0 in Beckett's last 4 starts vs. Blue Jays.
Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings in Boston.
Under is 9-4 in the last 13 meetings.
Blue Jays are 0-8 in the last 8 meetings in Boston.
Blue Jays are 0-6 in the last 6 meetings.
MLB Odds
Toronto Blue Jays +1 1/2 +105
Scott Richmond -R +230
Boston Red Sox -1 1/2 -125
Josh Beckett -R -280
Over 9 1/2 Ev
Under 9 1/2-115
The Scoop: Scott Richmond has gone 1-1, over his last three starts with an 11.12 ERA while Josh Beckett has gone a spotless 2-0 over his last three starts with a 2.84 ERA.
Analysis: Despite dropping thee consecutive games coming into this contest the Boston Rex Sox are the pick in this contest with red-hot right-hander Josh Beckett on the mound.
While the Blue Jays have gone an impressive 6-1 in their last seven games and 4-1 in their last five games against a right-handed starter, Toronto has also gone a dismal 2-8 in Scott Richmond's last 10 starts and just 1-4 in Richmond's last five road starts against a team with a winning record.
Despite their current struggles, the Red Sox have gone an impressive 13-4 in their last 17 games American League East ballclubs while also going a spotless 7-0 in Josh Beckett's last seven home starts versus a team with a losing record.
The Red Sox have pretty much been a lock to cash in when Josh Beckett takes the mound, going 21-5 in Beckett's last 26 starts against a team with a losing record.
Oh, let me not forget to mention the fact that the Blue Jays have gone an abysmal 0-8 in the last eight meetings in Boston and 0-6 in the last six meetings overall.
With the under going 5-2 in the last seven meetings in Boston and 9-4 in the last 13 meetings, I like the under to cash in as well.
MLB Free Picks: Red Sox -1 1/2 Runs/Under 9 1/2 Total Runs
(c) 1994-2009 BetUS.com. All Rights Reserved.
Best of the Best - MLB's Hottest Teams
As the month of September continues, the baseball betting action heats up for the march towards the playoffs. Find out which teams are rounding into form as potential playoff teams with BetUS Sportsbook's list of teams that are on fire...
(Rank) (Team) (SU Record, $$$) (SU Record in L/5, $$$)
1: Kansas City Royals (63-88, -$1,443) (4-1, +$469 in L/5) - Give it up for the Royals, who are fighting hard to continue winning games down the stretch. For awhile there, baseball betting fans had to wonder whether Kansas City was going to end up being the worst money team in the bigs, but since September 7th, it is a solid 12-3 and up $1,324. Those victories haven't come against slacking teams for the most part either.
The Royals won series at home against Detroit, at Cleveland, at Detroit, and at Chicago before coming home and taking the first two games of a four-game series against the Red Sox. Still, it's hard to overlook the lack of talent on this team. The Royals still rank 23rd in offense and 26th in pitching in the majors.
2: Seattle Mariners (79-72, +$1,097) (4-1, +$410 in L/5) - The Mariners have continued to play strong baseball down the stretch of the season in spite of the fact that they have long been out of the playoff picture. They've made their mark on the playoff race in the last couple weeks, as they have won series against the Yankees, White Sox, and Rangers in their L/3 sets.
Mariners' bettors should be thrilled that a winning season, monetarily speaking, is virtually a guarantee in 2009 after finishing up 2008 with the worst money mark (-$3,598) any American League team has finished a season with since 2003's Detroit Tigers went 43-119 and lost over 44 units. Between how much Texas has improved this year and how hot the A's have been down the stretch, things are setting up to be quite competitive in the AL West in 2010.
3: Oakland Athletics (72-79, +$677) (4-1, +$296 in L/5) - The Texas Rangers are going to want nothing to do with the A's for the rest of the season. Texas' season was effectively ended with a three-game sweep in Arlington last week, and now the Athletics have split the first two games of this series at home against the Rangers. In total, Oakland is now 13-3 in its L/16 games to move a lot closer to the coveted .500 mark.
This is a team that really didn't have a heck of a lot going for it at the start of the season, so all things considered; A's betting fans should be incredibly happy with the fact that they are practically guaranteed a winning record on the season. Your amazing stat that only happens in baseball... The Yankees are 26 games ahead of Oakland in the standings, yet they are within a couple units of each other on the season.
And the rest...
4: Minnesota Twins (78-73, -$285) (4-1, +$286 in L/5)
5: Colorado Rockies (86-65, +$1,501) (4-1, +$284 in L/5)
(c) 1994-2009 BetUS.com. All Rights Reserved.
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