Thome's HR in 10th pushes Twins' division lead to four
Baseball Betting Lines
08/18/2010 -
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Thome played hero against his former
team, drilling a two-run homer off Matt Thornton in the 10th inning, as the
Twins edged Chicago, 7-6, to widen their lead to four games over the White Sox
in the AL Central.
Alexei Ramirez hit the tying homer off Matt Capps to start the ninth inning
and then singled in Brent Lillibridge with the go-ahead run in the 10th for
Chicago, but Thome delivered in a big spot to send Minnesota to its fifth
straight win.
Delmon Young singled to center to start the bottom of the 10th and Thome, who
played for nearly four full seasons (2006-09) for the White Sox, then
clobbered an 0-1 pitch from Thornton (3-4) into the crowd beyond the wall in
right field.
Thome's 581 career home runs rank 10th on baseball's all-time list, two behind
Mark McGwire.
After the game, Thome received a celebratory shaving cream pie to the face
while he was being interviewed on the field.
"With them (White Sox) you take it day-by-day, you don't get ahead of
yourselves," Thome said. "Any time you can gain ground or gain a game in the
standings against a team like that, they can get hot like they did and run off
a win streak. Our big thing is to keep the approach we have every day and stay
true to our approach. Each of us knows our role and we've done a nice job with
that."
Orlando Hudson and Young both homered off starter John Danks. Thome had three
hits and drove in three runs in Minnesota's biggest win yet at new Target
Field. Young also had three hits as the Twins moved to 9-4 this season against
the White Sox.
Ron Mahay (1-1) retired the final batter in the top of the 10th to get the
win in the opener of the big three-game series.
Paul Konerko and Mark Kotsay also homered for the White Sox, who lost for the
seventh time in nine games.
Young homered to left field in the fifth, putting the Twins up 5-4.
Thornton escaped a jam in the eighth by retiring Denard Span on a fly ball to
center, leaving runners at the corners.
Ramirez then homered to left field, but the White Sox lost an opportunity to
add to their lead after loading the bases. Konerko, though, grounded into a
4-6-3 double play with first baseman Michael Cuddyer digging a low throw out
of the dirt.
Kotsay and A.J. Pierzynski each singled in the 10th. Ramirez singled beyond
diving shortstop J.J. Hardy to give Chicago the short-lived lead.
Hudson homered to left-center in the first inning, Kubel added a two-run
triple just after singles from Joe Mauer and Cuddyer. Thome singled in Kubel
later in the frame.
Konerko and Kotsay went deep in the second for a 4-3 game.
Thome was thrown out at the plate trying to score on Danny Valencia's double
to end the third, and the White Sox tied it in the fourth on Pierzynski's RBI
double.
Twins starter Scott Baker loaded the bases in the fifth, but Glen Perkins got
Kotsay on a ground ball to keep the game tied.
"We fought back," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "They're playing hard,
they played very good. The only thing you can do is go out and get them
tomorrow."
Game Notes
Hardy missed the previous four games with a sore wrist...Danks allowed 11 hits
over his seven innings...Baker yielded four hits in 4 2/3 frames...Chicago
left 10 men on base and Minnesota nine.
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6-2, in
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NFL Football Betting Online
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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