Tigers continue road series with Red Sox

Baseball Betting Lines

07/31/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers finally halted a nine-game road losing streak last night and will aim for a second straight win over the Boston Red Sox today at Fenway Park.

In Friday's opener, Jhonny Peralta hit a pair of homers and drove in three runs in his Tigers debut, as Detroit held on against Boston's furious ninth- inning rally for a 6-5 decision.

Will Rhymes added two hits and an RBI while Austin Jackson also drove in a run for the Tigers, who snapped a four-game overall slide and won on the road for the first time since July 3.

Robbie Weinhardt (1-1) got the win with two innings of scoreless relief for Detroit, which saw Jose Valverde allow a grand slam to David Ortiz and put two more runners on base before striking out Mike Cameron looking to end the contest.

Marco Scutaro also homered for the Red Sox, who were coming off a road sweep of the Angels and nearly rallied back from a five-run deficit in their final at-bat.

Jon Lester (11-6) took the loss after allowing 11 hits and four runs with seven strikeouts over six-plus innings.

"It was just one of those night. You're going to have ones where you don't feel good," Lester said. "There was no rhythm, no balance, no execution."

Boston is now 7 1/2 games back in the AL East, which is led by the Yankees, while Detroit is six games behind the White Sox in the AL Central race.

Max Scherzer hurled five no-hit innings against Tampa on Monday before yielding a grand slam in the sixth en route to defeat. The righty will be back on the bump for Detroit today, hoping to better his 7-8 record and 4.45 ERA. With 108 strikeouts in 111 1/3 innings of work, Scherzer has outstanding stuff.

Scherzer's only career start against Boston came earlier this season, and he was rocked for six earned runs on six hits in five innings.

Slated to get the ball for the Red Sox today is Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is 7-3 with a 4.09 ERA. Through 83 2/3 innings, Matsuzaka has only permitted 70 hits, but his total of 42 walks is a bit high. He did not figure in the decision of Sunday's game against Seattle despite only yielding one earned run on four hits in six innings.

Matsuzaka is an impressive 4-1 lifetime against Detroit with a 2.64 ERA, and he has yet to face the Tigers this season.

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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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