Pena guides Rays over Jays
Baseball Betting Lines
08/30/2010 - St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer and drove in four as Tampa Bay downed Toronto, 6-2, in the opener of a three-game series at Tropicana Field.
Evan Longoria stroked a pair of hits and knocked in a run and Carl Crawford drove in one and scored twice for the Rays, who have won three in a row and seven of nine.
Tampa temporarily moved a half-game ahead of the Yankees in the AL East, with the Yanks-A's game still being played.
Wade Davis (11-9) allowed six hits and two runs over 7 2/3 innings, fanning three without a walk for the win. The righty has reeled off six straight positive decisions since losing on June 27 to Arizona.
Aaron Hill homered and Travis Snider knocked in the other run for the Blue Jays, who lost their second straight.
Brett Cecil (11-7) gave up five hits and five runs -- two earned -- with five strikeouts over seven full frames in defeat.
Tampa scored twice in the first as Crawford doubled in B.J. Upton and Pena later drove in Crawford with a sacrifice fly.
John McDonald tripled to start the second and scored on a Snider groundout, but the Rays got three back in the home half when Crawford reached on an error, Longoria singled and Pena launched a three-run shot.
Hill's solo blast in the fifth made it 5-2 but Davis didn't allow Toronto a sniff at a run until putting two on with two out in the eighth. Qualls came on and fanned Jose Bautista swinging to end the inning.
The Rays got a sixth run in the home portion after Jason Bartlett reached second on two McDonald errors, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Longoria's fly to left.
Qualls and Randy Choate combined to retire Toronto in order in the ninth.
Game Notes
Pena last drove in at least four runs in a game on July 29 against Detroit, part of a 3-for-4 effort at the plate...Tampa has won seven of 13 over Toronto this season, but just three of seven in Florida...This marks just the second time since divisional play in MLB history that two teams in the same division had 80 wins at the 130-game mark as the Yankees and Rays do...The last time was 1993 when the Giants and Braves did so on their way to 103 and 104 wins, respectively.
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FOOTBALL BETTING
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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