Rays put win streak on the line in Toronto
Baseball Betting Lines
06/30/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays bested one of the best pitchers in the majors last night and will try to duplicate that success Tuesday, when they resume a three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
The Rays knocked around Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay for two runs and five hits over six innings on Monday to win their sixth straight game. Carl Crawford hit a two-run homer and Pat Burrell went deep in the 4-1 victory -- Tampa Bay's eighth in nine tries.
Rays starter Jeff Niemann won his seventh game of the season by holding Toronto to just a run on four hits and two walks over 7 1/3 innings.
"Niemann pitched a great game today," Rays manager Joe Maddon said on the team's site. "He had his curveball working against the lefties, and whenever he does that, he pitches well. He just had great composure throughout. You've got to pitch well to beat Doc (Halladay). You've just got to pitch well, and we did, and that's why we came out on top. He was really good."
Tampa Bay, which is five games off the lead in the AL East, will also visit Texas for three games on its current six-game road trip and will send Matt Garza to the mound Tuesday night. Garza will try to put together back-to-back decent starts after beating the Philadelphia Phillies his previous time out in Wednesday's 7-1 victory.
He was 0-3 in a six-start stretch before holding the Phils to just a run on three hits over eight innings, while striking out seven batters and walking three. Garza improved to 5-5 in 15 starts this season and lowered his earned run average from 3.83 to 3.61.
The right-hander, though, is 1-3 in six road starts this season, but is holding opposing hitters to a .210 batting average. He is 3-3 with a 1.99 ERA in six career starts against Toronto.
Meanwhile, Halladay was making his first start since coming off of the disabled list with a groin injury and fell to 10-2 this season. Halladay, who was aiming for a major league-leading 11th win, fanned seven batters in Toronto's third straight loss and fourth in five tries.
"For the most part, I felt pretty good with everything," Halladay said on the Jays' site. "I was just focusing on hitting spots. I've thrown in the bullpen and everything was fine, so I didn't feel like I hadn't thrown in a long time. I think it's just a matter of the consistency sometimes, falling behind guys. Other than that, I felt good."
Rod Barajas knocked in the lone run for Toronto and Adam Lind finished with a pair of hits. The Blue Jays, who sit seven games behind Boston for the top spot in the AL East, are 3-4 on a nine-game homestand.
Blue Jays third baseman Scott Rolen extended his career-high hitting streak to 17 games with a double last night.
Taking the mound for the Jays tonight will be Scott Richmond, who is 6-4 with a 3.68 ERA in 15 games, 12 of which have been starts, this season. Richmond last toed the rubber on Wednesday versus Cincinnati and held the Reds to a pair of runs on two hits through seven innings of an 8-2 triumph.
Richmond, who is 2-1 in his last three appearances, will make his second career start against Tampa Bay tonight. The right-hander faced the Rays for the first time in a 3-2 loss on July 30, 2008, when he yielded three runs and seven hits over 5 1/3 innings.
This series is the first time these AL East rivals are meeting in 2009, but Tampa took 11 of the 18 meetings between the clubs a year ago.
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According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
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Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
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Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
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