Mound Presence: A's lefty Braden faces Yankees again
Baseball Betting Lines
09/02/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oakland Athletics starter Dallas Braden won't have to worry
about Alex Rodriguez running across his pitching mound this afternoon due to
the slugging third baseman currently being on the disabled list.
Braden, making his first appearance against the Yankees since his verbal spat
with A-Rod, will have plenty of other concerns in today's finale of a four-
game series as New York's CC Sabathia aims to become baseball's first 19-game
winner and extend his 20-start home unbeaten streak.
The 26-year-old Braden got the best of the Yankees at home on April 22 with
six innings of two-run ball, Oakland's lone victory in nine meetings with New
York this year, but his victory was overshadowed by his jawing with Rodriguez
after the former MVP jogged across the pitcher's mound following a fouled-off
pitch.
Braden said he felt Rodriguez violated an unwritten rule in baseball.
"You don't run across a pitcher's mound in between an inning or during a
game," Braden said. "I was just dumbfounded that he would let that slip his
mind. If he wants to run across the pitcher's mound, let him go run laps in
the bullpen."
Braden and Rodriguez won't rematch tonight as the New York third baseman has
been on the DL since Aug. 21 due to a strained left calf.
"He just told me to get off his mound," Rodriguez said. "It was a little
surprising, I never quite heard that, especially from a guy that has a handful
of wins in his career."
Perhaps motivated by Rodriguez's comments, Braden threw a perfect game three
starts after the Yankees win versus the Rays on May 9. He hurled his second
career shutout and fifth complete game of the season last time out on Friday
in Texas, a four-hitter in which he did not walk a batter.
The left-hander improved to 3-1 over his last four starts and is 9-9 with a
3.28 earned run average this year. Braden, though, is just 1-1 with a 5.87 ERA
in five games versus the Yankees, two starts.
Braden will find it tough to pick up a win at Yankee Stadium today given that
Sabathia hasn't lost on his home mound in over a year. He is 15-0 with a 2.17
ERA over his 20-game home unbeaten streak that dates back to July 18, 2009 and
is the longest for a New York pitcher since Ron Guidry posted 16 straight
winning decisions at home in 1985-86.
The 30-year-old Sabathia has won his last five starts overall, but was a
little off in his last win at the White Sox on Saturday as he allowed five
runs over seven innings in a 12-9 triumph. The left-hander still became
baseball's first 18-game winner and has a 3.14 ERA on the season.
After losing to Braden back in April, Sabathia struck out 10 batters over 7
2/3 innings of one-run ball to best hosting Oakland on July 6. He improved to
6-8 with a 5.36 ERA in 20 career starts against the A's.
While Braden is starting opposite one of the top pitchers in baseball, he also
has to deal with a red-hot Mark Teixeira, who is 8-for-10 in this series with
two homers and seven RBI. New York's first baseman had three hits and three
RBI in last night's 4-3 victory, helping A.J. Burnett earn his first victory
since July 28.
"It is a good win for me, but my numbers are not important. I'm trying to get
some good momentum in this last month," said Burnett after allowing three runs
over six innings.
New York's fifth straight win -- its longest since a seven-game run from July
3-9 -- maintained a one-game lead over the Rays at the top of the American
League East standings.
Brett Anderson took the loss for Oakland despite allowing a single earned run
and eight hits in six innings. However, it was the lefty's throwing error that
ultimately led to three Yankee runs in the second.
Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a two-run homer in the setback, which dropped Oakland to
4-5 on a 10-game road trip and 9 1/2 games behind AL West-leading Texas.
New York has won six in a row over Oakland and has won 19 of the past 22
meetings between the clubs.
<< LPGA Taiwan to start in 2011
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The LPGA Tour announced Thursday that the
LPGA Taiwan has been scheduled for October 2011 at Sunrise Golf & Country
Club.
The LPGA-sanctioned event will be co-sponsored by the Golf Associati
<< Skidding Indians head out west to battle Mariners
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians will take their four-game losing
streak out west for seven straight games starting with tonight's opener of a
four-game series against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.
The Indians are coming off
<< Twins seek to sweep Tigers out of Minnesota
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The American League Central-leading Minnesota Twins will
continue their homestand tonight and try for a second sweep of the Detroit
Tigers this season in the finale of a three-game series at Target Field.
The Twins have wo
<< Red Sox aim to stay in playoff mix, take series from O's
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox have missed the playoffs only once in
the previous seven years, but are in danger of being left out for the first
time since the 2006 campaign.
The Red Sox are seven games off the wild card lead and eigh
<< Golf Tidbits: Too little, too late for PGA Tour?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A week after Jim Furyk overslept and
missed his pro-am tee time, the PGA Tour suspended its own rule that
disqualifies a player for missing a pro-am.
But has the damage been done? Furyk would probably argu
Phillies make a quick stop at Colorado >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Given how well the Phillies have played out west over the
last week, they certainly won't mind staying there for an extra game. It
doesn't hurt that its a matchup against the Rockies either.
Philadelphia will try
Braves' Hudson aims to shut down Mets in series finale >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Offense has been tough to come by for the Mets in their
current series with the Braves. It should be even tougher tonight with Tim
Hudson, the National League's earned run average leader, set to take the hill.
Huds
USA finishes unbeaten in FIBA preliminary round >>
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eric Gordon scored a game-high 21 points,
leading the United States in a 92-57 rout of Tunisia to finish up an
unblemished record in the preliminary round of the 2010 FIBA World
Champio
Golf Course Review - TPC Jasna Polana >>
Princeton, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS AND STATS: Course Architect: Gary
Player (1998). Year Opened: June, 1998. Location: Princeton, New Jersey.
Slope: 144. Rating: 74.8. Par: 72. Yardage: 7,098.
Hole-by-Hole:
1 - Par 4 396 Yds 10 - P
Temple Owls hope to rule MAC roost >>
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Here's a first: Temple is picked to win the MAC.Gone are the days when it seemed like a winless season for the Owls was a real possibility. Coach Al Golden says fans approach him asking for a bowl game in a warmer climate and coun
NCAA Football Betting
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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