USA dominates Chinese Taipei at World Junior Baseball Championship
Baseball Betting Lines
07/27/2010 - Thunder Bay, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For a team expecting to play right through the end of the tournament, the United States is doing a good job of preserving energy.
Phillip Pfeifer (1-0) dominated a hot-hitting Chinese Taipei squad over seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball as Team USA cruised to a 10-0 victory on Monday night at the World Junior Baseball Championship in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
It was the second straight game the U.S. has won by mercy, after blanking the Italians 10-0 in an abbreviated seven innings in accordance with International Baseball Federation rules.
After opening the tournament with a 4-2 win over Australia, the United States (3-0) appears to be hitting its stride which doesn't bode well for the other 11 countries participating in the 18-and-under event featuring some of the best young baseball talent in the world.
"No matter what team, we're going to want to win and win bad, and they're going to want to beat us," said the 18-year-old Pfeifer.
The 6'0" lefty, who went 16-0 this year en route to a third straight high school state championship with Farragut, was unhittable against a Chinese Taipei team that entered the game with a tournament-best .418 average.
"Our pitching guy told us to throw inside and once they adjusted to that, we started moving off the plate and using more off-speed to throw them off balance," said the phenom from Knoxville, Tenn.
"But when they hit me hard, my guys were there to make plays, that's what it came down to."
The truth is, he wasn't hit hard at all.
Pfeifer was perfect through four innings, utilizing a deceptive changeup and devastating curveball to freeze hitters before finishing with eight strikeouts in front of a near-sellout crowd featuring several major league scouts.
His team scored seven runs in the third inning off Chinese Taipei pitcher Chung Weng (0-1), who proved to be no match for a U.S. junior team loaded with players destined for the big leagues.
"We faced a good pitcher that left some balls up and we were able to take advantage of that," said U.S. hitting coach and former major leaguer Brian McRae.
"I think what we were able to do offensively helped [Pfeifer] because he was able to challenge the hitters and go right at them."
Weng lasted just 2 1-3 innings, giving up six hits and five runs with one strikeout, a walk and a hit batter.
After second baseman and Cleveland Indians' third round draft pick Tony Wolters doubled down the line to score catcher Elvin Soto, Francisco Lindor connected on the Americans' first home run of the tournament, hitting a rocket off the pole in left to give his team a 3-0 lead they never looked back on.
Another five straight hits, including a pair of two-run doubles from Brian Ragira (Texas Rangers, 30th round) and Christian Lopes, and the U.S. found themselves out in front 7-0 after three before handing Chinese Taipei its first loss of the tournament.
Several Americans had multi-hit games, including first baseman Blake Swihart (2-for-3 with two RBI and a homer) and Lindor, who also went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs and a stolen base.
Lindor is now 5-for-10 for the tournament, leading the team with five runs, four RBI and nine total bases.
"It felt pretty good to jump out on the pitcher," said the talented shortstop. "In the first game we didn't hit like we usually do but that's part of baseball, not every game we're going to get a lot of hits.
"I wasn't really looking for it [the home run]. In my mind I was thinking hit a line drive to the opposite side. Hopefully we keep hitting throughout the tournament like we're hitting now."
McRae said he thought his hitters were pressing a little in their first game with the Aussies but now that they're finding their groove, he thinks the sky is the limit for a junior national team that hasn't won a world title since 1999.
"I liked the fact they made adjustments and they were able to go gap to gap and stay within themselves and not try and do too much," he said. "Offensively, we know that if we can score some runs early that eases the pressure on our pitching staff.
"Our pitching is pretty damn good."
The U.S. continues its run towards the medal round on Tuesday afternoon when they take on Venezuela in Pool A action.
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Football Betting
NFL Football Betting OnlineThe 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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Football Betting Lines
The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.
Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.
Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.
A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.
Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.
Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.
And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.
2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win
Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1
Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1
Donald Brown (IND) 5/1
Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1
Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1
Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1
Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1
Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1
Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1
Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1
Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1
Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1
Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1
Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1
Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1
Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1
Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1
LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1
Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2
Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1
Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1
Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1
Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1
Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1
Jason Smith (STL) 40/1
Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1
Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1
Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1
Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2
Pat White (MIA) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 9/1
To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.
For sports betting with credit cards site go to BettingExpress.com as well.