Cardinals edge Mets in 13 innings

Baseball Betting Lines

07/29/2010 - Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Albert Pujols drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the top of the 13th inning, as the St. Louis Cardinals snuck past the New York Mets, 8-7, in the second test of a three-game series from Citi Field.

Matt Holliday hit a two-run homer and drove in a total of three runs for the Cardinals, who bounced back from an 8-2 loss in the opener of this series.

Starter Jaime Garcia went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits. He also knocked in two runs and scored once. Mike MacDougal (1-0) tossed a perfect 12th to pick up the win. Ryan Franklin recorded his 19th save of the year.

Angel Pagan and Carlos Beltran homered for the Mets, who are 3-10 in their last 13 contests. Mike Hessman and Ike Davis each had two RBI.

Johan Santana got rocked in 5 2/3 frames, giving up seven runs on a career- high 13 hits. Pedro Feliciano (2-6) allowed one run on one hit in 1 2/3 innings of relief to take the loss.

In the top of the 13th, Feliciano recorded a quick out before hitting Skip Schumaker with a pitch. Felipe Lopez followed with a walk. Runners were on the corners after Jon Jay grounded into a fielder's choice. Pujols then laced the ball into left field to plate Schumaker for an 8-7 edge.

Franklin retired the Mets in order in the home half to secure the victory.

Trailing 7-2, New York got a homer from Beltran in the home sixth to cut the gap to four.

The Mets then tied the contest with a four-run eighth. Mitchell Boggs gave up a leadoff single to Luis Castillo, who scored on Pagan's homer to right- center field. David Wright singled and Hessman was hit by a pitch before Jason Motte was called in from the bullpen. He got Jeff Francoeur to fly out for the second out. Dennys Reyes took over and walked Josh Thole to load the bases. Pinch-hitter Davis tied things with a two-run single to right. Kyle McClellan was called upon to get out of the inning.

Each team stranded men on first and second in the ninth.

The Cardinals exploded for six runs off Santana in the top of the first. Lopez led off with a single and came around to score on Holliday's two-out homer to left. Yadier Molina singled, Colby Rasmus doubled and Brendan Ryan was intentionally walked to load the bases. Garcia then helped his own cause with a two-run single. Schumaker and Lopez followed with consecutive RBI base hits to make it 6-0. Pujols lined out to end Santana's 38-pitch inning.

The Mets responded with two runs in the bottom half. A bunt single and two walks loaded the bases with two outs. Hessman drove in two runs with a double off the wall in left. Henry Blanco popped out to end the frame.

Both starting pitchers settled down after the first inning, as a runner didn't advance past second until the top of the sixth. With two outs, Jay and Pujols hit consecutive singles. Holliday followed with an RBI double down the right-field line, chasing Santana from the contest. Manny Acosta struck out Molina, but not before St. Louis took a 7-2 lead.

Game Notes

The Cardinals won two of three at home over the Mets from April 16-18, but lost four of six at Citi Field a season ago...St. Louis optioned pitcher Fernando Salas to Triple-A Memphis and recalled pitcher MacDougal from Memphis...Holliday extended his hitting streak to 13 games...The Mets were without outfielder Jason Bay (concussion)...The Cardinals had 16 hits, compared to 13 for the Mets.

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Betting Football

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.