05/17/2007 - Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Crawford's bases clearing triple in the fifth proved to be the game winner as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays downed the Texas Rangers, 11-8, in the second of a three-game set at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.
Delmon Young went 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored and B.J. Upton drove in a pair of runs for the Devil Rays, who are on a season-high three- game winning streak.
"He's taking pitches and that's why he's hitting," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said of Young. "What you're getting out of him is that he's not expanding his strike zone. Because of that, he's starting to make much better contact."
Casey Fossum (3-3) got the win despite being charged with six runs on nine hits with four strikeouts in five innings of work.
"What I've been working on this year is my sinker, down and away," Fosum said. "I really wanted them to hit to left field, and I think they only hit two to the left. But our offense did a great job. We got a big lead and the bullpen came in and closed the door."
Tampa Bay is in the early stages of a nine-game "homestand" that will be played in the 9,500-seat stadium. The Devil Rays hope their stay in Orlando will expand their fan base into Central Florida.
Mark Teixeira hit a two-run home run and Vicente Padilla (1-6) was banged up for eight runs and 12 hits in four-plus innings of work for the Rangers, who have dropped three straight and five of their last six.
"We know exactly what is going on here," Teixeira said. "If we have a good offensive night, our pitching is off. If we have a good pitching night, our offense is off. We have guys going down like flies. I think we have a very good idea of why we are losing."
Sammy Sosa finished 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and three RBI. The home run was No. 597 in his career and needs just three more to become the fifth player in MLB history to reach the 600 mark.
The Rangers had a 6-4 lead when Tampa Bay batted in the fifth, but the Devil Rays plated six runs in the frame to take a 10-6 advantage.
Ty Wigginton and Carlos Pena started the inning with singles to put runners at the corners and Brendan Harris and Young each followed with an RBI single to tie the game and A.J. Murray took over on the mound for Padilla.
After getting Dioner Navarro to line out, Murray walked Jonny Gomes to load the bases. Upton worked a walk to force home Harris and Crawford cleared the bases with a triple to right center to give Tampa Bay a four-run lead.
The Rangers got a run back in the seventh on a single from Sosa which plated Michael Young to make it a 10-7 game.
The Devil Rays, though, got the run back in the bottom of the seventh as Wigginton smacked an RBI single to score Upton and make it an 11-7 contest.
Texas continued to keep it close as Kevin Mahar hit into a double play that scored Chris Stewart to make it an 11-8 game.
Al Reyes, though, retired the Rangers in order in the ninth to pick up his 12th save of the season.
The Devil Rays got on the scoreboard in the first inning as Elijah Dukes led off the frame with a shot over the left field wall for a 1-0 lead.
Texas, though, took the lead with three runs in the fourth inning. After Teixeira beat out an infield single, Sosa blasted a shot over the right field wall to give the Rangers the lead. After Hank Blalock popped out, Victor Diaz nailed a shot over the right-center wall for a 3-1 advantage.
Tampa Bay, however, answered with three runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. With runners on second and third and no outs, Delmon Young punched a single to center that scored Pena and Harris. Two batters later, Gomes punched a single to left and, after Dukes walked to load the bases, Upton grounded into a fielder's choice to score Young.
The Rangers had another three-run inning in the fifth to assume a 6-4 advantage. With Jerry Hairston, Jr. at third, Young punched a single to right to score Hairston. Teixeira followed with a bomb over the right-center wall to give Texas the lead.
Game Notes
Before the game, the Rangers placed outfielder Brad Wilkerson on the 15-day disabled list with a pulled right hamstring. Also, Texas purchased the contract of Mahar from Triple-A Oklahoma and transferred pitcher John Rheinecker to the 60-day disabled list...Tampa Bay outfielder Rocco Baldelli will have an MRI on his left hamstring on Thursday...Texas second baseman Jerry Hairston Jr. left the game in the fifth inning with an undisclosed injury...Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays are the other players to reach at least 600 home runs in their career.
<< Hawpe, Rockies storm past Diamondbacks
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Hawpe homered twice and drove in four
runs to pace Colorado past Arizona, 5-3, in the second of three between the
clubs at Coors Field
Willy Taveras was 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Rockies,
<< Nets stay alive despite six points in final quarter
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Kidd scored 20 points, grabbed nine
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fourth-quarter points, staved off elimination and defeated the Cleveland
Cavalie
<< Sabathia, Indians rout Twins
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - C.C. Sabathia threw eight strong innings,
retiring the final 12 batters he faced, and Trot Nixon drove in three runs to
pace Cleveland to a 7-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins in the middle contest
of a th
<< Sutton records TFC's 1st shutout as club wins 2nd-straight
Toronto, Ontario (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After starting the season 0-4 while being
badly outplayed, first-year franchise Toronto FC has rebounded in a big way in
its last two contests.
The team picked up its first win of the season on Saturday a
A true walk-off win for Padres >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Kouzmanoff drew a bases-loaded walk
in the bottom of the ninth inning to send San Diego to a 3-2 win over
Cincinnati in the final contest of three at Petco Park.
With Bronson Arroyo still
Sosa, Easley lead Mets past Cubs >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jorge Sosa allowed one hit over seven-plus
innings and Damion Easley belted a two-run homer to power the New York Mets to
an 8-1 win over the Cubs in the third contest of a four-game series.
The start of
Royals rally past A's >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Shealy drove in the deciding run in the
ninth, as the Kansas City Royals rallied for two runs in their final at-bat to
edge the Oakland Athletics, 4-3, in the third matchup of a four-game series at
McAfee
Lackey, Angels blank Mariners >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Lackey tossed four-hit ball over six
innings and combined with a pair of relievers to lead the LA Angels of Anaheim
to a shutout of the Seattle Mariners, 5-0, in the middle game of a three-game
series
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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