Gerut, Padres rally to complete sweep of Diamondbacks
Baseball Betting Lines
08/27/2008 -
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jody Gerut had three hits, including the
game-winning RBI single in the eighth, as San Diego defeated Arizona, 5-4, to
complete a three-game sweep of the NL West-leading Diamondbacks.
Nick Hundley hit a two-run homer while Edgar Gonzalez and Chase Headley had
RBI singles as part of San Diego's five-run comeback. Mike Adams (2-3) got the
win with a scoreless eighth frame. Padres starter Cha Seung Baek lasted 5 2/3
innings in the no-decision after giving up two runs on six hits and one walk
with three strikeouts to remain winless over his last four starts.
San Diego, playing the role of spoiler, swept the D'Backs with wins against
Dan Haren and NL Cy Young Award candidate Brandon Webb before besting future
Hall-of-Famer Randy Johnson. The Padres entered the series on a seven-game
skid and hold the National League's second-worst mark at 51-82.
"At this point, we're probably just going to be spoilers here. We're going to
make other teams sweat a little," Gerut said of San Diego's sweep. "The last
thing we want to do is have people come in and think we're pushovers. I think
this series is a good message that we're going to continue to fight."
Despite the sweep, Arizona continues to hold a three-game advantage in the NL
West by virtue of the LA Dodgers' current, season-long six-game skid. The
Dodgers continued their slide with a 5-4 setback to Washington Wednesday.
Johnson received his second straight no-decision after winning six of eight
starts and remains six wins shy of becoming the 24th pitcher to reach 300
wins. The veteran lefty allowed three runs on five hits and one walk while
fanning nine in seven innings. He also contributed at the plate, going 2-for-3
with an RBI single.
Miguel Montero, Chris Young, and Mark Reynolds also knocked in a run each as
part of a four-run sixth. The D'Backs, who have lost four straight and five of
their last six, have had the bullpen register losses in three of those games.
Chad Qualls (2-8) came on for Johnson in the eighth and was greeted by a
single from Brian Giles, who moved to second on a sacrifice. Headley tied the
game with an RBI single to right two batters later, stole second and scored
the go-ahead run on a single to right from Gerut.
Trevor Hoffman entered in the ninth to earn his 27th save of the season by
striking out the side.
In the visitors' sixth, Chad Tracy singled with one out, moved to third on a
single to left from Adam Dunn and scored on a Reynolds sacrifice fly. Baek
exited in favor of Clay Hensley, who immediately gave up an RBI triple to
Montero and an RBI double to Young. Johnson completed the scoring by lacing a
run-scoring single to left.
The Pads made it a game with a three-run seventh. Gerut tripled to right-
center with one away and scored on a Gonzalez infield single. Hundley followed
with a two-run shot to left to make it a one-run game.
"The pitch to Hundley, it kind of came out of nowhere the way he was
pitching," Arizona skipper Bob Melvin said of Johnson's performance. "He was
cruising pretty well and all of a sudden it's a 4-3 ballgame and a completely
different game after that."
Game Notes
Arizona swept a three-game series from the Padres last week and finished off
the season series with a 10-8 edge, with four of those victories coming in San
Diego...The Padres will play host to the Rockies for a three-game weekend set
following an off-day Thursday while Arizona returns home for a decisive three-
game series with the Dodgers following Thursday's off-day...The Padres
optioned pitcher Josh Banks to Triple-A Portland and activated pitcher Bryan
Corey from the 15- day disabled list and sent him to Portland prior to the
game.
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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
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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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Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
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.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
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