Rangers, Blue Jays conclude set in Toronto

Baseball Betting Lines

09/09/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colby Lewis tries to put the breaks on a personal seven- game losing streak this evening when the Texas Rangers conclude a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Lewis hasn't won since July 16 and is 0-7 in his nine starts since with a 5.07 earned run average. His latest setback came on Saturday in Minnesota where he was pounded to the tune of nine runs and eight hits in just 3 2/3 innings. The loss dropped him to 9-12 on the year, while raising his ERA to 3.96.

The 31-year-old righty lost to the Blue Jays back on May 16 and is 1-3 lifetime against them with a 10.80 ERA in five games, four of which have been starts.

Texas got itself back into the win column on Wednesday, as Ian Kinsler and Jeff Francoeur ignited the offense, helping the American League West-leading Rangers snap a series of streaks with an 8-1 win.

Kinsler homered to begin the game and Francoeur went 3-for-4, including an RBI single in the first inning.

Derek Holland (3-3) scattered three hits and equaled a season high with eight strikeouts over five scoreless frames. It was a far cry from his only previous start against Toronto, on August 31, 2009, in which he allowed a career-worst 10 runs.

"I felt really good. I had command of all my pitches," Holland said. "The defense was making plays behind me and the offense was hitting the ball pretty well."

Not only did the Rangers avoid matching a season high with a sixth straight loss, the club halted a seven-game losing streak to the Blue Jays, a seven- game skid in Toronto and recorded its first win on an artificial surface this season. Texas had gone 0-5 at Rogers Centre and was winless in three games at Tropicana Field.

The Rangers remained seven games ahead of second-place Oakland in the division standings.

Marc Rzepczynski (1-4), throwing on three days' rest for the first time in his young career, gave up three runs on seven hits and walked three in five innings for the Blue Jays.

"For the most part, my stuff was good," Rzepczynski said. "I just overthrew a couple pitches."

Tonight Toronto will turn to the returning Shawn Hill, who is coming back from his second Tommy John surgery and is making his first big league start since April 2009.

Signed by the Blue Jays in January, Hill was 6-2 with a 1.61 ERA in 11 minor league starts this season.

Wwworlandosentinel Baseball Betting News

<< Cardinals start series in Atlanta
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When St. Louis and Atlanta last met in April, the Cardinals ran away with a four-game sweep at Busch Stadium. They will attempt to do that again in the first of four consecutive matchups tonight from Turner Field. The Card

<< Rockies go for sweep of Reds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Colorado Rockies look to sweep a four-game set from the Cincinnati Reds when the two teams collide tonight in the series finale from Coors Field. Colorado has won six straight overall and recorded a 9-2 victory

<< NL West supremacy on line in San Diego
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - First place in the National League West will be on the line as the top two teams in the division, San Francisco and San Diego, kick off an important four-game series tonight at Petco Park. The Padres currently lead the div

<< Brady involved in car accident
Foxboro, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was involved in a car accident Thursday morning in Boston. The Patriots confirmed the news on their Twitter feed and added that Brady was not hospitalized and was e

<< Serie A needs Milan to succeed
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In case you haven't noticed, Italian soccer is not exactly flourishing. Yes, the national team won the World Cup four years ago, and Serie A side Inter Milan became the first Italian team to win

Tigers eye series win over White Sox >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers try to play spoiler this afternoon and go for a series win when they wrap up a four-game set against the playoff hopeful Chicago White Sox at Comerica Park. The White Sox won the first seven gam

Dodgers take losing streak into Houston >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers try to avoid a season-high sixth consecutive loss this evening when they open a four-game series against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. The Dodgers' playoff chances took a big hit th

NBA opens office in Moscow >>
Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Basketball Association has opened a new office in Moscow, as announced by deputy commissioner and COO Adam Silver on Thursday. Moscow joins the ever-expanding international umbrella ho

NCAA steps up and cracks down >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The old adage "better late than never" does not always ring true. However, after years of turning a blind eye to the seedy practices at play in college sports, the NCAA has recently gone on a crusade for whic

Dolphins cut C Grove; sign G Procter >>
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins released veteran center Jake Grove three days before the start of the 2010 regular season. Grove, 30, missed time in the preseason due to a shoulder injury and lost his starting spot to Joe

Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.