Punto, Twins edge Tigers

Baseball Betting Lines

07/04/2009 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Punto's RBI single in the eighth inning helped the Minnesota Twins take a 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers in the second of a three-game set at the Metrodome.

Justin Morneau went 4-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI, and Michael Cuddyer added a solo shot for the Twins, who have won three of their last four.

Francisco Liriano had a solid start as he gave up three runs and five hits with two walks and eight strikeouts over seven innings of work. Matt Guerrier (4-0) got the win for throwing a perfect eighth inning.

Magglio Ordonez clubbed a three-run homer to provide the offense for the Tigers, who have dropped five of their last eight.

Edwin Jackson threw 6 1/3 innings and was charged with three runs and six hits with four walks and nine strikeouts. Brandon Lyon (3-4) suffered the loss after working 1 1/3 innings.

"It was just one of those days where things didn't go our way," said Jackson. "I didn't have my best stuff. I'm a competitor and always compete, but this was just one of those days where it didn't work out."

With the score tied at 3-3 in the eighth inning, Minnesota grabbed the lead. Brian Buscher led off with a single and moved to second on a groundout from Jose Morales. Matt Tolbert then came in to pinch-run for Buscher and Punto singled to left, allowing Tolbert to score for a 4-3 lead.

"I saw the ball off the bat and knew I would have a chance to score," said Tolbert. "Once I took off if he would have caught it I would have been doubled off, but I knew it had enough on it to get into the outfield."

Joe Nathan came on in the ninth and shut things down with a 1-2-3 inning to pick up his 22nd save of the season.

The Twins grabbed the lead in the fourth when Cuddyer led off the frame with his 13th home run of the season, a shot over the left field wall.

Morneau's solo homer with two outs in the fifth extended the Twins' lead to 2-0.

Liriano, meanwhile, stymied the Detroit hitters through the first six innings.

After walking Dusty Ryan with two outs in the second, Liriano retired the next 13 batters he faced.

However, Detroit finally figured out Liriano in the seventh and took the lead. Marcus Thames led off with a single and Ryan Raburn followed with a single. After Brandon Inge struck out, Ordonez launched a pitch over the wall in left-center for a 3-2 lead.

Minnesota, though, evened the score in the bottom of the inning. Denard Span led off with a walk, but then Brendan Harris struck out.

Bobby Seay then took over on the mound, but gave up back-to-back singles to Joe Mauer and Morneau, with Morneau's single plating Span.

Game Notes

Minnesota has won five of the seven matchups with Detroit this season...The Twins left 10 men on base...Morneau has 20 home runs on the season...Attendance was 27,238.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


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

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.