Espinosa powers Nationals to win over Mets

Baseball Betting Lines

09/06/2010 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danny Espinosa had the best game of his very young career as he hit a grand slam and a solo home run to lead the Washington Nationals to a 13-3 rout of the New York Mets in the opener of a three-game set.

Espinosa, playing just the fifth game of his career after joining the team on September 1, went 4-for-5 with six RBI for the Nationals, who have won three straight. Ivan Rodriguez drove in three runs, while Roger Bernadina scored three times in the win.

Jordan Zimmermann went just four innings in the start and was charged with three runs -- one earned -- on three hits with four walks and two strikeouts. Scott Olsen (4-8) worked four innings of hitless ball to pick up the win.

Josh Thole drove in two runs for the Mets, who have lost six of their last eight. Mike Pelfrey (13-9) was tagged for six runs on five hits with three walks over 3 2/3 innings.

The Mets got on the board in the first inning with a pair of runs. Angel Pagan led off with a single and promptly stole second. Two batters later, Chris Carter beat out an infield single and David Wright followed with a sacrifice fly to score Pagan. After a pair of walks loaded the bases, Thole worked a free pass to score Carter for a 2-0 lead.

The Mets added a run in the third inning on an RBI single from Thole that plated Carter for a 3-0 lead.

Washington got one back in the third when Espinosa led off the frame with a shot over the left field wall.

In the fourth, the Nationals surged ahead with a five-run frame. After consecutive one-out walks, Rodriguez doubled to chase home both runners. Mike Morse then singled to give Washington the lead. Later in the inning, Nyjer Morgan singled to bring home Morse and a walk with the bases loaded by Kevin Mench gave the team a 6-3 lead.

Washington tacked on another run in the fifth as Espinosa's single to center plated Bernadina for a 7-3 advantage.

The Nationals added another five runs in the sixth inning on a sacrifice fly from Rodriguez and a grand slam off the bat of Espinosa for a 12-3 lead.

Ryan Zimmerman's RBI single in the seventh made it a 13-3 contest.

Game Notes

Washington has taken eight of the 13 games against New York this season...Before the game, the Mets brought up pitchers Dillon Gee, Sean Green and Raul Valdes and outfielder Jesus Feliciano from Triple-A Buffalo. Gee will start Tuesday's game as Johan Santana was scratched from his scheduled start with a strained pectoral muscle...Washington right fielder Willie Harris left the game after crashing into the outfield wall in the third inning on a Carter double. Harris was replaced by Morse...Pelfrey has dropped his past two starts.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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