Santana, Garcia duel again in Mets-Cards clash

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07/28/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jamie Garcia faced New York Mets ace Johan Santana, the rookie was able to match the two- time Cy Young Award winner pitch-for-pitch.

He may find that to be more difficult tonight.

Garcia and Santana face off for the first time since St. Louis and New York engaged in a 20-inning marathon back in April when the two teams continue a three-game set tonight at Citi Field.

Santana threw seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball versus the Cardinals on April 17, walking just one batter while striking out nine. Garcia, in just his third career start and first against the Mets, was even better. The 24-year- old yielded just one hit and two walks over seven shutout innings.

Neither starter got a decision, though, as the Mets eventually won a 2-1 contest in 20 innings.

Garcia hasn't slowed down since that outing, going 9-4 with a 2.21 earned run average this season. The southpaw is 2-0 with a 1.99 ERA over his last four starts, giving up just a run on four hits and two walks while striking out six over seven innings of a victory over the Phillies last Wednesday.

Santana's outing versus the Cardinals, whom he is 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA against lifetime, was part of a first half that saw him carry a 5-5 record and 3.55 ERA into July. However, the 31-year-old lefty is 3-0 with a 0.71 ERA in five starts this month, lowering his season ERA to 2.79.

His latest win came on Friday versus the Dodgers, with Santana giving up just a run on five hits over seven innings of work.

The Mets will turn to their ace tonight in the hopes of notching a second straight victory. New York returned home on Tuesday after a disastrous 2-9 road trip, but was able to hammer the Cardinals and Adam Wainwright for an 8-2 triumph.

Jeff Francoeur and Jose Reyes both homered as New York matched its run total from its previous four games combined. Carlos Beltran added two hits, an RBI and a run scored, while Jon Niese allowed a run over six-plus innings to get the victory.

The Mets won despite being without Jason Bay, who is sidelined due to concussion-like symptoms after crashing into the outfield wall in Friday's game with the Dodgers. Manager Jerry Manuel was also absent from Tuesday's opener as he served a one-game suspension for his actions on Friday in Los Angeles.

Entering the game with a 25-inning scoreless streak, Wainwright was tagged for a season-high six runs on six hits and three walks over five innings.

"Tonight was fun against a guy like Wainwright," Francoeur said afterward. "Facing him is not exactly the best way to get started after our road trip, but for us it was nice."

Ryan Ludwick drove in a run in the first inning and later scored for the Cardinals, who have lost four of five following an eight-game winning streak and fell into a virtual tie with Cincinnati for first place in the National League Central.

The Cardinals won two of three at home over the Mets from April 16-18, but lost four of six at Citi Field a season ago.

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Super Bowl XLIII Betting - Super Bowl 2009

Super Bowl 2009, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Let’s take a look at the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds and the betting line and figure out where they’ve been and where they are going to go.

MySportsbook.com put up the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds late on Sunday night with the Pittsburgh Steelers favored by 6.5 points and a total betting line at 47.5 points.

Since then, however, the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds have seen a good deal of movement and you’ll want to be on top of where they are likely to move to make sure you get the best line value for the big game.

Since opening, the Super Bowl 2009 betting lines went to Steelers -7 in the span of roughly 3 hours but were quickly bought back down just minutes later to 6.5 again.

After that is took about 5-6 more hours before the betting line went back to -7 where it has sat for a while now and is likely to remain. The opening betting total of 47.5 was bet down right after the line became available and went to 47 within minutes.

Roughly a day later it has been bet even further down to the 46.5 tally it currently is set at.

Roughly 60% of gamblers seem to be on the Cardinals here so the point spread will be bet down and a 7.5 would not last very long at all with many taking the early 6.5 in hopes of finding a potential middle in the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds.

If you like Arizona and see a 7.5, I’d take it as soon as possible because it’s unlikely to last. For Pittsburgh backers, the -7 might be the best you’ll be able to find but a 6.5 is definitely possible close to game time.

Regarding the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds for the total, most tracked gamblers are already on the over and with those who took the under 47.5 already securing a middle on the over 46.5, the only way I see it moving is back up to 47 so if you like the over, I’d recommend betting now.

Get free Super Bowl XLIII Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting with credit cards

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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