Twins snap White Sox's nine-game win streak

Baseball Betting Lines

07/17/2010 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Mauer had two hits, including a big two-run single in the eighth inning, as the Minnesota Twins held on for a 7-4 victory and snapped Chicago's nine-game win streak.

Francisco Liriano (7-7) pitched 7 2/3 effective innings for the Twins, giving up two runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out eight. It was a good rebound start from last Friday, when Liriano gave up seven runs in less than two innings against Detroit.

Mauer ended up providing the game-deciding runs in the eighth. His hit, along with an RBI single by Michael Cuddyer, gave the Twins a 7-2 lead heading to the ninth.

The White Sox rallied for two runs off Minnesota closer Jon Rauch, but Jesse Crain entered to record the final two outs and get his first save since 2006.

J.J. Hardy went 3-for-4 with a double and RBI for the Twins, who lost Thursday in the opener of this four-game series. Cuddyer and Orlando Hudson each added two hits.

"Very exciting baseball game," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. "Liriano was super, [he] was just exactly what we needed."

Gavin Floyd (5-8) took the loss after allowing four runs in five innings. However, only one of those runs was earned as the White Sox committed four errors. Floyd, who had won his last three starts, allowed seven hits, walked three and struck out five.

Gordon Beckham went 2-for-4 with a double and RBI for Chicago, which took its first loss since July 3.

The Twins surged in front in the fourth inning. A fielding error on third baseman Dayan Viciedo allowed Delmon Young to be safe at first, which loaded the bases with one away. Hardy followed with a single to center to get a run in before Nick Punto struck out.

But the inning kept going when Denard Span hit an infield single to second. The hit plated a run, and Beckham's throwing error on the play allowed Young to score. Hudson made it a 4-0 game with an RBI single before Floyd retired Mauer on a fly out to escape the inning.

Juan Pierre's RBI single in the fifth got Chicago on the board, and in the eighth, Paul Konerko plated a run with a two-out double. Liriano was pulled after that at-bat, while Matt Guerrier came in and got the final out.

The Twins then increased their lead in the home half after loading the bases with one out against Tony Pena. Mauer's single to center got two home and chased Pena, who was replaced on the mound by Scott Linebrink. One out later, Cuddyer hit an RBI single to left.

In the top of the ninth, Beckham came to the plate with runners on first and second with one out, and singled to right to get the White Sox within 7-3. Rauch then walked Pierre to load the bases, and issued another walk to Alexei Ramirez to force in a run.

Crain was brought into the tough spot, but retired Alex Rios on a fly ball before fanning Konerko to end the game.

"It's a testament to the way we're playing, our confidence that we're never out of any game," Beckham said of the rally. "Even after the bottom of the eighth we fought pretty hard to stay in it in the ninth. We didn't come through, but it's tough to score that many runs in the ninth inning."

Game Notes

Liriano got his first win since June 11...The save was just the third of Crain's career...Chicago right fielder Carlos Quentin was scratched from the lineup because of a bruised right hand.

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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