Mariners rally in eighth inning to shock Tigers

Baseball Betting Lines

05/26/2010 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Wilson capped a four-run rally in the eighth inning with a two-run single for the Mariners, who stormed back to capture a 5-4 victory over the Detroit Tigers, sweeping a two-game set at Safeco Field.

Mike Sweeney, Seattle's hottest hitter, began the comeback with a two-run homer in the eighth, finishing the game with a pair of hits in four at-bats. Sweeney, who has failed to play more than 74 games in any of the previous four seasons, has raised his average from .172 to .309 while adding six homers and 14 RBI since May 8 (11 games).

Michael Saunders also drove in a run for Seattle, which has had nine of its last 13 games decided by one run (5-8). Jason Vargas had a streak of seven consecutive quality starts snapped after allowing two runs in only five frames, but Brandon League (4-4) threw 2 1/3 scoreless frames -- allowing only an inherited runner to score -- to earn the victory.

David Aardsma earned his 11th save with a perfect ninth.

Jeremy Bonderman had another excellent start go to waste for the Tigers, yielding just an unearned run on five hits and two walks while fanning six in seven frames. Bonderman has been excellent in May and in five games -- four starts -- has allowed just four earned runs in 27 innings pitched.

Magglio Ordonez hit a two-run homer among three hits, while Austin Jackson went 2-for-5 with an RBI for the Tigers, who have lost four of five. Ryan Perry (1-3) was saddled with the loss after giving up four runs while recording just one out.

Trailing by three entering the eighth, Seattle rallied for four runs off the Detroit bullpen to surge in front.

Perry came in to pitch after Bonderman's strong start and allowed a leadoff single to Franklin Gutierrez. Two batters later, Sweeney hammered the ball over the left-field fence to cut the Mariners' deficit to 4-3.

Jose Lopez kept the rally going with a single, and Rob Johnson sent a double off the left-field wall to move Lopez to third. Wilson put Seattle ahead with a single into shallow left-center, plating both runners for a 5-4 game.

Aardsma came on to finish the game in the ninth and retired Detroit in order to polish off the win.

The Mariners took advantage of an error to grab the lead in the second inning.

Josh Bard hit a swinging bunt that went to the right of the pitcher's mound with one out. Bonderman had trouble grabbing it and fired wildly toward first, and the ball sailed to the wall in foul territory in right field. Bard advanced to second but came up lame and was replaced by Johnson.

Wilson followed with a single to left to advance Johnson to third, and Saunders blooped an RBI base hit to shallow left for a 1-0 lead.

Detroit answered quickly, however. In the third, Johnny Damon worked a one-out walk, and Ordonez crushed a 1-1 pitch over the wall in left for a 2-1 Tigers advantage.

The Tigers increased their lead in the sixth thanks to a Seattle error. Ryan Rowland-Smith began the inning and retired the first two batters, but Danny Worth reached base on an error by the third baseman Lopez. Adam Everett followed with a double down the left field line, allowing Worth to score for a 3-1 contest.

League came in for the M's and yielded an RBI single to Jackson for a three- run game.

Game Notes

Seattle leads the season series, 4-1...Bonderman has also been solid in day games, going 2-0 in five games -- four starts -- while allowing just three earned runs in 25 innings pitched...Sweeney now has 899 career RBI...Seattle is 15-7 when scoring four runs or more...Detroit was without first baseman Miguel Cabrera for the second straight game to be with his wife, who is having a child...Seattle has hit 18 home runs in the last 16 games after hitting only 10 in its first 30 contests.

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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