Bailey, Reds shut out Pirates again for sweep

Baseball Betting Lines

05/12/2010 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Homer Bailey pitched his first career shutout, allowing only four hits, as the Cincinnati Reds completed a three- game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 5-0 win at PNC Park.

Joey Votto hit a two-run homer and Drew Stubbs went 2-for-4 with a solo shot for the Reds, who earned their first sweep of the Pirates since September 22-24 of last year in Pittsburgh. Bailey (1-2) added six strikeouts to his ledger without walking a batter. He came into the contest with a 7.24 earned- run average in six previous starts this season.

Bailey, who threw just 90 pitches, is the second straight Cincinnati starter to throw a shutout, as Johnny Cueto threw a one-hitter in a 9-0 win over the Pirates on Tuesday night. It was the first time Reds starters tossed back-to back shutouts since Jose Rijo and Tom Browning did so on June 9-10, 1989, against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Garrett Jones had a pair of hits, while Steve Pearce and Lastings Milledge each singled for Pittsburgh's only offense. The Pirates have dropped four in a row. Zach Duke (2-4) was roughed up for nine hits and five runs with two strikeouts and one walk in five innings of work.

Cincinnati posted runs in each of the first two innings to grab the early lead. Brandon Phillips doubled with one out in the first and crossed the plate when Votto followed with a two-run homer. Ryan Hanigan's RBI double and a bloop run-scoring single by Orlando Cabrera in the second made it a 4-0 game.

Stubbs cracked a solo homer to straightaway center in the fourth to give the Reds a five-run cushion.

Bailey retired seven straight batters before surrendering a single to Milledge leading off the eighth. However, the right-hander got Andy LaRoche to bounce into a force out and Jason Jaramillo to hit into a nicely-turned 4-6-3 double play.

The Reds went quietly in the top of the ninth, then in the bottom half, Bailey retired the Pirates in quick order to complete the gem.

Game Notes

The Pirates, who swept a three-game set from Cincinnati from April 16-18, finished 4-5 on their nine-game homestand...Bailey improved to 5-0 in five career starts against Pittsburgh...Duke dropped to 3-7 in 12 lifetime starts versus the Reds, who have won five straight overall.

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NFL Football Sports Betting

Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.

New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.

His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.

HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.

The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.

RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.

First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.

The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.

These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.

New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.

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El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

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