07/04/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamie Moyer pitched into the seventh inning and the Philadelphia bullpen did the rest, helping the Phillies upend the Mets 4-1 in the second of a three-game series between the NL East rivals.
Moyer (7-6), in his 600th career start, picked up win No. 253, tying him with Carl Hubbell for 10th all-time among left-handers. The veteran gave up a run on five hits and a walk in 6 1/3 innings of work.
Jimmy Rollins had a two-run double and Shane Victorino went 3-for-5 with an RBI for the Phillies, who have taken the first two games of this set on the heels of a three-game losing streak.
Fernando Nieve (3-2) lasted 5 2/3 frames for New York, giving up four runs -- three earned -- on six hits and six walks. The starter also had the Mets' only RBI in the club's seventh loss in nine games. Alex Cora recorded half of the team's six hits.
The Phillies loaded the bases with one out in the first frame and opened the game's scoring on Jayson Werth's sacrifice fly.
The hosts left the bags filled in the third but got two runs across an inning later when Rollins doubled down the right-field line to bring home Pedro Feliz and Paul Bako, who singled and walked, respectively.
Nick Evans started a rally for New York with a two-out single in the fifth. Omir Santos followed with a base hit and Nieve singled to left, plating the Mets' first tally. Chase Utley made a back-handed stop on a ball hit up the middle by Luis Castillo to end the inning with Philadelphia still ahead, 3-1.
The Mets handed the run back in the sixth. Bako worked a one-out walk after David Wright couldn't come down with his foul ball down the third-base side. Nieve was pulled after walking Rollins with two away, and Pat Misch appeared to get out of the inning unscathed by getting Victorino to pop up behind the plate.
But Santos dropped the sure out, and Victorino made the Mets pay by later singling up the middle, with Bako crossing the plate after Ryan Church's throw home was well off the mark.
Moyer and three Phillies relievers combined to maintain the three-run lead through the seventh and eighth frames, and Brad Lidge worked a perfect ninth for his 15th save of the season.
Game Notes
Despite the win, the Phillies are a disastrous 15-22 on the year at Citizens Bank Park...Moyer has won three straight starts...The Phillies lead the season series 5-4 after losing 11 of the 18 meetings a year ago...The Mets' three through six hitters combined to go hitless in 16 at-bats...Feliz had three hits for the Phillies, who left 10 on base.
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Marlins get by Pirates >>
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Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-4 with a two-run
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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