Mets sink Pirates in rain-shortened affair

Baseball Betting Lines

08/21/2010 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Wright hit a three-run homer to back five strong innings by Jon Niese, as the Mets beat the Pirates, 5-1, in a rain-shortened contest from PNC Park.

Niese (8-5) gave up one run on five hits and a walk, and struck out five to take the win in the middle contest of this three-game series. The game was initially delayed in the top of the sixth before being called final.

New York beat Pittsburgh on Friday, and Saturday's win gives the Mets their first road series victory against a National League team this season.

James McDonald (2-3) allowed five runs on six hits and five walks in five innings to take the loss for the Pirates, who have dropped five in a row and 12 of 13.

Andrew McCutchen doubled twice and scored Pittsburgh's lone run.

Jose Reyes began the game with a double and moved to third on Angel Pagan's bunt single. Two batters later, Chris Carter struck out, but catcher Chris Snyder needed to throw to first to make the out. Reyes raced home on the play and was called safe on a play at the plate to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

The Pirates evened the game in the third, when McCutchen hit a leadoff double, advanced to third on a bunt and scored on Neil Walker's base hit to left.

A sacrifice fly from Ruben Tejada in the fourth put the Mets back in front, and they took control in the fifth, when Wright's three-run shot to left- center made it a 5-1 contest.

Niese got through the bottom half, and Daniel McCutchen took the mound for Pittsburgh in the sixth. Reyes led off with a single before the tarp was brought on the field.

Game Notes

The Mets' last road series win against an NL team was last season, when they took two of three from the Marlins from September 25-27...McCutchen's two doubles gave him 50 for his career.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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