Berkman's timely hit lifts Astros over White Sox

Baseball Betting Lines

06/09/2007 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lance Berkman had three-hits, including an RBI single in the top of the ninth to lift the Houston Astros over the Chicago White Sox, 3-2, in the second of a three-game interleague series at U.S. Cellular Field.

Adam Everett opened the ninth with a single off Bobby Jenks (2-2). Orlando Palmeiro lined out, but Mark Loretta punched a base hit to right field before Berkman's single to center scored Everett and broke a 2-2 tie.

The three-hit performance was a highlight in an otherwise tumultuous week for Berkman, who is appealing a suspension by Major League Baseball for his outburst following an ejection on Tuesday against Colorado. He was ejected again Friday night in the top of the fourth inning after arguing a called third strike.

Chad Qualls (5-3), who got the final out of the eighth, also came back for the ninth, striking out Rob Mackowiak with a runner on third to end the game.

Eric Munson homered for the Astros, who have won two straight. Houston starter Jason Jennings, bidding for his first win with the team, took a 2-0 lead into the eighth inning before Chicago eventually tied the game. Jennings departed with an official line of one run on six hits, with a walk and six strikeouts over seven-plus innings.

Jon Garland gave up a run and eight hits in seven innings for the White Sox, who have dropped five straight and 11 of their last 13 games overall. Jim Thome added a two-run double.

Munson's leadoff homer in the top of the third gave the Astros a 1-0 lead.

The White Sox, meanwhile, had at least a runner on in every inning through the fourth, before back-to-back, one-out singles by Luis Terrero and Josh Fields in the fifth. Mackowiak and Tadahito Iguchi both flied out to end the inning, however, as the Sox continued to struggle with runners in scoring position.

Houston tacked on a run in the eighth, loading the bases against reliever Bret Prinz. Loretta drew a leadoff walk, Berkman doubled, and Prinz intentionally walked Carlos Lee before he was replaced by Boone Logan. Luke Scott grounded into a force out, with Iguchi cutting down the lead runner at the plate, but Mike Lamb's sacrifice fly plated Berkman for a 2-0 edge.

Chicago then managed to scrape two together in the eighth. Fields started things with a leadoff single, chasing Jennings, and Mackowiak was hit by a pitch from reliever Trever Miller. Iguchi's sacrifice bunt moved the runners, and Thome followed with a two-run double to make it a 2-2 game.

Game Notes

White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski was suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball for his inappropriate actions during the bottom of the eighth inning of Thursday's game against the New York Yankees. Pierzynski appealed, and the suspension will be held in abeyance until the process is complete....Houston improved to 81-73 all-time in interleague play, while the White Sox fell to 101-79 versus the NL.

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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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