Angels walk past Orioles

Baseball Betting Lines

07/05/2009 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Abreu doubled, walked twice, had two RBI and scored three times, as Los Angeles rallied to overtake the Orioles, 9-6, in the finale of a four-game set at Angel Stadium.

Vladimir Guerrero belted a two-run homer, while Torii Hunter doubled twice and knocked in a run for the Angels, who won three of four in the series and have won nine of their last 12 games overall.

Los Angeles starter Joe Saunders gave up six runs -- five earned -- on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings for a no-decision. Darren Oliver (3-0) was the winning pitcher.

"(The Orioles) cracked the door open a little bit for us on the mound," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "Our guys are showing patience at the plate and it's starting to pay off."

Brian Roberts had a solo homer and hit a two-run double for Baltimore, which has dropped six of eight. Matt Wieters also went deep as part of a 3-for-3 effort at the plate.

Rich Hill made the start for the Orioles and was charged with six runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings, but did not factor in the decision. Matt Albers (1-3) yielded three runs in just two-thirds of an inning to absorb the loss.

After battling back to draw even on two occasions in the game, Los Angeles seized its first, and only, lead with a three-run seventh.

Albers issued a leadoff walk to Abreu, and Hunter, named to the AL All-Star squad as a reserve earlier Sunday, ripped a double over the head of Baltimore's lone All-Star representative, center fielder Adam Jones.

Chris Ray inherited a tough assignment, replacing Albers following an intentional walk to Guerrero that loaded the bases. Ray faced only two batters and walked both of a them, resulting in an 8-6 advantage for the home team.

Mark Hendrickson was summoned from the bullpen and surrendered a sacrifice fly to Kendry Morales.

Oliver and Jason Bulger combined to toss a scoreless eighth, and Brian Fuentes, who will join Hunter at the 80th Mid-Summer Classic in St. Louis on July 14, closed the door in the ninth for his MLB-best 24th save of the season.

"We had leads in the game and we couldn't hold them," said Baltimore manager Dave Trembley. "Our guys gave everything they had. You score six runs in a game, you think you're going to win. It just didn't happen."

Roberts homered to begin the contest, and Baltimore added three more runs in the third, the second straight game the Orioles had jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

Wieters led off with a walk, Robert Andino reached on Howie Kendrick's fielding error and Roberts lined a two-run double to center. Roberts stole third and came around to score on a base hit by Nick Markakis.

Los Angeles immediately pushed three runs across in the bottom of the inning. A double by Abreu plated Aybar and Chone Figgins, then Hunter stroked an RBI double to close the gap to 4-3.

Baltimore added another run in the fourth on Andino's sacrifice fly, but Guerrero crushed a two-run homer in the fifth to tie the game at five.

The clubs traded runs in the sixth, as Wieters belted a solo shot and Aybar pulled a double into right field off Albers to score Kendrick, who had reached on a fielder's choice and swiped second.

Game Notes

Halos catcher Mike Napoli walked three times...Jones had two hits...Baltimore left eight men on base, while the Angels stranded six...Los Angeles has won five of six against the O's this season.

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Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.