Hoffpauir's first career hit, Pujols' slam lifts Cards over Reds

Baseball Betting Lines

07/03/2009 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jarrett Hoffpauir came through in a big way in his major league debut, hitting the go-ahead two-run single in the ninth inning, lifting St. Louis to a 7-4 win over Cincinnati, in the opener of a three-game series.

Albert Pujols continued his incredible season, belting his club record fourth grand slam of the season in the eighth inning and knocking in five runs over the final two frames, as the Cardinals began a 10-game road trip with their third straight win. Fresh off being named NL Player of the Month, Pujols upped his major league-leading totals to 31 homers and 82 RBI.

Jerry Hairston Jr. had three hits and an RBI for the Reds, who had won four of five coming into the weekend.

Reds starter Homer Bailey had a spectacular outing, yielding three hits and two runs over 7 1/3 innings, while St. Louis' Joel Pineiro allowed eight hits and three runs -- two earned -- in seven frames.

Nick Masset was on the mound for the top of the ninth, but left after taking a ball of his arm. Danny Herrera (1-4) then relieved Masset and retired Joe Thurston on a pop-up, but Colby Rasmus and Brendan Ryan singled and Skip Schumaker was safe on an error by shortstop Paul Janish, a ball that he couldn't handle on a short hop.

Then, in his first official big league at-bat, Hoffpauir smacked a soft liner to left field. Hoffpauir, a sixth-round draft pick by the Cardinals in 2004, was called up Wednesday from Triple-A Memphis and became the 15th rookie to appear with St. Louis this year.

Pujols then greeted reliever Carlos Fisher with an RBI double down the left- field line.

It was a tenuous bottom of the ninth, but Ryan Franklin was able to pick up his 20th save of the year. Edwin Encarnacion doubled with one out, and Willy Taveras walked with two down, putting runners at the corners. Joey Votto walked before Brandon Phillips struck out to end the game.

The win also moved the Cardinals into sole possession of first place in the National League Central Division, one game ahead of Milwaukee.

Chris Dickerson doubled leading off the bottom of the first. Taveras bunted for a hit and Dickerson scored on a throwing error from third baseman Thurston.

After Schumaker singled and Chris Duncan walked to start the game, Bailey retired 13 consecutive hitters hitting pegging Thurston with a pitch in the fifth.

There was also a scare for Hairston, who slid into a slab of cement at the bottom of the padded fence trying to chase a foul ball near the dugout in the third inning. Hairston then robbed Pujols of a hit with a diving grab in the fourth.

Cincinnati expanded the margin to 3-0 in the sixth. Phillips doubled in Taveras and scored on a Hairston base hit to center.

The Cardinals finally pushed ahead in the eighth after getting Bailey out of the game. Rasmus led off with a single and Schumaker walked with one out. Arthur Rhodes came in from the bullpen and threw four consecutive balls to pinch-hitter Hoffpauir.

David Weathers came in to face Pujols, who creamed a 2-2 pitch over the wall on a line drive to left-center field. The hit came just after a foul ball went out of the reach of Votto.

It was the 350th homer of his career and 10th career grand slam. He's also now 10-for-19 with three homers and nine RBI lifetime against Weathers.

Before this game, the Reds bullpen hadn't allowed a run since last Friday and a homer since June 20, a stretch of 31 2/3 innings.

Votto and Phillips singled off Josh Kinney to start the bottom of the eighth. Dennys Reyes entered to face Jay Bruce, who put down his first career sacrifice bunt, and Ramon Hernandez tied the game with a sacrifice fly to center off reliever Jason Motte (3-2). Phillips made it to third on the play, but was left stranded when Hairston struck out.

Game Notes

Encarnacion was activated from the 60-day disabled list. He had been on the DL since late April due to a chip fracture in his left wrist. The Reds opened a roster spot for Encarnacion by placing infielder Danny Richar on the 15-day DL with a torn labrum in his left shoulder...This was Bailey's longest outing of his career...It was Pineiro's first no-decision of the season.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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