Cubs hold on to edge Braves

Baseball Betting Lines

08/21/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Gorzelanny turned in seven strong innings and Aramis Ramirez finished 3-for-4 with two RBI, as Chicago escaped with a 5-4 victory over Atlanta in the middle contest of a three-game set from Wrigley Field.

Gorzelanny (7-7) scattered seven hits and one run, fanning nine with two walks to get the win for Chicago, which snapped an eight-game home losing streak. The north siders hadn't won in the Friendly Confines since August 4 against Milwaukee.

Tyler Colvin also drove in two runs for the Cubs, who snapped a five-game losing skid but nearly wasted a 5-0 lead in the effort. Carlos Marmol, who blew a one-run ninth-inning lead in a 5-3 loss on Friday, recovered to post a scoreless final frame for his 22nd save.

Brooks Conrad had a pinch-hit three-run double for the Braves, who had won five of six coming in.

Tommy Hanson (8-9) yielded seven hits and five runs -- four earned -- over five full frames in defeat.

Atlanta's lead shrunk to two games over Philadelphia in the NL East, with the Phillies playing the Nationals on Saturday.

Atlanta climbed within 5-4 in the eighth. Andrew Cashner subbed for Gorzelanny but loaded the bases on two walks and a single. Sean Marshall came on to fan pinch-hitter Melky Cabrera but Conrad launched a bases-clearing pinch-hit double into the ivy in center.

Omar Infante drew a free pass and Jason Heyward was hit on the hand to load the bases before Martin Prado grounded out to short to end the threat.

In the ninth, Marmol issued a leadoff walk to former Cub Derrek Lee but retired the next three batters to end the contest.

Chicago jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first as Ramirez and Colvin registered back-to-back RBI singles.

The Cubs tacked on three more in the third. Ramirez singled home Starlin Castro, who walked to start the frame, then Colvin followed with a base hit and Blake DeWitt added a two-out RBI single.

Alex Gonzalez hit a run-scoring double to get the Braves on the board in the sixth.

Game Notes

Gorzelanny hadn't won since July 24, going 0-2 with two no-decisions since then...The Braves have won three of the five games in the season series...It was Chicago's first home win over Atlanta since July 6, 2009...Hanson hasn't won since July 3 at Florida, going 0-4 with five no-decisions in that span. It was also the first time since July 16 he failed to last longer than five innings in a start.

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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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