Beckett back on mound as Red Sox aim for rebound against Yanks

Baseball Betting Lines

05/18/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Beckett returns to the Boston rotation following a bout with back spasms this evening as the Red Sox conclude a brief two-game set against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

Beckett hasn't pitched since a May 7 contest against the Yankees, when he tied a career high by giving up nine runs over 5 1/3 innings, He also hit two batters and fell to 1-1 on the year while having his earned run average raised to 7.46.

The talented right-hander has been dramatically inconsistent this season, surrendering 52 hits over 41 innings with opponents hitting .311 against him.

Beckett has faced the Yankees twice this season and has allowed 14 runs in 10 innings. He is 9-6 lifetime against them with a 5.96 ERA in 19 starts.

New York, meanwhile, will turn to left-hander CC Sabathia this evening as he tries to bounce back from his worst outing of the season. Sabathia was tagged for six runs and nine hits in six innings at Detroit on Thursday, dropping him to 4-2 to go along with a 3.71 ERA.

Sabathia has faced the Red Sox twice already this season, but has not received a decision despite allowing eight runs in 10 innings of those outings. For his career, Sabathia is 5-5 against the Red Sox with a 3.74 ERA in 13 starts.

The Yankees drew first blood in this series in dramatic fashion on Monday, as Alex Rodriguez and Marcus Thames each hit two-run homers off Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth inning to give New York an 11-9 win.

Rodriguez, who had four RBI, tied the contest with a first-pitch, one-out shot to center field. The hit scored Brett Gardner, who led off with a double when the ball got by a diving Darnell McDonald in left field.

Robinson Cano then flied out to center, but Papelbon (1-3) then hit Francisco Cervelli on his left elbow with a pitch. Thames followed by pounding Papelbon's first offering over the wall in left field, dealing the closer his first blown save of the season.

"They were just flat fastballs that weren't located," a frustrated Papelbon said. "They were poorly executed pitches on my behalf, and when you don't execute your pitch they way you want to, usually in my situation bad things happen."

Thames also finished with four RBI for New York, which blew a 5-0 lead after one inning.

"I didn't chase anything in that last at-bat and it paid off for me," Thames said. "It's an awesome feeling, especially against those guys over there and that type of pitcher."

Kevin Youkilis clubbed a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning for Boston and Victor Martinez went deep from both sides of the plate, but it wasn't enough to avoid the Red Sox falling back under .500 (19-20).

J.D. Drew added a three-run homer while David Ortiz tacked on a solo shot for the Red Sox, who lost their third straight game.

"We did it the hard way [Monday]," Rodriguez said. "Obviously [Sunday's loss to Minnesota] was devastating for us, but we're at home and we feel until the last out is collected we have a chance to win."

Javier Vazquez (2-4) escaped a jam with runners at the corners with two outs in the top of ninth by fanning Youkilis, right before the dramatics began against Papelbon.

The Yankees have won five of their seven matchups with Boston this year.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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