Halladay doesn't duplicate perfection, but Phils still top Padres

Baseball Betting Lines

06/04/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Halladay wasn't perfect, but the Phillies' ace still threw seven solid innings and was backed by Shane Victorino's productive night in a 3-2 win over the Padres.

Halladay (8-3), in his first start since retiring 27 consecutive Florida Marlins hitters for the 20th perfect game in major league history, scattered 10 hits and a walk while holding San Diego to two runs.

The right-hander also struck out seven and went 1-for-3 at the plate with a run scored for the Phils, who were coming off a dreadful 2-7 road trip that saw them get shut out four times.

Victorino sparked the listless offense with a two-run homer and double while scoring a pair of runs in the victory, which was finished off by Brad Lidge in the ninth.

Mat Latos (5-4) only lasted five innings, allowing three runs on four hits and four walks while fanning six to take the loss, his first in six starts.

Adrian Gonzalez and Tony Gwynn Jr. each had two hits and an RBI in the loss, the second for the Padres in six games.

Jose Contreras relieved Halladay in the eighth and put two on before getting pulled for J.C. Romero with one out. Oscar Salazar came in as a pinch-hitter and worked a walk to load the bases, but Romero got Chris Denorfia to bounce into a 5-3 double play to preserve the 3-2 lead.

Lidge, who returned from his second stint on the disabled list earlier in the week, set down San Diego's 2-3-4 hitters in succession, striking out Chase Headley to close out his second save of the season and first since May 9.

Consecutive singles by Scott Hairston and Nick Hundley put runners on the corners to start the second, and two batters later Gwynn poked a 1-2 curveball to right for a 1-0 game.

Halladay stranded runners on first and third the next frame and pushed a single to right for the Phillies' first hit of the game in the bottom half. Victorino then took a fastball over the right-field wall for his first home run since May 15, giving the Phillies their first lead.

Again the Padres had runners on the corners in the fifth and got a run on a Gonzalez sacrifice fly.

The Phillies regained the lead in the bottom half, as they loaded the bases with one out. After Ryan Howard struck out, Jayson Werth took a payoff pitch off the plate to force in Victorino for the eventual game-winner.

Game Notes

Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco (elbow) played for the first time since May 27 and went 1-for-4...Latos had thrown at least six innings and given up two runs or fewer in each of his previous six starts...The Phillies have not scored more than three runs in their past 12 games...The Padres, who outhit the Phillies, 10-6, went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11.

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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards