Indians break out brooms against Tigers

Baseball Betting Lines

07/18/2010 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeanmar Gomez had quite the major league debut, allowing just two unearned runs in seven strong innings, as the Indians used an inside-the-park homer from Jhonny Peralta to beat the Tigers, 7-2, and sweep Detroit in a four-game set for the first time in over 19 years.

Gomez (1-0), recalled for a spot start after a doubleheader on Saturday, gave up just five hits and a walk while fanning four on 93 pitches for the Indians, who have started the second half at 4-0 for the first time since 1995. With the win, Cleveland recorded its first four-game sweep of Detroit since May 31- June 3, 1991.

Peralta, meanwhile, drove in three runs with his odd home run, only the eighth such occurrence in Progressive Field history. Matt LaPorta added an RBI triple -- his first career three-bagger -- while Jayson Nix had three hits and an RBI in the win.

Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera each drove in a run for the Tigers, who have lost five straight following a five-game win streak. Andrew Oliver (0-4), a rookie like his pitching counterpart on Sunday, couldn't match Gomez, giving up five runs on four hits and five walks in 3 2/3 innings.

The Indians grabbed the early lead in the opening inning with an unlikely play.

Nix doubled with one away, and Carlos Santana followed with a walk. Two batters later, Peralta drilled an Oliver offering deep to center. Ryan Raburn attempted to make a leaping catch near the wall, but the ball caromed off the bullpen door, as did Raburn, who fell as the ball bounced away and the door swung open. Left fielder Brennan Boesch raced over to grab the loose ball in the outfield, but Peralta had rounded the bases by the time Boesch threw it back to the infield for a three-run inside-the-park homer.

Oliver got a bit wild in the fourth inning, walking both LaPorta and Trevor Crowe to begin the frame. LaPorta eventually came around to score on Jason Donald's groundout for a 4-0 game.

Still in the same inning, Michael Brantley scalded a sharp ground ball to the third baseman Don Kelly. Kelly was able to make a good stop, but his throw to first was off the mark, allowing Crowe to score from second on the play.

Gomez, meanwhile, shut out the Tigers for the first five innings, but Detroit managed to find its way onto the scoreboard in the sixth.

Kelly singled with one away, and Johnny Damon lined a sharp grounder through Andy Marte's legs at first, putting runners on the corners after the error. Ordonez followed with an RBI single, and Cabrera's sacrifice fly made it 5-2.

Cleveland added an insurance run in the seventh, as Peralta reached on a fielder's choice and scored on LaPorta's two-out triple to right. Nix's RBI single in the eighth accounted for the final score.

Game Notes

The Indians' last inside-the-park home run came off the bat of Grady Sizemore on April 27, 2007 against the Orioles. Six of the eight such home runs in the park's history have been hit by Cleveland...The season series is tied, 6-6...Gomez also recorded a pickoff in the third inning. He pitched a perfect game at Double-A Akron last season and was 6-8 with a 5.70 earned run average at Triple-A Columbus at the time of his recall...Cleveland has recorded an extra-base hit in 41 straight games, the longest active streak in the AL...The Indians have won nine of their last 11 home games...The last Indians pitcher to win his major league debut was Scott Lewis on September 10, 2008 against Baltimore...The Cleveland bullpen threw 13 1/3 scoreless innings in the series.

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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

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.