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04/25/2007 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Randy Johnson was pounded in his return for Arizona, as San Diego jumped on the Big Unit and handed the Diamondbacks their fifth straight setback, 10-5, to open a three-game series at Chase Field.
Johnson was brought back to the home of Cy Young Awards and World Series glory, acquired in a January trade with the New York Yankees. After two dissatisfying seasons in the Big Apple, Johnson was given a change of scenery back to familiar territory.
The flame-throwing southpaw won four of his five Cy Young Awards in a Diamondback uniform while playing an integral part in Arizona's 2001 championship team.
He had back surgery in October and wasn't ready for the beginning of the season, instead throwing three rehab starts before Tuesday's season debut.
And it wasn't vintage Johnson (0-1), who gave up six runs on six hits with four walks and seven strikeouts over five frames.
The other 43-year-old on the mound pitched just well enough for the win. David Wells (1-1) gave up five runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts in five innings.
Trevor Hoffman pitched the last out for his fourth save.
Khalil Greene was the major hitting star for the Padres, finishing 4-for-5 with four runs batted in. Adrian Gonzalez hit his sixth homer as part of a 3- for-3 night with three RBI and three runs scored for San Diego, which has won four of five.
Carlos Quentin homered and Stephen Drew tripled and drove in a pair in defeat.
The Diamondbacks took an early 2-0 advantage with a pair of two-out runs in the second. Chad Tracy tripled past Mike Cameron in center and Quentin drilled his first homer of the year over the wall in left.
San Diego first got to Johnson in the top of the third. Jose Cruz, Jr. walked with one out then walked the rest of the way around the bases on Gonzalez' homer.
Chris Young's one-out double set the table for the Diamondbacks in the bottom of the third, and Drew drove him home with a single to right for a 3-2 lead.
The score remained that way until San Diego blitzed Johnson in the fifth. Cruz, Jr. clubbed a belt-high slider high in the air and over the fence in left to tie the game then Brian Giles singled, Gonzalez walked and Cameron was plunked by a pitch to load the bases.
Greene cleared them, turning on an inside fastball into the gap in right- center field for a 6-3 advantage.
Arizona cut the deficit to 6-5 during the home half of the fifth as Robby Hammock walked and scored on the first of consecutive triples. Drew tripled to right and Orlando Hudson followed with a three-bagger to nearly the same location, scoring Drew for the margin.
Dana Eveland replaced Johnson and suffered the same fate in the top of the sixth. Marcus Giles doubled and was driven home by his brother Brian's base hit to center. A passed ball moved Brian Giles to second, and he scored on Gonzalez' ground-rule double.
Brandon Medders then entered and things got worse for Arizona.
After Cameron popped up, Greene singled just in front of Eric Byrnes in left. Byrnes made a strong throw that was oddly cut off by Medders just a few feet in front of what would have been a play at the plate. The pitcher spun and fired errantly to second, and Greene came all of the way around to score the Padres' 10th run.
Game Notes
Yusmeiro Petit, who made the start in Sunday's loss to San Francisco, was sent to Triple-A Tucson to make room for Johnson on the roster...Young and Tracy each had two hits in the loss...Attendance 19,508.
<< BC women's ice hockey coach resigns amid probe
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston College women's ice hockey head coach Tom
Mutch resigned Tuesday afternoon, reportedly due to investigation of sexual
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The Boston Herald reports the 39-year-old Mutch, who was named the Hock
<< Blue Jays place Zaun on DL
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto placed catcher Gregg Zaun on the 15-day
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Zaun took a foul tip off the hand in the first inning was replaced
<< Angels activate Escobar from DL
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim activated
pitcher Kelvim Escobar from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday and optioned
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<< Suppan shines as Brewers down Cubs at Wrigley
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Suppan shut out the Cubs for eight
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Suppan (3-2) scattered eight
Morris pitches Giants past Dodgers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Morris allowed just three runs on six
hits as the San Francisco Giants downed the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-3, in the
opener of a three-game set at Dodger Stadium.
Morris (3-0) pitched 7 1/3 innings a
Texas A&M's Jones declares for NBA Draft >>
College Station, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas A&M junior forward Joseph Jones
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"I just wan
White Sox edge Royals in delayed game >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie pitcher Joakim Soria allowed the
White Sox two runs in the ninth inning, one on a throwing error and another on
a wild pitch, as Chicago earned a 9-7 victory over the Kansas City Royals,
sweepin
Ducks host Canucks in Game 1 >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of division winners begin their best-of-seven
Western Conference semifinal series this evening, when the Anaheim Ducks host
the Vancouver Canucks in Game 1 at the Honda Center.
The Ducks earned their first-ever divi
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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