Giants hope to break the brooms out on Reds

Baseball Betting Lines

08/25/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds may be the National League's highest scoring team this season, but the San Francisco Giants have been the ones swinging the powerful bats during this three-game series between the two postseason contenders.

One day after amassing a season-high run total, the revitalized Giants set their sights on a sweep of the National League Central-leading Reds in this afternoon's showdown at AT&T Park.

San Francisco pounded Cincinnati pitching for 17 hits in an 11-2 rout on Monday, then created even more damage in last night's middle test of this series. The Giants collected a total of 18 hits and swatted four homers en route to a 16-5 victory that moved the team into a virtual tie with Philadelphia for the lead in the NL Wild Card standings.

Pablo Sandoval and Andres Torres each had three hits and four RBI in Tuesday's shellacking, with Sandoval accounting for one of San Francisco's four long balls on the night. Freddy Sanchez also went deep as part of a 4-for-4 performance in which the second baseman scored four runs.

Sanchez also had four hits in Monday's game and has raised his season average from .261 to .278 with his output in this series.

"Right now he looks comfortable up there," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Sanchez. "He's got his timing and getting some good swings off. When good hitters get into a groove, they're going to get their base hits."

San Francisco also received a three-run homer from Buster Posey and a two-run blast off the bat of Juan Uribe in the win, the club's fourth in six games. The contest marked the first time the Giants have totaled 11 runs or more in back-to-back home tilts since September 2-3, 1973.

Cincinnati was able to flex its muscles at the plate as well, with Brandon Phillips belting two solo homers while going 3-for-5 and Scott Rolen delivering a two-run shot in a losing cause. All three round-trippers came against San Francisco starter Jonathan Sanchez, who failed to pitch the required five innings to gain the decision.

Santiago Casilla (5-2) was credited with the win after holding the Reds scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings. Sanchez was removed after only 4 1/3 frames and surrendered five runs on six hits while walking three.

Rookies Travis Wood and Mike Leake each had forgettable nights for Cincinnati, with Wood rocked for seven runs and seven hits over the first four innings and Leake permitting six runs and six hits -- including homers to Uribe and Posey -- while recording only a single out in the fifth.

"We just got beat up the last couple of days," Reds manager Dusty Baker said afterwards. "It makes for long nights."

Despite the two lopsided defeats, Cincinnati remained 2 1/2 games in front of St. Louis for the Central's top spot after the Cardinals lost to lowly Pittsburgh last night. The Reds have also gone a respectable 5-3 so far on a nine-game road trip that ends this afternoon.

Baker will ask Homer Bailey to try to cool off San Francisco's red-hot offense in the finale. The former phenom may be up to the task, if his two starts following a lengthy stint on the disabled list are any indication.

After missing close to three months due to a sore shoulder, Bailey returned to fire six shutout innings in a 2-0 home win over Florida on August 15. The right-hander backed that up by yielding just one run and four hits over seven sharp frames to defeat the Dodgers Friday in Los Angeles.

Bailey is 1-0 in three career meetings with San Francisco, but was hit hard in a pair of clashes with the Giants last season. In those two games, the 24- year-old was tagged for 10 runs and 16 hits over 11 2/3 innings of work.

The Giants will counter with a talented young hurler of their own in top prospect Madison Bumgarner, with the rookie entering today's assignment off a big victory on the road over playoff-hopeful St. Louis last Friday.

Bumgarner limited the Cardinals to two runs over seven-plus innings to improve to 5-4 in 11 starts since being promoted from Triple-A Fresno in late June. The 21-year-old has posted a 3.20 ERA as well following the promotion and allowed two runs or less in six of his past nine appearances.

The left-hander, who will be taking on the Reds for the first time, is still in search of his first career win at AT&T Park, however. Bumgarner has pitched four times at home so far this year and gone 0-2 with a 4.21 ERA over the course of those games.

These teams have split the past eight meetings between one another held in San Francisco, as well as a four-game series in Cincinnati back in June.

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Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

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