Bumgarner takes aim at fourth straight win at Chase Field

Baseball Betting Lines

07/24/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Madison Bumgarner shoots for his fourth straight win this evening when the San Francisco Giants continue their four-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

Bumgarner has been sensational over his winning streak, allowing two earned runs in his last 19 2/3 innings. On Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers the 20-year-old lefty gave up just two runs (one earned) and six hits in 5 2/3 frames to get the win.

The former 10th overall pick, though, worked just one 1-2-3 inning in the effort.

"He wasn't as sharp tonight. But that's a good sign," Giants catcher Buster Posey said.

Arizona, meanwhile, will pin its hopes on a streaking young hurler of its own in 25-year-old righty Ian Kennedy, who has won his last two starts. Kennedy got a ton of support in beating the New York Mets on Monday, but did not need it, as he surrendered just one run and four hits in five innings.

Kennedy did not get a decision the last time he faced the Giants, but beat them back on May 19, surrendering a run and three hits in eight innings.

San Francisco improved to 4-1 on its current road trip on Friday, as Aubrey Huff hit two home runs and drove in three, as the Giants spoiled Kelly Johnson's cycle and beat the Diamondbacks, 7-4.

Andres Torres added the tie-breaking two-run triple in the seventh inning for the Giants, who took advantage of several Arizona errors to win for the ninth time in its last 11 games overall. San Francisco beat Arizona by a 3-0 score in Thursday's series opener.

Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez got out of several jams to allow only one run. However, the left-hander lasted just five innings, as he threw 109 pitches, gave up four hits, walked five and struck out 10.

Santiago Casilla allowed three runs in the sixth while recording two outs, and Chris Ray (1-0) got the final one to get the win. Brian Wilson recorded the final four outs to earn his 28th save.

Johnson finished 4-for-4 and became the fourth player in team history to hit for the cycle, but it was not enough to keep the Diamondbacks from losing their fifth consecutive game to the Giants.

"Pretty cool thing to say that you did," Johnson said. "But unfortunately we lost."

Edwin Jackson (6-9) took the loss after allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits and two walks in six-plus innings.

San Francisco leads the 2010 season series with Arizona by a 5-2 margin, and is 18-7 over the past 25 meetings between the two ballclubs.

Wwwmp3now Baseball Betting News

<< Marlins attempt to go over. 500 against Braves
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins try to go above .500 for the first time since early June this evening when they continue their three-game set with the Atlanta Braves at Sun Life Stadium. Florida won in dramatic fashion on Friday, as

<< Rays eye first win in Cleveland in nearly five years
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay has had a hard time winning in Cleveland. Hopefully its ace can turn things around, as the Rays send David Price to the mound this evening trying to stop the Cleveland Indians' incredible 18-game home winning streak

<< Latos returns from DL to face Pirates
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mat Latos returns from a short stint on the disabled list this evening when the San Diego Padres continue their three-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Latos, who had been sidelined with a strained left obl

<< Tigers, Blue Jays try again in Detroit
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miguel Cabrera's primary goal is to help the Detroit Tigers capture an American League Central title. Still, one would think the possibility of becoming baseball's first Triple Crown winner in 43 years has got to cross the Al

<< Pelfrey hopes for a rebound in LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Pelfrey hopes to bounce back from the shortest start of his career this evening when the New York Mets continue their four-game set with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Pelfrey could not make it out of the

Oswalt toes the hill for Astros against Reds >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran right-hander Rot Oswalt makes what could be one of the last starts of his Houston career tonight when the Astros meet the Cincinnati Reds in the middle test of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park. Oswalt, a Hou

Twins send Baker to hill in Baltimore >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Struggling to keep pace with the White Sox and Tigers in the AL Central, the Twins will try to solve their road woes when Minnesota battles the Baltimore Orioles in the third installment of a four-game set this evening at Cam

Red Sox shoot for third straight win against battling M's >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox try to make it three straight wins this evening when they continue their four-game set against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. The Red Sox will turn to Jon Lester to keep them in the win column, as

Parra tries to get on track against Nats >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Manny Parra can end a personal two-start losing streak while giving Milwaukee a second straight win tonight when the Brewers host the Washington Nationals in the middle game of a three-game series at Miller Park. On

Johnson joins Choi in first at Scandinavian Masters >>
Stockholm, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sweden's own Richard S. Johnson posted a two-under 70 on Saturday to join second-round leader K.J. Choi in first place after the 54 holes of the Scandinavian Masters. Johnson and Choi, who had a one-u

FOOTBALL TRASH TALK

NFL Football Trash Talk

Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).

Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.

Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).

Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.

Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.

The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.

What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.

Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.

But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.

In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.