After Oswalt acquisition, Phillies win eighth straight

Baseball Betting Lines

07/29/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wilson Valdez helped Philadelphia celebrate its acquisition of pitcher Roy Oswalt with a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning, as the Phillies completed a three-game sweep and won their eighth consecutive game with a 3-2 win over Arizona.

The Phillies acquired the ace right-hander from Houston earlier Thursday to bolster the club's starting rotation as the stretch run gets underway. Oswalt flew to Washington, D.C. on Thursday night and will start for his new team when Philadelphia opens a weekend road series against the Nationals on Friday.

Kyle Kendrick pitched 6 1/3 innings of four-hit ball, and Raul Ibanez homered in Philadelphia's 11th straight win at home. Kendrick yielded one run and struck out five with three walks for the Phillies, who now sit 2 1/2 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East.

Miguel Montero hit his third home run of the season and finished with two RBI for the Diamondbacks, who have lost seven straight games.

Joe Saunders made his first start with the D'Backs after he was traded to Arizona in the Dan Haren deal on Sunday. Saunders was charged with two runs on nine hits and four strikeouts over seven innings.

Cody Ransom drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the 11th off of Esmerling Vasquez (1-4) and moved to second base when Carlos Ruiz singled. Valdez then stepped to the plate and laced a base hit to center field. The throw from Chris Young partially hit the pitcher's mound, which helped Ransom slide safely into home plate as the Phillies celebrated the victory.

Philadelphia opened the scoring in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ransom singled and raced around to score when Ruiz followed with a double down the line in left field.

In the sixth, Ibanez led off with his ninth home run of the season for a 2-0 advantage.

The visitors cut their deficit in half in the top of the seventh via a one- out, solo homer by Montero. Mark Reynolds followed with a single, which prompted a change on the mound. Chad Durbin replaced Kendrick and he was greeted by a base hit by Stephen Drew to put runners on the corners. Durbin, though, escaped trouble when he induced a 4-6-3 double play.

After Ryan Madson pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, manager Charlie Manuel opted to stay with Madson to start the ninth. Leadoff batter Justin Upton doubled down the line in right field, forcing Manuel to bring in southpaw reliever J.C. Romero to face Adam LaRoche. LaRoche singled to shallow right field, but the speedy Upton was held at third.

With runners on the corners and no outs, Montero's chopper groundout to shortstop allowed Upton to cross the plate and the score was tied. Two consecutive walks loaded the bases before Romero induced a 4-6-3 double play to prevent further damage.

Brad Lidge pitched a perfect top of the 10th for the Phils, who loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the frame for Ryan Howard, who struck out.

Philly reliever Jose Contreras (5-3) pitched a scoreless 11th.

Game Notes

Philadelphia sent left-handed starting pitcher J.A. Happ along with prospects Anthony Gose and Jonathan Villar to Houston. The Phillies also received cash along with Oswalt...Ibanez has 49 RBI this season...The Phillies outhit the D'Backs, 12-7...Valdez finished 3-for-5.

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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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