Harris powers Rays to series win over Marlins

Baseball Betting Lines

06/10/2007 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brendan Harris hit a three-run homer and knocked in a career-high five runs as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays defeated the Florida Marlins, 9-4, taking two of three in the series at Dolphin Stadium.

Akinori Iwamura chipped in with two doubles, an RBI and a pair of runs scored, while Raul Casanova hit a solo homer and scored twice for Tampa Bay, which has won two in a row and six of its last eight.

Andy Sonnanstine (1-0) pitched seven solid innings in earning his first career major league win for the Devil Rays. The right-hander gave up two runs on seven hits while striking out 10. He didn't allow a walk and also helped himself with the bat, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles, an RBI and run scored.

Rick Vanden Hurk (1-2) struggled in the loss for the Marlins, allowing five runs on six hits over five innings of work. He struck out six and walked three.

Florida, which got homers from Jeremy Hermida, Miguel Cabrera and Miguel Olivo, has lost two straight after a three-game winning streak.

The Devil Rays got on the scoreboard first when they posted three runs in the third. Sonnanstine got things started with a two-out single and Iwamura doubled, putting runners on second and third. Harris then followed with a three-run opposite field homer that just cleared the right field fence to give Tampa Bay the early advantage.

After Sonnanstine put the Marlins down in order in the bottom of the third, the Rays went back to the offensive attack in the fourth. Ty Wigginton led off with a single and Carlos Pena followed with a walk. Delmon Young then hit a run-scoring double to right field that just eluded a diving Hermida to make it 4-0. Two batters later Sonnanstine slapped a single to left to plate another run, increasing the lead to 5-0.

Hermida's solo home run to right in the fifth inning got the Marlins on the board.

Casanova hammered a solo homer to straight-away center field in the sixth inning to put the Devil Rays up 6-1.

The Marlins appeared to have something going in the bottom of the sixth. Alfredo Amezaga and Dan Uggla each singled to start the frame, but Sonnanstine settled down the get the next three batters to fly out to end the inning.

Olivo hit a solo shot to left field in the seventh to get the Marlins to within 6-2.

Florida put two more on the board in the eighth when Uggla singled with one out and came around to score when Cabrera hit a two-run homer to center to make it 6-4.

The Devil Rays got some insurance in the top of the ninth. Casanova and Josh Wilson drew one-out walks and Iwamura followed with a ground-rule double to plate Casanova. Tampa wasn't finished, however, as Harris' single brought in two more for the final margin.

Al Reyes, who is a perfect 15-for-15 in closing situations this season, came in and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to secure the win.

Game Notes

The Marlins fell to 35-23 all-time versus the Devil Rays...Florida has homered in six straight games...Harris now has four home runs in his last 11 games after going 36 contests without a homer...Sonnanstine had seven straight strikeouts between the second and fourth innings...Attendance was 11,525...Tampa will host the San Diego Padres in a three-game set beginning Monday night...Florida will begin a three-game series against the Cleveland Indians Monday in Miami.

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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.