Yanks bring momentum into second test with Rays

Baseball Betting Lines

07/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off an emotional win, the New York Yankees will now try to put even more distance between them and the Tampa Bay Rays, as the two AL East foes continue a three-game set today at Yankee Stadium.

Last night, Nick Swisher hit the game-tying home run in the eighth inning and singled in the winning run in the ninth, lifting the Yankees to a 5-4 victory over the Rays on an emotional night in the Bronx.

"I thought the club played like Mr. Steinbrenner expected," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "Fought back twice, tied the score twice, and then we won it in the end."

Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada added back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning for the Yankees, who honored late team owner George Steinbrenner and former public address announcer Bob Sheppard before and throughout the game.

Steinbrenner passed away Tuesday of a heart attack at the age of 80, while Sheppard died Sunday at age 99.

The Yankees held a pre-game ceremony, at which they played a video tribute to Steinbrenner, and closer Mariano Rivera laid roses at home plate. Shortstop Derek Jeter, introduced by the voice of Sheppard, spoke prior to a moment of silence for both icons.

CC Sabathia started the game for the Yankees and allowed four runs - three earned - over seven innings, while Rivera (3-1) picked up the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

James Shields got the nod for Tampa Bay and he yielded three earned runs over six innings. Randy Choate (2-3) took the loss for the Rays, who fell three games back of the Yankees for the top spot in the AL East.

The Rays will try to bounce back today behind Jeff Niemann, who is 4-0 with a 3.15 ERA in eight starts on the road this season. In his last start against Cleveland on July 11th, Niemann gave up three earned runs and six hits over five innings. He did not receive a decision in the team's 6-5 home win.

The right-hander is 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA in three lifetimes starts versus the Yankees, but this is his first appearance of the campaign against them.

A.J. Burnett will counter for New York and he is looking to build off two straight solid starts. In his last showing on July 7th, Burnett allowed two earned runs and five hits over seven innings of a 6-2 win over Oakland. It was his first win since May 30th.

In 23 career starts against Tampa Bay, Burnett is 12-5 with a 2.98 ERA. The right-hander last faced the Rays on May 19th, surrendering six runs in 6 2/3 innings of a 10-6 loss at home.

Tampa and the Yankees have split six meetings this season.

Wwwmindspring Baseball Betting News

<< Rangers lefty Lee toes rubber in Boston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cliff Lee is hoping for a better showing in his second start for Texas, as the Rangers and Boston Red Sox continue a four-game series tonight at Fenway Park. Lee, who was acquired on July 9th in a six-player deal wit

<< A's try to keep rolling in Kansas City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics take aim at their fourth win in a row tonight, as they resume a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. On Friday, Kevin Kouzmanoff drove in two runs and Gio Gonzalez

<< Twins hope to make up more ground vs. White Sox
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins will try to make up some more ground on the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox, as the teams continue a four-game set tonight at Target Field. Last night, Joe Mauer had two hits, including a bi

<< Angels, Mariners continue set at Big A
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have owned the Seattle Mariners this season and they will try to continue that dominance tonight as the squads resume a four-game set at Angel Stadium. Following last night's 3-2 res

<< Marlins ace Johnson squares off with Nats
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Johnson can match a Washington pitching gem with one of his own tonight, when the Florida Marlins ace takes on the Nationals in the second test of a three-game series between NL East Division foes at Sun Life Stadium

Jays shoot for more success against O's >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays will try to continue their mastery of the Baltimore Orioles, as the clubs resume a three-game set tonight at Camden Yards. The Blue Jays have won all seven meetings this season with Baltimore and th

Let's play two: Tigers, Indians set for doubleheader >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers get two cracks at the last-place Cleveland Indians today, as the AL Central squads hookup for a doubleheader at Progressive Field. On Friday, Andy Marte and Austin Kearns each hit a two-run home

Indians place Wood on DL again >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians have placed closer Kerry Wood on the 15-day disabled list and recalled reliever Jensen Lewis from Triple-A Columbus to take his spot on the roster. A blister on Wood's right index

Serena to miss three events due to foot injury >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serena Williams is scheduled to undergo surgery in the near future after cutting her foot on broken glass in a restaurant. The injury will cause the No. 1 ranked player in the world to miss ev

Polanco returns for Phils >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies activated third baseman Placido Polanco off the 15-day disabled list on Saturday. Polanco has not played since June 25 due to inflammation in his left elbow. He had been playing

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

Get free Sports Betting lines RSS feeds from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com