Davis, Rays stay hot in victory over Angels

Baseball Betting Lines

08/25/2010 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce homered off Ervin Santana, and Wade Davis pitched into the sixth inning in his first game off the disabled list, as the Rays topped the Angels, 10-3, for their fourth straight win.

Davis (10-9), who hadn't pitched since August 5 due to a right shoulder strain, won his fifth straight decision. The right-hander gave up six hits and two runs, while fanning five over 5 1/3 innings in the middle test of this three-game series.

"It's always nice to have a cushion out there," Davis said. "My shoulder was loose tonight. My command was pretty good. I lost it a little bit, but was able to get it back."

John Jaso singled in two runs during Tampa Bay's four-run second inning, on a night the Rays stayed tied for the lead in the AL East. They have won nine of 11 and are still even with the Yankees, who won at Toronto earlier Tuesday.

The Rays had never beaten the Angels in a series prior to this season, now they've done it twice, winning two of three games back in May. Prior to 2010, the Angels were 14-0-1 all-time at home in series vs. Tampa Bay.

Hideki Matsui had three hits, including a solo homer, for the Angels, who have lost three in a row and seven of nine. They now stand 10 games behind the AL West-leading Texas Rangers. Howie Kendick homered for the Angels, who are 2-for-25 with runners in scoring position over these two games.

Santana (13-9) permitted eight hits and six runs over 5 1/3 frames and had a three-start winning streak snapped.

"We're definitely not bringing the level of play to the field that we should be," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "It's frustrating. We'll now see what we're made of."

It was tough-going in the second for Santana, who let the first four batters reach base. Among them was Dan Johnson's RBI double. Jaso's hit to center later in the frame made it 3-0. B.J. Upton stole third and scored on a Ben Zobrist sacrifice fly.

Matsui's ground-rule RBI double in the bottom half cut the deficit, but Longoria led off the next inning with his 19th homer of the year.

Joyce went deep in the sixth, prompting the Angels to replace Santana with Michael Kohn.

Matsui scored on Bobby Wilson's groundout in the bottom of the sixth, and the teams exchanged runs in the seventh. Longoria doubled home Zobrist and Kendrick tagged Lance Cormier for a homer to right field.

Carl Crawford added a two-run double off Brian Fuentes in the ninth and Joyce added a sacrifice fly.

The Angels loaded the bases against Andy Sonnanstine with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Matsui fanned and Juan Rivera grounded out.

Game Notes

Longoria had three hits...To clear a spot on the roster for Davis, the Rays optioned right-handed pitcher Mike Ekstrom to Triple-A Durham...Rays manager Joe Maddon was ejected in the fifth inning by second base umpire Angel Campos for arguing a caught stealing call against Longoria...Jeff Niemann is scheduled to come off the DL to start Wednesday afternoon for the Rays, while Dan Haren pitches for the Angels...Los Angeles went 1-for-14 with men in scoring position. The Angels are batting .192 (33-for-172) with RISP this month.

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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

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