Resurgent Phils to begin home set with Diamondbacks

Baseball Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies are starting to play like the team that won back-to-back National League titles. Tonight they shoot for a sixth straight win when they open a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park.

Philadelphia completed a four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies on Monday, as Brian Schneider hit a two-run triple and Joe Blanton threw six solid innings in a 5-4 victory.

Blanton (4-6) struggled early and was pulled after throwing 85 pitches, but limited the Rockies to two runs to get the win, his first since June 24. He gave up six hits and walked three.

Brad Lidge recorded the save, but only after giving up a two-run homer to Seth Smith and working out of a bases-loaded jam for the second straight day.

"I wasn't thrilled today," Lidge said afterward. "I actually had a better fastball and better command today, and it just doesn't show. You just never know what's going to happen. But like I said, obviously when you have a three- run lead, you can't give up three runs. I feel great that we won the game, I feel great that I got my job done."

Placido Polanco and Greg Dobbs each had two hits for the Phillies, who took advantage of a variety of fielding mishaps by the Rockies to win their eighth straight at Citizens Bank Park.

It is Philadelphia's longest home winning streak since 1991, when it won 16 in a row.

Hoping to continue that streak tonight will be lefty Cole Hamels, who has been terrific in his last three starts. Hamels did not get a decision on Thursday in St. Louis, despite giving up just one hit in eight scoreless innings of his team's 2-0 win.

Hamels, who is 7-7 with a 3.40 ERA on the year, has allowed just one earned run in his last three starts, spanning 22 2/3 innings. He lost to the Diamondbacks earlier in the year, but is 2-1 lifetime against them with a 3.38 ERA in four starts.

Arizona, meanwhile, will counter with righty Rodrigo Lopez, who will move up a day to take the spot of departed ace Dan Haren. Lopez has lost his last two starts and is 5-9 with a 4.58 ERA on the year.

Lopez is 1-1 with a 6.27 ERA in three starts against the Phils.

Arizona enters tonight's tilt after getting swept in a four-game set by the San Francisco Giants over the weekend. The Diamondbacks have lost eight of their last 11 games.

The Diamondbacks took two of three from Philly earlier in the year.

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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.