Carmona, Indians top Braves to avoid sweep

Baseball Betting Lines

06/17/2007 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fausto Carmona pitched seven-plus strong innings, as the Cleveland Indians avoided a three-game sweep with a 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Jacobs Field.

Carmona (8-2) gave up two runs on five hits while striking out five and walking two. Joe Borowski kept Atlanta off the scoreboard in the ninth to record his 20th save of the season.

Casey Blake went 1-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 26 games for the Indians, who won for just the third time in their last eight games. Franklin Gutierrez finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Atlanta starter Kyle Davies went 5 1/3 innings and allowed five runs -- three earned -- on six hits. Davies (3-6) has now dropped three straight starts and four of his last five overall.

Chipper Jones, who went 2-for-4, recorded his 2,000 career hit with a single in the second inning for the Braves, who were looking to sweep their first interleague series on the road since winning three in a row at Boston in 2002.

Scott Thorman went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in the loss.

After four scoreless innings, Cleveland went up 1-0 in the fifth. Trot Nixon led things off with a walk and Gutierrez bunted for a single. Davies then recorded two outs before Jason Michaels roped a single to center to plate Gutierrez.

The Indians tacked on four runs in the sixth to extend their lead to 5-0. Victor Martinez led off the frame with a single and Jhonny Peralta followed with a double. Ryan Garko's grounder to first got past Thorman as Martinez and Peralta both scored on the play.

Nixon followed with a ground out to move Garko to third and he scored on Gutierrez's base hit. Chad Paronto then relieved Davies and Gutierrez stole second and hustled to third as Brian McCann's throw sailed into the outfield. The throwing error proved costly as Gutierrez scored on Josh Barfield's ground out to make it a five-run game.

The Braves scored twice in the eighth to get on the board. Thorman led things off with a home run and Carmona issued consecutive walks to Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson before being relieved by Rafael Betancourt. Willie Harris greeted Betancourt with a double down the right-field line to plate Escobar. However, Betancourt managed to settle down and recorded three straight outs to end the inning.

Atlanta put two runners on base in the ninth with one out, but Borowski got Escobar to ground out and Johnson to fly out to end the game.

Game Notes

Blake's hitting streak is the longest in the majors this season and longest in Cleveland history since catcher Sandy Alomar, Jr., hit safely in 30 straight games in 1997...Atlanta went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

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