Red Sox turn to Beckett aiming for sweep of Angels

Baseball Betting Lines

07/28/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Beckett makes his second start since returning from the disabled list this afternoon when the Boston Red Sox try to complete a three-game sweep against the LA Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium.

Boston, which was swept by Anaheim in last year's ALDS, already swept a four- game set from the Angels in Fenway earlier in the year and is 6-0 against them this season while also winning eight of the last nine meetings overall.

Beckett, who is 1-1 with a 6.66 earned run average on the year, returned on Friday after missing two months with a back injury, but did not get a decision in Seattle, as he allowed a run and five hits in 5 2/3 innings of his team's 2-1 win.

"Oh man, that was so encouraging," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona of Beckett's impressive return. "The ball came out of his hand good. He threw his breaking ball really well, and that's what he had really wanted to spend the majority of his time on in the bullpen session with [pitching coach] John [Farrell], and it was crisp."

Beckett has faced the Angels eight times and is 2-3 with a 4.13 ERA.

The Angels, meanwhile, will counter with righty Joel Pineiro, who lost for the first time in eight decisions last Wednesday in New York. The Yankees reached him for six runs and 11 hits in six innings in that one, dropping Pineiro to 10-7 on the year to go along with a 4.18 ERA.

Pineiro lost to the Red Sox earlier in the season and is 3-6 lifetime versus them with a 5.94 ERA.

John Lackey had a successful return to Anaheim on Tuesday, as he pitched 7 1/3 quality innings to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 4-2 win.

Lackey (10-5), who pitched for the Angels for his entire eight-year career before inking a free agent contract with Boston in the offseason, allowed two runs on seven hits for the Red Sox, who have won two straight games and four of six overall.

Jed Lowrie hit a two-run double and Adrian Beltre added a key RBI in the victory.

Bobby Abreu hit a solo home run and finished with two RBI for the struggling Angels, who have dropped three straight and six of their last seven games.

Jered Weaver started on the hill for Los Angeles and was very strong through six scoreless innings, but suffered the loss. Weaver (9-7) exited after seven full frames and ended with a line that showed two runs allowed on six hits with eight strikeouts.

The Red Sox swept a four-game home set over the Angels from May 3-6, but have lost seven of their last 11 in Anaheim.

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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