Zimmerman, Nats beat up Pirates

Baseball Betting Lines

09/05/2010 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-5 and drove in four runs, as the Washington Nationals handled the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-1, in the rubber match of a three-game set at PNC Park.

Adam Dunn added a solo homer and knocked in two for Washington, which has won five of its last eight.

Jason Marquis (2-7) earned the win for tossing six solid innings. The veteran right-hander allowed one run on six hits, struck out two and did not issue a walk.

Pedro Alvarez accounted for the only offense with a homer for the Pirates, who have dropped seven of nine.

Charlie Morton (1-11) lasted only 3 2/3 innings after yielding six runs -- two earned -- on eight hits with a pair of walks.

Zimmerman's RBI groundout in the first put the Nationals in front.

The Pirates stranded two runners in the second and third inning, before Dunn hammered a homer to right leading off the fourth. The next two batters singled and Adam Kennedy reached on a fielding error by first baseman Garrett Jones that brought in another.

Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Ian Desmond added an infield run- scoring single and Zimmerman followed with a two-run base hit to center to make it 6-0 and end Morton's outing. Daniel McCutchen entered and retired Dunn to end the inning.

Alvarez's solo homer in the home fourth got the Pirates on the board.

Run-scoring singles by Zimmerman and Dunn in the sixth put Washington ahead 8-1.

Pittsburgh loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but Neil Walker bounced into a fielder's choice to end the game.

Game Notes

Washington swept a three-game set from the Pirates back in June ...The Nationals recalled right-hander Collin Balester from Triple-A Syracuse prior to the game...Marquis improved to 11-6 in 26 career appearances against Pittsburgh.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.