Boston's Beckett eyes win No. 13 vs. White Sox

Baseball Betting Lines

07/20/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Beckett tries to become the second 13-game winner in the majors this evening when the Boston Red Sox continue their four-game series with the Chicago White Sox at Fenway Park.

Beckett has dropped two of his last three starts, but with a victory tonight he will tie Cleveland left-hander C.C. Sabathia for the league lead in wins. Beckett was the hard-luck loser on Sunday against Toronto, as he surrendered a pair of runs on seven hits in eight innings to fall to 12-3 this season to go along with a 3.35 earned run average.

The 27-year-old right-hander, who has won just once at home since May 29, has faced the White Sox only twice in his young career and is 1-0 against them with a 4.66 ERA.

Chicago will counter with Cuban right-hander Jose Contreras, who is a dismal 5-11 with a 5.32 ERA. Contreras dropped his fourth straight start and fell for the seventh time in his last eight decisions on Sunday in Baltimore, as the Orioles battered him for five runs and 10 hits in six innings.

Contreras is 3-4 lifetime against the Red Sox with an 8.56 ERA in nine games, eight of which have been starts.

In a soggy opener to this set on Thursday, A.J. Pierzynski had three hits and knocked in three runs, and Paul Konerko homered, as the White Sox rolled to a 4-2 win in a game that started nearly two hours late due to rain.

Javier Vazquez (7-5) scattered nine hits and surrendered two runs over 6 1/3 innings to win his fourth straight decision. Bobby Jenks threw the ninth inning for his 26th save, as Chicago won for the third time four games following a three-game skid.

Dustin Pedroia had three hits and knocked in a run for the Red Sox, who have lost three in a row and eight of 11.

Daisuke Matsuzaka (11-7) was lifted after giving up two hits and three runs with a career-high six walks and six strikeouts in five-plus innings.

This is the first series of the season between these teams, but Boston is 12-8 in the matchup since the start of the 2004 campaign. The White Sox have also struggled in Beantown, where they have won just three times in their last seven visits.

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Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Super Bowl XLIII, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.

The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.

The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.

Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.

MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:

Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)

Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)

Matt Foust won both of his conference championship plays yesterday and he is ready to serve up plenty of Super Bowl action. Each individual play costs $15.00, however, MySportsbook.com recommends purchasing Matt's NFL Playoff Package which includes all of Matt's Super Bowl props and picks from just $45.00.

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