Crisp, Gonzalez helps A's top Texas

Baseball Betting Lines

08/07/2010 - Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coco Crisp homered and drove in three runs, and Gio Gonzalez tossed seven shutout innings to lead Oakland over American League West-leading Texas, 6-2, in the middle installment of a three-game series.

Gonzalez (10-7) held the Rangers to four hits and three walks while fanning two for the Athletics, who have alternated wins and losses over their past eight contests and remain 8 1/2 games back of the division leaders.

Taylor Teagarden homered for Texas, while Rich Harden (4-4), in his second start since being activated off the disabled list, only lasted 2 1/3 innings thanks to five walks allowed. The former A's ace gave up two hits and three runs in his shortest outing of the year.

Harden had control issues from the start, walking three of four hitters after Crisp led off the home first with a single. The third bases on balls came against Kevin Kouzmanoff, who was down 0-2 before working the count full and taking a low fastball to force in a run.

Mark Ellis added a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead, and Crisp took a first-pitch changeup over the wall in right-center in the next frame.

Crisp made it a four-run game in the fourth when his fly ball to center was deep enough to score Cliff Pennington, who opened the frame with a triple off Scott Feldman.

The Rangers failed to score off Gonzalez despite having two baserunners in the second, fourth and fifth frames.

Nelson Cruz bounced into an inning-ending double play in the sixth, and Rajai Davis singled in the bottom half and came around to score on Matt Watson's line-drive double to right. Crisp added another sac fly later in the inning for a 6-0 margin.

Teagarden spoiled Oakland's shutout bid with a leadoff homer off Jerry Blevins in the eighth, and David Murphy singled home Jorge Cantu in the ninth before Craig Breslow closed out the win.

Game Notes

Harden spent five-plus years in Oakland and threw seven shutout innings against his former team earlier this season...Davis went 2-for-4 and recorded two steals, upping his season total to 34...Oakland has won nine of their last 10 day games...The Rangers still lead the season series, 6-5...In the rubber match on Sunday, Trevor Cahill is scheduled to start for Oakland opposite Colby Lewis.

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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.

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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.