08/27/2008 - St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Pena homered and Matt Garza went 7 2/3 strong innings as Tampa Bay edged Toronto, 1-0, in the second tilt of a three-game series at Tropicana Field.
Garza (11-7) allowed only six hits without a run for the Rays, who snapped a two-game losing streak and moved four games ahead of Boston for first place in the AL East. The Red Sox and Yankees contest has yet to be completed.
Joe Inglett collected a pair of hits for the Blue Jays, who have dropped three of five.
David Purcey (2-5) pitched well in defeat, scattering five hits and allowing one run over eight innings, and fanning a career-best 11 batters without a walk.
Pena's 27th home run of the season, a solo shot, broke a scoreless deadlock and put the Rays on the board in the fourth.
Garza did not allow a runner to advance past second for the duration of his outing but departed in the eighth after allowing a pair of two-out walks to Alex Rios and Vernon Wells.
Grant Balfour came in and got Adam Lind to strike out, then Dan Wheeler earned his ninth save after a scoreless ninth.
Rays left fielder Justin Ruggiano preserved the shutout and the win with a spectacular diving catch at the wall in left-center on a liner from Rod Barajas.
Game Notes
Tampa has won 10 of the 14 meetings in 2008...Garza is unbeaten in his last four starts, with a pair of wins and two no-decisions.
<< Portland signs F Jackson, two rookies
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers signed a trio
of players Wednesday including forward Luke Jackson and two rookies, center
Steven Hill and guard Jamaal Tatum.
Per team policy, terms of the contracts were no
<< Braves obtain Dessens
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves signed pitcher Elmer
Dessens on Wednesday to a contract through the end of this season. He is
expected to be added to the club's roster later this week.
Dessens, 37, last pitche
<< Buscher leads the way as Twins clip Mariners
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Buscher's pinch hit two-run single in
the eighth inning proved to be the difference as Minnesota fought back to beat
Seattle, 6-5, in the finale of a three-game set at Safeco Field.
Denard Span added
<< Gerut, Padres rally to complete sweep of Diamondbacks
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jody Gerut had three hits, including the
game-winning RBI single in the eighth, as San Diego defeated Arizona, 5-4, to
complete a three-game sweep of the NL West-leading Diamondbacks.
Nick Hundley hit
Around FCS: PFL Must Replace Stars >>
Philadelphia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pioneer Football League has experienced
something of a renaissance era in the past few years with players like San
Diego's Josh Johnson and Eric Bakhtiari and Dayton's Kevin Hoyng passing
through the league.
O's dodge the brooms with big win over ChiSox >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Melvin Mora, Aubrey Huff and Kevin Millar
all homered as Baltimore avoided a sweep by routing Chicago, 11-3, in the
finale of a three-game set at Camden Yards.
Brian Roberts was 2-for-5 with three R
Redding, Nats edge reeling Dodgers >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Redding pitched six solid innings and
Ryan Zimmerman hit his first home run since May 17, as the Washington
Nationals held on for a 5-4 win over the reeling Los Angeles Dodgers, in the
second
Delgado leads Mets past Phils, back into first place >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Delgado hit a pair of home runs
and drove in three, as the New York Mets rallied to beat Philadelphia, 6-3,
and leapfrog the Phillies to retake the lead in the NL East.
In the first game o
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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