Rays try to keep shining against Royals

Baseball Betting Lines

07/05/2008 - (Baseball Betting) - The Tampa Bay Rays will attempt to extend their winning streak to six games this evening, as they continue a four-game series with the Kansas City Royals at Tropicana Field.

Expected to pitch for the surprising Rays will be Andy Sonnanstine, who is 9-3 despite a 4.60 ERA. Has has been outstanding lately, going 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA in his last three outings. Sonnanstine has surrendered 122 hits in 101 2/3 innings of work, but he has yielded only 19 walks during that span.

Tonights game marks just the second career appearance for Sonnanstine against the Royals.

Fans of the Royals rarely have anything to cheer about, but at least the faithful can watch Zach Greinke pitch every fifth day. The impressive young hurler continues to improve, and he is currently 7-4 this season with a 3.65 ERA. He has more innings pitched than hits allowed and is 2-0 in his last three outings.

Greinke is 0-1 lifetime against Tampa with a 4.03 ERA.

On Friday, Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer and finished with five runs batted in, as the Rays crushed the Royals, 11-2. Carl Crawford went 3-for-5, scored three times and had two RBI for the Rays, who have won nine of their last 10.

Edwin Jackson (5-6) took the win as he lasted eight frames and gave up two runs -- only one earned -- on four hits while striking out two and walking one.

Mark Grudzielanek had a solo home run for the Royals, who have dropped three of four.

Brian Bannister (7-8) was dealt the loss after he was touched for seven runs -- six earned -- on eight hits in five innings of work.

Kansas City won four of seven last year against the Rays. The clubs split four games in Tampa in 2007.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.