A-Rod goes deep twice as Yanks come back to rout Bucs

Baseball Betting Lines

06/10/2007 - Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez homered twice and Bobby Abreu finished 4-for-4 with four runs scored and three runs batted in, leading the New York Yankees to a 13-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates and a sweep of the three-game interleague series at Yankee Stadium.

Rodriguez, who finished with four runs scored, clubbed a three-run homer in the fourth to erase a one-run deficit and added a two-run shot in the sixth. He has four multi-homer games this season and 48 in his career.

Abreu stroked a double, a triple and two singles to go along with a walk. Hideki Matsui added two runs batted in and Derek Jeter scored twice for New York, which has won a season-high six in a row and nine of its last 11 to claw within one game of the .500 mark (30-31).

Sean Henn (2-0) was credited with the win in two scoreless innings of relief. Yankee starter Tyler Clippard was roughed up for six runs on six hits and three walks in just 3 2/3 innings.

Former Yankee Shawn Chacon (2-1) took the loss in his return to the Bronx. The right-hander, who was an important acquisition for New York during the 2005 season, was shelled for seven runs on eight hits in just 3 1/3 innings.

Jose Bautista, Jose Castillo and Chris Duffy each drove in two runs for the Pirates, who have lost three straight and nine of their last 12.

The Yankees trailed 6-5 after Pittsburgh scored four in the top of the fourth, but New York regained the lead with one swing of the bat. After Jeter and Abreu each singled with one out to chase Chacon, Rodriguez greeted Josh Sharpless with a blast over the wall in left field for his 23rd home run of the season and an 8-6 advantage.

Henn worked in and out of trouble in the fifth, loading the bases with one out before fanning Ryan Doumit and getting Castillo on a grounder.

Rodriguez was at it again in the sixth, extending the Yankee lead to 10-6 with a two-run homer over the wall in right field, and New York tacked on three more in the seventh on an RBI single by Wil Nieves and a two-run double by Abreu.

Luis Vizcaino and Scott Proctor combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings before Mike Myers got the last three outs. New York's bullpen combined for 5 1/3 innings of three-hit relief.

The Yankees scored three times in the first. Johnny Damon led off with a base hit and took second as Jeter bounced back to the mound. Abreu then laced a run-scoring triple to the gap in left-center field and Rodriguez drew a walk before Matsui doubled to left-center. Abreu scored easily and Rodriguez was safe on a close play at the plate.

Pittsburgh answered with two in the second. Adam LaRoche drew a walk to start the inning and raced to third on a double by Doumit before Castillo singled up the middle to chase home both runners.

New York added two in the third. Abreu led off with a single and stole second before Rodriguez walked and Matsui dropped in a base hit to load the bases. After Robinson Cano lined out, Melky Cabrera bounced an infield single over the pitcher's mound to score one run and Miguel Cairo followed with a fly ball to deep center field to knock in another for a 5-2 edge.

The Pirates responded with four in the fourth. Xavier Nady drew a one-out walk, Doumit singled and Castillo walked to load the bases for Duffy, who drilled a double just inside the bag at first to score two runs. Bautista followed with a base hit to score two more, giving Pittsburgh a 6-5 lead and chasing Clippard from the game.

Game Notes

The Yankees swept a series for just the third time this season, having taken three from Cleveland in April and three at Texas in May...New York continues interleague play Tuesday when the Arizona Diamondbacks visit for the start of a three-game series...Pittsburgh returns home on Tuesday to open a three-game interleague set with Texas.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

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