Mets take rubber match from Cards thanks to Dickey, Davis

Baseball Betting Lines

07/29/2010 - Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Ike Davis hit a three-run homer and knuckballer R.A. Dickey went 8 1/3 innings, as the New York Mets earned a 4-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the rubber match of a three-game set at Citi Field.

Angel Pagan chipped in two hits including a triple and scored twice, while Carlos Beltran contributed a run-scoring single for the Mets, who won for only the third time in the last 10 games overall.

Dickey (7-4), who was working on three days rest after exiting his last start on Sunday with a left leg injury after 5 2/3 innings, was sensational. He yielded only four hits, finishing with two strikeouts and a pair of walks. Francisco Rodriguez retired the final two batters in the ninth to pick up his 22nd save of the season.

Jon Jay had a double for St. Louis, which has dropped five of seven since winning eight in a row. Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker and Colby Rasmus had the other Cardinal hits -- all singles.

Blake Hawksworth (4-7) worked six innings, allowing seven runs on four hits with three walks and as many strikeouts in taking the loss.

New York threatened in the second, but came up empty before putting up a three-spot in the third courtesy of Davis. Jose Reyes doubled to lead off the inning and Pagan singled to put runners on the corners. After Beltran flied out to shallow center, Davis jumped on a first-pitch changeup and crushed it into the centerfield seats.

Meanwhile, Dickey kept the Cardinals off the board with an effective knuckball and the Mets gave him another run to work with in the fifth. Pagan tripled into the right-field gap with one about and crossed the plate on Beltran's line drive base hit to left. New York was bidding for more, as Mike Hessman walked and Josh Thole followed with a single up the middle, however, Beltran was thrown out on the plate by centerfielder Jay.

Dickey retired nine Cardinal hitters in a row, then gave up a one-out eighth inning single to Schumaker, who advanced to second on a wild pitch with two away. Pinch-hitter Randy Winn bounced out to second to end the inning.

The Mets loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a hit batter in the home eighth, but Dickey grounded into a force out at the plate and Reyes grounded out to second to keep it a 4-0 game.

In the top of the ninth, Dickey gave up a base hit to pinch-hitter Rasmus and after retiring the next hitter, issued a walk to Jay which ended his outing at 118 pitches. Rodriguez came on and retired Albert Pujols on a fly ball and struck out Matt Holliday looking to lock down the win.

Game Notes

Mets third baseman David Wright was given the day off for rest...The Cardinals won two of three at home over the Mets from April 16-18, but lost four of six at Citi Field a season ago...New York went 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine, while St. Louis finished 0-for-5 with RISP and left four.

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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)

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