El Duque pitches Mets to win in opener of twinbill

Baseball Betting Lines

07/28/2007 - Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Orlando Hernandez tossed seven solid innings as the New York Mets edged the Washington Nationals, 3-1, in the opener of a day/night doubleheader at Shea Stadium.

Hernandez (7-4) struck out eight and gave up just one run on three hits with a pair of walks for the Mets, who put the brakes on a brief two-game skid.

Ruben Gotay went 2-for-4 and hit the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning for New York.

With the score tied at 1-1 after Felipe Lopez's one-out homer in the sixth, Jose Reyes doubled off Saul Rivera (4-3) in the seventh inning and scored on Gotay's single to right. Gotay later scored in the inning on a Carlos Delgado single to give the Mets a two-run advantage.

Aaron Heilman pitched the eighth and Billy Wagner worked around an error in the ninth to earn his 24th save of the season.

D'Angelo Jimenez had the other two hits for Washington, while the rest of the Nationals' lineup, other than Lopez and Jimenez, combined to go 0-for-23.

Washington saw its two-game winning streak come to an end.

Nats starter Tim Redding pitched six solid innings, giving up a run on five hits with a career-high tying eight strikeouts and four walks.

New York struck in the fourth inning as Delgado walked and Ramon Castro singled to put runners on the corners for Lastings Milledge, who gave the Mets a 1-0 lead with a double to left.

Hernandez, meanwhile, struck out four straight batters before Lopez sent a 1-1 pitch over the right field wall in the sixth inning to tie the game.

Game Notes

Hernandez improved to 3-2 in five career starts against the Nationals...In the nightcap, Mike Pelfrey will toe the mound for New York against Washington's Joel Hanrahan, who will be making his major league debut.

Vbssports Baseball Betting News

<< We could be looking at a dull deadline day
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rumors are running rampant as we draw closer to Tuesday's trade deadline for Major League Baseball. Unfortunately I think that's all they are, just rumors. Sure, you are going to have the minor deals like we saw in the pas

<< Romero soars into Deutsche Bank lead with a 63
Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anders Romero coughed up the lead late in the final round of last week's British Open, but obviously he isn't letting that bother him. Romero carded the low round of the day Saturday, as he fired a

<< Bonds goes for history against Marlins, Willis
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Bonds will try and match Hank Aaron's all-time home run record this evening when the San Francisco Giants play the second game of their three-game series with the Florida Marlins at AT&T Park. Bonds connected for h

<< Inkster moves out in front in France
Evian-les-Bains, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juli Inkster posted a three-under 69 Saturday to move two strokes clear of the field after three rounds of the Evian Masters. Inkster completed 54 holes at six-under-par 210. Jeong Jang, the 2005 Wo

<< Monaco to meet Starace in Kitzbuhel final
Kitzbuhel, Austria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fifth-seeded Argentine Juan Monaco will face 10th-seeded Italian Potito Starace in Sunday's final of the $1.079 million Austrian Open. After upsetting top-seed and world No. 7 Tommy Robredo

Ginn takes Senior British lead with a 69 >>
Gullane, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stewart Ginn posted a three-under 69 Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after 54 holes of the Senior British Open Championship. Ginn, the 2002 Ford Senior Players Championship winner, stands at thr

Angels place C Napoli on DL >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Angels placed catcher Mike Napoli on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a strained right hamstring. The injury occurred in the second inning of the Angels' game against Detroit on Friday. Napoli is

Mets recall Pelfrey >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets recalled pitcher Mike Pelfrey from Triple-A New Orleans Saturday in time to start the second half of a day/night doubleheader against Washington. Pelfrey has struggled in nine ga

Craig, Rosen say they rate Aaron ahead of Bonds >>
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -Count Roger Craig and Al Rosen among the baseball old-timers who don't believe Barry Bonds will eclipse Hank Aaron, no matter how many more home runs he hits.``I think Hank Aaron was the better all-around player,'' Craig, a forme

Lo Duca leaves game with apparent leg injury >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Paul Lo Duca left the New York Mets' game against the Washington Nationals on Saturday night with an apparent leg injury.The All-Star catcher was rounding second after Lastings Milledge's seventh-inning single when he grabbed his righ

El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.