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This is a Graffiti Wall - Quick Hit - Handicapping Tip - Session 7

This was originally in Episode # 5 and has been edited, isolating some of my strategies of how to bet the 2nd half in the NFL and College Football.

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Graffiti Wall Podcast 13 - “3 EZ MLB Handicapping Tips”

Saturday, July 28th, 2007

Opening Track: The Tony Williams Lifetime - “Pronto-Cosmos”

Drummer World: Tony Williams

In Graffiti Wall Podcast 13 - Tommy Mac covers:

- Why do you play the complete tracks in each of your podcasts?

- Online Crush Shots are currently shut down until further notice

- 3 EZ MLB Handicapping Tips

- Featured on Graffiti Wall Podcast 13, “3 EZ MLB Handicapping Tips”

Out Track: Tracy Chapman - “Your The One”

Producer: David Kershenbaum

Time of Podcast Approx: 32Min 30Sec

“YOUR THE ONE” - LYRICS

Some say you’re crazy Say that you’re no good Say your family’s cursed with bad blood But I think you’re cute and misunderstood And I wouldn’t change you if I could

Let’em talk you down Call you names My mind’s made up It ain’t gonna change I’m sure in my heart Happy and free You’re the one you’re the one You’re the one for me

Some say you’re bitter Think you’re mean Uncouth untamed and unrestrained But I think you’re sensitive and sweet Stay as you are don’t change a thing

Let’em talk you down Call you names My mind’s made up It ain’t gonna change I’m sure in my heart Happy and free You’re the one you’re the one You’re the one for me

Some say you’re bawdy Wicked and wild A restless useless juvenile But I think you’re funny and I like your smile Want to be with you want you to stay awhile

Let’em talk you down Call you names My mind’s made up It ain’t gonna change I’m sure in my heart Happy and free You’re the one you’re the one You’re the one for me

A no count mixed up Amount to nothing A day away from a bum on the street Some low class kind of royalty That’s what they say about you When they’re talking to me

Some say you’re bad A bad bad seed You love to play with fire you love gambling But I know what you love and I know what you need And I like it when you play with me

Let’em talk you down Call you names My mind’s made up It ain’t gonna change I’m sure in my heart Happy and free You’re the one you’re the one You’re the one for me

 Standard Podcasts [32:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Hits (147)

This is a Graffiti Wall - Quick Hit - Handicapping Tip - Session 7

This was originally in Episode # 5 and has been edited, isolating some of my strategies of how to bet the 2nd half in the NFL and College Football.

Technorati Profile

Listen Now:

 Standard Podcasts [10:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download | Embeddable Player | Hits (1825)

Graffiti Wall Podcast 13 - “3 EZ MLB Handicapping Tips”

Saturday, July 28th, 2007

Opening Track: The Tony Williams Lifetime - “Pronto-Cosmos”

Drummer World: Tony Williams

In Graffiti Wall Podcast 13 - Tommy Mac covers:

- Why do you play the complete tracks in each of your podcasts?

- Online Crush Shots are currently shut down until further notice

- 3 EZ MLB Handicapping Tips

- Featured on Graffiti Wall Podcast 13, “3 EZ MLB Handicapping Tips”

Out Track: Tracy Chapman - “Your The One”

Producer: David Kershenbaum

Time of Podcast Approx: 32Min 30Sec

“YOUR THE ONE” - LYRICS

Some say you’re crazy Say that you’re no good Say your family’s cursed with bad blood But I think you’re cute and misunderstood And I wouldn’t change you if I could

Let’em talk you down Call you names My mind’s made up It ain’t gonna change I’m sure in my heart Happy and free You’re the one you’re the one You’re the one for me

Some say you’re bitter Think you’re mean Uncouth untamed and unrestrained But I think you’re sensitive and sweet Stay as you are don’t change a thing

Let’em talk you down Call you names My mind’s made up It ain’t gonna change I’m sure in my heart Happy and free You’re the one you’re the one You’re the one for me

Some say you’re bawdy Wicked and wild A restless useless juvenile But I think you’re funny and I like your smile Want to be with you want you to stay awhile

Let’em talk you down Call you names My mind’s made up It ain’t gonna change I’m sure in my heart Happy and free You’re the one you’re the one You’re the one for me

A no count mixed up Amount to nothing A day away from a bum on the street Some low class kind of royalty That’s what they say about you When they’re talking to me

Some say you’re bad A bad bad seed You love to play with fire you love gambling But I know what you love and I know what you need And I like it when you play with me

Let’em talk you down Call you names My mind’s made up It ain’t gonna change I’m sure in my heart Happy and free You’re the one you’re the one You’re the one for me

MLB 08/04/2007 7:05 PM EDT 951 colorado rockies (r) jimenez, u 9.5u20 9.5u20 952 atlanta braves (r) hudson, t -175 -175 -185 ***TIME CHANGE***

KEY MOVES BY BETTING PUBLIC TODAY est (posted later today)

Time of Play Game Date Game # Team 8:03:36am 2007-08-04 977 CLE +108 7:44:15am 2007-08-04 952 ATL -185 7:01:10am 2007-08-04 970 NYY -230

Saturday August 4th, 2007 from San Jose, Costa Rica ~ One play by consensus from the BIG BOYS last night as we were all over the Reds/M. Belisle/+128 MONEY! as they CRUSHED the Buckos FINAL: 13-4

~ Our VIP Late Steam Phone Service is Officially CLOSED now to the general betting public, as we are full and will not open it up again to the public until further notice.

~ On a 70-20 MLB downhill RUN!

~ Call 702-990-0126 if your a VIP Late Steam Hotline Member for customer service!

3:55 PM EDT 953 new york mets (r) maine, j 954 chicago cubs (l) lilly, t -110/-105/-106 -107

7:05 PM EDT 955 houston astros (r) jennings, j 9.5 9.5 956 florida marlins (r) mitre, s -151 -151

7:05 PM EDT 957 cincinnati reds (l) livingston, b 958 pittsburgh pirates (r) morris, m

7:05 PM EDT 959 philadelphia phillies(l) hamels, c 960 milwaukee brewers (r) bush, d

7:05 PM EDT 961 st. louis cardinals (r) pineiro, j 9o15 9o20 962 washington nationals(r) hanrahan, j -111 -110

10:05 PM EDT 963 san francisco giants (l) misch, pat 8.5/8u20 8.5 964 san diego padres (r) hensley, c -131 / -126 -131 Pat Misch: 2-5, 2.30era, 74-19 k/bb,; 34g, 3starts @ AAA Fresno; 0-1, 4.91era in 6 relief app. w/SF

10:10 PM EDT 965 arizona diamondbacks (r) hernandez, l 8o20 966 los angeles dodgers (r) lowe, d -166 -174

1:05 PM EDT 967 texas rangers (r) loe, k 9o15 9.5u20 968 toronto blue jays (r) marcum, s -175 -175

1:05 PM EDT 969 kansas city royals (r) davies, k 11 11 970 new york yankees (r) hughes, p -220 -220 -230

3:55 PM EDT 971 los angeles angels (r) escobar, k -130 / -132 -134 972 oakland athletics (r) blanton, j 8 8

7:05 PM EDT 973 chicago white sox (r) vazquez, j 9o15 9o15 974 detroit tigers (r) bonderman, j -145 -145

7:10 PM EDT 975 baltimore orioles (l) burres, b 9u15 9u15 976 tampa bay devil rays (l) kazmir, s -134 -134

3:55 PM EDT 977 cleveland indians (l) laffey, aaron 9.5u20 9.5u20 978 minnesota twins (r) garza, m -121 -121 ***TIME CHANGE***; Aaron Laffey(L): 7-3, 3.28era, 62-19 k/bb in; 82.1 IP, 14g, 13starts @ AAA Buffalo

10:05 PM EDT 979 boston red sox (r) matsuzaka, d -145 / -141 -143 980 seattle mariners (l) washburn, j 8.5 8.5 Aaron Laffey(L): 7-3, 3.28era, 62-19 k/bb in; 82.1 IP, 14g, 13starts @ AAA Buffalo

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(Friday, August 3rd)

Final Score: New York 7, Kansas City 1

Bronx, NY - Alex Rodriguez remained at 499 career homers, but knocked in one run, and Chien-Ming Wang threw into the eighth inning for his 13th victory, as New York beat Kansas City, 7-1, in the opener of a three-game series. Melky Cabrera had three hits, including a two-run ground-rule double on a strange bounce during the sixth inning, as the Yankees posted their fourth win in five games. Robinson Cano homered for the Yankees, who are 11-3 against the Royals since the start of last year. Wang (13-5) scattered seven hits and allowed one run over seven-plus innings to win his third consecutive start. The Taiwanese righty has won 10 of his last 11 decisions. The 32-year-old Rodriguez, in a bid to become the youngest player to hit 500 homers, grounded out in the first, doubled in the third, walked in the fifth, hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth, and flied out to right to end the eighth. Ross Gload drove in the lone run for the Royals, losers in three of their last four games. Odalis Perez (6-10) yielded eight hits and four runs over five- plus frames to suffer the loss.

Final Score: Toronto 6, Texas 4

Toronto, ON - Frank Thomas and Gregg Zaun each knocked in two runs, as the Toronto Blue Jays held off the Texas Rangers, 6-4, in the opener of a three-game set at Rogers Centre. Vernon Wells finished with three singles, scored two runs and had an RBI for the Blue Jays, who have two wins over their last three games. Toronto starter Roy Halladay gave up four runs on seven hits in six-plus innings. Halladay (12-5) also struck out nine and walked two in the win. Ian Kinsler had two hits and knocked in three runs for the Rangers, who have lost two straight. Kevin Millwood started for Texas and lasted just four innings, allowing three runs on eight hits in a no decision. The loss went to relief pitcher Jamey Wright (3-4), who was tagged for three runs — two earned — on five hits in four frames. Final Score: Chicago 7, Detroit 4

Detroit, MI - Juan Uribe went 2-for-4 with a grand slam to lead Chicago over Detroit, 7-4, in the opener of a three-game set at Comerica Park. Paul Konerko collected two hits and scored a run for the White Sox, who have won two straight after a three-game slide. Jermaine Dye and Josh Fields also homered. Mark Buehrle (9-6) allowed three runs and seven hits with three strikeouts and a pair of walks over eight innings to earn his second consecutive win and third in four starts. The 28-year-old southpaw won in his first start since becoming a father earlier in the week. Andrew Miller (5-4) took the loss for Detroit. The young left-hander departed the game due to a left hamstring strain after allowing seven hits and six runs with five strikeouts and a walk over just four innings. Magglio Ordonez went 3-for-4 with two RBI for the A.L. Central-leading Tigers, who have lost five of six. Ivan Rodriguez and Mike Hessman each knocked in a run.

Final Score: Baltimore 3, Tampa Bay 1

St. Petersburg, FL - Aubrey Huff belted a three-run homer and Daniel Cabrera threw seven strong innings as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 3-1, in the first of three between the clubs at Tropicana Field. Cabrera (8-11) yielded four hits and one run, while walking one and striking out three. Nick Markakis had two hits for the Orioles, who have won eight of 11. James Shields (8-7) surrendered three runs on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Carlos Pena had two hits and scored the lone run for the Devil Rays, who have lost two of three.

Final Score: Cleveland 5, Minnesota 2

Minneapolis, MN - Grady Sizemore went 3-for-5 with a two- run home run and four RBI as Cleveland topped Minnesota, 5-2, in the opener of a four-game set at the Metrodome. C.C. Sabathia (14-6) allowed eight hits and two runs over six innings to nab the win. Joe Borowski pitched a scoreless inning in relief to earn his 30th save. Franklin Gutierrez had two hits and scored two runs for the Indians, who have won two in a row and took a half-game lead over Detroit in the A.L. Central following a four-game losing skid. Johan Santana (11-9) was charged with six hits and five runs — three earned — in six-plus frames, fanning eight and walking two en route to losing his third straight decision. Torii Hunter was 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Twins, who have lost two in a row after a four-game win streak. Michael Cuddyer collected two hits and scored a run in his return from a stint on the disabled list with a sprained right thumb.

Final Score: Oakland 8, LA Angels of Anaheim 4

Oakland, CA - Dan Johnson’s RBI double highlighted a five- run eighth as the Oakland Athletics beat the Angels, 8-4, in the second test of a four-game series at McAfee Coliseum. Oakland starter Lenny DiNardo allowed three runs on five hits, while walking two and striking out two over six innings. Santiago Casilla (3-1) gave up a run in the eighth, but got the win for the A’s, who have won three of four. Guerrero hit two homers for the second consecutive game for the Angels, who have lost two of three. Angels starter Dustin Moseley was tagged for three runs on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. Scot Shields (3-4) took the loss, allowing all five runs in the eighth.

Final Score: Seattle 7, Boston 4

Seattle, WA - Yuniesky Betancourt homered and finished with four RBI, as the Seattle Mariners topped the Boston Red Sox, 7-4, in the opener of a three-game series at Safeco Field. Kenji Johjima added a two-run home run for Seattle, which has won six of its last seven contests and now trails the first-place Angels by 2 1/2 games in the AL West. Horacio Ramirez got the start and yielded four runs on 10 hits over four-plus innings. The bullpen combined to pitch five shutout innings from there, with Sean Green (5-1) picking up the win and J.J. Putz working the ninth for his 32nd save of the season. David Ortiz finished with a home run and two RBI for the Red Sox, who have lost 10 straight in Seattle. Jon Lester yielded four runs over five frames and Mike Timlin (1-1) took the loss after allowing three runs — two earned — in just 1 1/3 innings.

Final Score: New York 6, Chicago 2

Chicago, IL - Ruben Gotay went 2-for-4 with a run-scoring single as the New York Mets scored four runs in the ninth inning to down the Chicago Cubs, 6-2, in the opener of a three-game set at Wrigley Field. Orlando Hernandez started for New York and gave up two runs on five hits in 6 2/3 frames. Hernandez also fanned a season-high nine and walked one. Guillermo Mota (1-0) was credited with the victory after pitching a scoreless eighth inning. Ramon Castro hit a solo home run for the Mets, who have won three straight and four of their last five. Chicago starter Carlos Zambrano pitched five-plus innings, allowing just two hits including a home run, to go along with seven walks and five strikeouts. He left in the sixth inning with heat-related cramping. Ryan Dempster (2-4) absorbed the loss after giving up all four runs in the ninth on five hits. Derrek Lee hit a solo home run for the struggling Cubs, who have dropped five of their last seven games overall and fell a game behind Milwaukee for first place in the NL Central. The Brewers edged Philadelphia, 2-1, Friday night.

Final Score: Houston 8, Florida 2

Miami, FL - Houston ace Roy Oswalt threw six innings to win his third straight start, and Eric Bruntlett knocked in four runs, as the Astros topped the Florida Marlins, 8-2, to open a three-game series. Oswalt (11-6) also got his 2007 road record a little closer to .500, moving to 4-5 in 11 such appearances. He allowed one run on four hits with a walk struck out five. Chris Burke homered for the Astros, who won their second straight. Bruntlett went 3-for-4 and also scored. Florida left-hander Dontrelle Willis (7-11), who is mired in the worst slump of his career by going 0-8 in 12 starts since May 29, gave up three runs on six hits with five strikeouts and a walk over 6 1/3 innings. Jeremy Hermida homered for the Marlins, who have dropped nine of 11. Hanley Ramirez ended 3-for-4 in the loss.

Final Score: Cincinnati 13, Pittsburgh 4

Pittsburgh, PA - Scott Hatteberg launched a three-run home run as the Cincinnati Reds crushed the Pittsburgh Pirates, 13-4, in the opener of a three-game set at PNC Park. Jeff Keppinger knocked in three runs while Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn and Alex Gonzalez each went deep for the Reds, who ended a five-game losing streak. For Griffey, it was his 26th home run of the season and No. 589 for his career. Matt Belisle (6-8) picked up his first win in his last 11 starts after giving up three runs on nine hits through six innings of work. Ryan Doumit hit a two-run home run for the Pirates, who saw their modest two- game winning streak come to an end. Pirates starter Ian Snell (7-10) was tagged for six runs on 10 hits over five innings of work. The left-hander has struggled since the All-Star break, giving up 39 hits and 24 earned runs through 26 innings over the course of a personal five-game losing streak.

Final Score: Washington 3, St. Louis 2

Washington, DC - Ryan Zimmerman knocked in the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth, as the Washington Nationals earned a 3-2 victory over St. Louis in the opener of a three-game series at RFK Stadium. Ronnie Belliard and Felipe Lopez added an RBI apiece for Washington, which tied a season high with its fourth straight win. Tim Redding got the start and tossed 6 1/3 strong innings, yielding just one run on seven hits with eight strikeouts. Chad Cordero (2-2) got the win after tossing a scoreless ninth. Kip Wells opposed Redding and was nearly as good, yielding a pair of runs over six frames. Ryan Franklin (4-1), though, was ineffective in the ninth for the Cardinals, who have lost three in a row. Pinch-hitter Tony Batista got to Franklin immediately with a leadoff single, and Felipe Lopez followed with a fielder’s choice grounder. Lopez then moved to second on Belliard’s base hit a batter later before Zimmerman stepped in and hit a single to left, scoring Lopez to give Washington its 11th home win in 13 tries.

Final Score: Colorado 9, Atlanta 2

Atlanta, GA - Jeff Francis ran his unbeaten streak to 10 games, as he guided the Colorado Rockies to a 9-2 win over the Atlanta Braves in the opener of a three-game series at Turner Field. Francis (12-5) tossed six innings of one-run, six-hit ball with eight strikeouts for the Rockies, who have won five of their last six. Francis is 7-0 in his last 10 outings. Garrett Atkins went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer to pace the offense, while Troy Tulowitzki and Matt Holliday added two RBI apiece. Mark Teixeira homered for the third time in as many games with Atlanta, which has now dropped two straight. The newly-acquired Teixeira, obtained in the trade deadline deal with Texas, is the first Atlanta player since Gary Sheffield back in 2002 to hit homers in each of his first three games with the club. John Smoltz (10-6) took the loss after letting up seven runs — five earned — in 6 2/3 frames.

Final Score: Milwaukee 2, Philadelphia 1

Milwaukee, WI - Yovani Gallardo threw 6 2/3 solid innings as the Milwaukee Brewers edged the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1, in the first of a three-game set at Miller Park. Gallardo (4-1) yielded just one run and four hits while striking out seven and walking one. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder had an RBI apiece for the Brewers, who won for just the third time in 10 games. Milwaukee moved back into the NL Central lead, one game over the second-place Cubs who dropped a 6-2 decision to the Mets earlier today. Pat Burrell homered for the Phillies, who have lost three of four since a four-game winning streak. Kyle Kendrick (5-2) went seven innings, allowing two runs on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts.

Final Score: San Diego 4, San Francisco 3 (10 innings)

San Diego, CA - Barry Bonds has homered against San Diego more than any other club in his career, but he’s had a difficult time sending balls over the wall at Petco Park, and that trend continued on Friday in a 4-3 10-inning loss to the Padres. Bonds went 0-for-4 and remained stuck at 754 career home runs, one shy of Hank Aaron’s record, and San Francisco’s bullpen blew the lead for a second time in three nights. Scott Hairston tied the game with a three-run homer in the eighth and won it with a two-out drive barely over the wall in left-center in the 10th inning. Despite having 86 of his homers against the Padres, Bonds has only three of them at Petco Park, which opened for the 2004 season. In fact, he’s hitting .169 in 25 career games in the spacious stadium. On Friday he faced future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, who fanned the Giants slugger on a called third strike in the first inning. Bonds grounded out to end the third, flied out to right in the sixth and grounded out again in the eighth before being replaced by Fred Lewis in left field. Bonds is 2-for-18 with a pair of singles and 10 walks since moving within one homer of Aaron last Friday against Florida. Hairston, in the game for an injured Milton Bradley, belted the tying three- run homer off Vinnie Chulk in the bottom of the eighth inning. Hairston then took a 3-2 pitch from Jack Taschner (2-1) barely beyond the glove of Rajai Davis and over the wall to send the Padres to their second straight win. Heath Bell (5-3) struck out two batters in the top of the inning to get the victory. Dave Roberts had four hits and two RBI for the Giants. Matt Cain was on track to snap a three-game losing streak after striking out 11 over 7 1/3 innings, but the Giants bullpen coughed up the lead in the eighth inning, and San Francisco ended up losing for the second time in three games. They also lost 6-4 at Los Angeles on Wednesday when blowing another eighth- inning advantage.

Final Score: Arizona 1, Los Angeles 0

Los Angeles, CA - Doug Davis pitched eight three-hit shutout innings and Chris Snyder homered in the seventh, as the top two teams in the competitive National League West division squared off for a crucial three-game series that began in Los Angeles where the red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks downed the Dodgers, 1-0. Davis (8-10), who extended his string of quality starts to six games posting a 3-1 record along the way, walked only one batter and had four strikeouts. Jose Valverde struck out two of three batters in a perfect ninth for his 32nd save of the season. Arizona has vaulted to the top spot in the West by winning 11 of its last 13 games, and took a two-game lead on the Dodgers. Los Angeles has relinquished the division lead to the Diamondbacks with losses in seven of its nine most recent contests.

Los Angeles, CA - Doug Davis pitched eight three-hit shutout innings and Chris Snyder homered in the seventh, as the top two teams in the competitive National League West division squared off for a crucial three-game series that began in Los Angeles where the red-hot Arizona Diamondbacks downed the Dodgers, 1-0.

Davis (8-10), who extended his string of quality starts to six games posting a 3-1 record along the way, walked only one batter and had four strikeouts. Jose Valverde struck out two of three batters in a perfect ninth for his 32nd save of the season.

“That was my best game of the season,” Davis said, “stuff-wise and I threw strikes. I threw a lot of junk and kept them off balance, and Chris gave us all we needed.”

Arizona has vaulted to the top spot in the West by winning 11 of its last 13 games, and took a two-game lead on the Dodgers. Los Angeles has relinquished the division lead to the Diamondbacks with losses in seven of its nine most recent contests.

Impressive LA youngster Chad Billingsley (7-2), who won his first seven decisions of 2007 before also having run into trouble Sunday at Colorado’s Coors Field, allowed one run on five hits with two walks and eight strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings.

Excluding Snyder’s homer, the old-fashioned pitcher’s duel resulted in eight total hits none of which were for extra bases.

After seven scoreless innings, Arizona got on the board on Snyder’s lead-off homer just inside the left-field pole on a 1-0 pitch.

“I was just trying to get on base and I got a pitch I could drive,” Snyder said. “It turned out well. When Doug is on his game, it makes my job easy.”

LA got a runner on third in the first, when Juan Pierre singled, stole second and got to third on a Davis throwing error, but Olmedo Saenz flied out to right field to end the inning.

Game Notes

Prior to the game,the Diamondbacks claimed infielder Jeff Cirillo off waivers from the Minnesota Twins and pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim from the Florida Marlins; and transferred Randy Johnson from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list and designated infielder Brian Barden for assignment…Despite the shutout, the Dodgers have fared quite well when facing Arizona so far this season. Los Angeles has won seven of the 10 encounters between the division foes and is 9-4 in its last 13 home games against the Diamondbacks.

San Diego, CA - Barry Bonds has homered against San Diego more than any other club in his career, but he’s had a difficult time sending balls over the wall at Petco Park, and that trend continued on Friday in a 4-3 10-inning loss to the Padres.

Bonds went 0-for-4 and remained stuck at 754 career home runs, one shy of Hank Aaron’s record, and San Francisco’s bullpen blew the lead for a second time in three nights. Scott Hairston tied the game with a three-run homer in the eighth and won it with a two-out drive barely over the wall in left-center in the 10th inning.

Despite having 86 of his homers against the Padres, Bonds has only three of them at Petco Park, which opened for the 2004 season. In fact, he’s hitting .169 in 25 career games in the spacious stadium. On Friday he faced future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, who fanned the Giants slugger on a called third strike in the first inning. Bonds grounded out to end the third, flied out to right in the sixth and grounded out again in the eighth before being replaced by Fred Lewis in left field.

Bonds is 2-for-18 with a pair of singles and 10 walks since moving within one homer of Aaron last Friday against Florida.

Hairston, in the game for an injured Milton Bradley, belted the tying three- run homer off Vinnie Chulk in the bottom of the eighth inning. Hairston then took a 3-2 pitch from Jack Taschner (2-1) barely beyond the glove of Rajai Davis and over the wall to send the Padres to their second straight win.

Heath Bell (5-3) struck out two batters in the top of the inning to get the victory.

Dave Roberts had four hits and two RBI for the Giants.

Matt Cain was on track to snap a three-game losing streak after striking out 11 over 7 1/3 innings, but the Giants bullpen coughed up the lead in the eighth inning, and San Francisco ended up losing for the second time in three games. They also lost 6-4 at Los Angeles on Wednesday when blowing another eighth-inning advantage.

Geoff Blum singled, and with one out Rob Mackowiak doubled in the bottom of the eighth. Chulk then came into the game and retired Mike Cameron on a foul pop, but Hairston then struck a first pitch over the wall in left field. It was his first homer in a Padres uniform, one week after being acquired from Arizona.

The Giants nearly went ahead in the ninth, but Mark Sweeney was cut down at the plate trying to score from first on Roberts’ double down the right-field line.

The Padres had a golden opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the ninth, putting runners on first and third after singles by Blum and pinch- hitter Josh Bard. However, Steve Kline came in from the bullpen and fanned Mackowiak to send the game into extra innings.

Maddux, who was aiming for his 341st career victory, remained winless in his last seven outings as he gave up eight hits and three runs over 6 1/3 innings.

Roberts doubled with one out in the third and scored later in the inning on a Ray Durham groundout, but Bonds left Randy Winn at third when he grounded out sharply to second base.

The Giants expanded their lead to 3-0 in the seventh. Bengie Molina singled, and Omar Vizquel doubled with one out. Cla Meredith then replaced Maddux and retired Cain on a ground ball. However, Roberts followed with a two-run double to right field, as the ball short-hopped off the glove of first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

Game Notes

The Giants have played in front of 24 consecutive sellout crowds, and this series is already sold out…Clay Hensley will pitch to Bonds in Saturday’s game. Bonds is 2-for-11 lifetime against the right-hander with no homers and five walks…Bonds has connected for eight homers off Maddux, but none since May 1, 1998 at Atlanta…Bradley left the game with a strained right hamstring…MLB commissioner Bud Selig was in attendance…The Padres are 7-3 versus the Giants this year.

Oakland, CA - Dan Johnson’s RBI double highlighted a five- run eighth as the Oakland Athletics beat the Angels, 8-4, in the second test of a four-game series at McAfee Coliseum.

Trailing 4-3, Oakland scored five runs off Scot Shields (3-4) in the home half of the eighth. Mike Piazza singled with one out, and with two down Marco Scutaro singled to right. On the play Vladimir Guerrero hesitated between throwing to third and home. He double clutched before throwing home, but missed cutoff man Robb Quinlan. The ball bounced down the third-base line, allowing pinch-runner J.J. Furmaniak to score and Scutaro to reach second.

Johnson then doubled to center, scoring Scutaro and putting the A’s on top for good. Donnie Murphy added an RBI single and Travis Buck a two-RBI double to cap the scoring.

Oakland starter Lenny DiNardo allowed three runs on five hits, while walking two and striking out two over six innings. Santiago Casilla (3-1) gave up a run in the eighth, but got the win for the A’s, who have won three of four.

Guerrero hit two homers for the second consecutive game for the Angels, who have lost two of three.

Angels starter Dustin Moseley was tagged for three runs on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings.

Oakland jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third. Murphy was hit by a pitch and Buck walked before Mark Kotsay hit an RBI ground-rule double to right center. The A’s then added two more runs on back-to-back groundouts by Jack Cust and Piazza.

With one out in the sixth, Reggie Willits and Chone Figgins singled before Guerrero tied the game, crushing 3-1 pitch deep into the seats in right.

Guerrero then gave the Angels the lead in the top of the eighth with a solo shot to left, his 18th of the year.

Game Notes

Before his four homers in his last two games, Guerrero had not homered since June 23rd, a stretch of 30 games…Angels C Ryan Budde made his first big league start…Johnson’s double snapped an 0-for-17 streak…Guerrero hit two home runs in consecutive games for just the second time in his career, and the first since Sept. 17-18, 2000…Oakland second baseman Mark Ellis has not made an error in 69 consecutive games, one shy of the Oakland record….Attendance was 21,552.

Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Grady Sizemore went 3-for-5 with a two- run home run and four RBI as Cleveland topped Minnesota, 5-2, in the opener of a four-game set at the Metrodome.

C.C. Sabathia (14-6) allowed eight hits and two runs over six innings to nab the win. Joe Borowski pitched a scoreless inning in relief to earn his 30th save.

Franklin Gutierrez had two hits and scored two runs for the Indians, who have won two in a row and took a half-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central following a four-game losing skid.

“We still have a while to play,” Sizemore said. “We haven’t been playing our best, but you try to get on a roll. It’s not going to be the next week or two, it’s going to be the next two months. We have to play well on a day-to-day basis.”

Johan Santana (11-9) was charged with six hits and five runs — three earned — in six-plus frames, fanning eight and walking two en route to losing his third straight decision.

Torii Hunter was 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Twins, who have lost two in a row after a four-game win streak. Michael Cuddyer collected two hits and scored a run in his return from a stint on the disabled list with a sprained right thumb.

“Anytime you go up against a quality pitcher like him, you’re not going to get a whole lot of opportunities,” Twins designated hitter Mike Redmond said. “You have to take advantages when they come. Tonight they got the bigger hits and that was the difference.”

Already up by a run, the Tribe pushed across two more in the seventh to assume a 5-2 advantage.

Kenny Lofton began the frame by reaching on a fielding error, and moved to third on a base hit by Gutierrez. Matt Guerrier entered for Santana, and got Josh Barfield to fly out. Dennys Reyes relieved Guerrier and gave up a run- scoring single to Sizemore. Pat Neshek was called on to face Casey Blake, and his grounder to short netted the Twins an out at second, but Alexi Casilla’s throw to first was wild and scored Gutierrez. However, Blake was gunned down at second trying to advance on the miscue to end the inning.

From there, Rafael Betancourt and Borowski combined to hold the Twins hitless in the final two frames.

It has been a trying several days in the Twin Cities, as Santana publicly called out the Twins franchise on Tuesday, followed by the postponement of Wednesday’s game due to the I-35W bridge collapse near downtown.

Santana set aside his trouble and had an easy time through the first two innings, but in the third allowed a Barfield one-out single followed by a two- run homer by Sizemore.

Minnesota cut its deficit to 2-1 on Casilla’s single in the home half of the frame, then tied the game in the fourth on Hunter’s single which brought Cuddyer home.

Gutierrez led off the fifth with a triple, and scored two batters later on Sizemore’s base hit to reclaim a one-run lead.

Game Notes

Cleveland leads the season series 7-2, halting a two-game Minnesota win streak…Twins third baseman Nick Punto left four runners on base in an 0- for-3 game which left him hitless in his last 16 at-bats…The Tribe improved to 54-19 this season when scoring four or more runs…Santana has not beaten Cleveland since last August…Attendance was 31,664.