free baseball picks
Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Mike Lowell and Bobby Kielty both homered, and Jon Lester pitched brilliantly into the sixth inning as the Boston Red Sox edged the Colorado Rockies, 4-3, to win the 2007 World Series. David Ortiz and Jason Varitek both added run-scoring singles for the Red Sox, who finished a four-game sweep of the overmatched Rockies and became just the fourth franchise in Major League Baseball history to record sweeps in consecutive World Series appearances. "This team has got a lot of heart," Varitek said. "We worked real hard from the staff to the scouts to the teammates to everybody. We just beat a very, very good team, an excellent team. We had to do the little things, and we were able to."
Boston also won all four games against the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 Fall Classic and has now won eight straight World Series games overall.
"Well, I'll tell you, 2007 was a great year for baseball," Red Sox owner John Henry said. "It was a great, great year. I want to say, this Colorado team, what they accomplished, to get to the World Series was incredible, so we want to congratulate them. The people of Denver have been terrific to us. But for this organization to win, we were here three years ago last night. To win the second trophy is just an incredible accomplishment."
Lowell hit .400 with a homer and four RBI during the four games, earning series MVP honors.
"To come through when everybody thinks you won't win a championship and to still win that championship is very rewarding," Lowell said.
Lester (1-0), who underwent chemotherapy less than a year ago to cure cancer that threatened his baseball career, hurled 5 2/3 scoreless innings before being removed for Manny Delcarmen, who recorded the final out in the sixth inning.
"I'm ecstatic for him," Lowell said of Lester. "I don't think too many people expected him to be in that situation, and against a very good hitting team in a tough park to pitch in. He did an excellent job. I know we all know the story of what he's had to overcome. He's got a bright future, and not only that, he's a great person."
Both Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima faltered a bit and let Colorado back into the game but Jonathan Papelbon restored order and closed things out for the Red Sox with a five-out save.
Garrett Atkins had a two-run homer for the Rockies, who came into this series on an incredible run of winning 21 of 22 games. Brad Hawpe added a solo shot for Colorado.
Aaron Cook (0-1) was the hard-luck loser. The starter pitched well, allowing three runs on six hits in six innings but picked up the loss.
Down 3-0 and with their season slowly circling the drain, Hawpe finally put the Rockies on the scoreboard in the home-half of the seventh when he caught up to a Delcarmen fastball and deposited it into the stands in right to make it 3-1.
A batter later pinch-hitter Cory Sullivan slapped a single up the middle and Red Sox manager Terry Francona had seen enough of Delcarmen, summoning veteran right-hander Mike Timlin.
Timlin rose to the occasion. The 41-year-old Texas native got both Kazuo Matsui and Troy Tulowitzki swinging to silence the crowd and swing the momentum back to Boston.
Brian Fuentes started the eighth for Colorado and left a fastball up to Kielty, a pinch hitter. The veteran crushed the mistake deep over the fence in left to give Boston a 4-1 edge.
That run proved to be huge as the Rockies refused to give up. Todd Helton managed a one-out single off Okajima in the eighth and Atkins followed by crushing a two-run homer off the Japanese star to draw Colorado within a run, 4-3.
Francona then called upon his star closer, Papelbon, for a five-out save. The flame-thrower didn't disappoint. Jamey Carroll did drive Jacoby Ellsbury back to the wall with a line drive to left with one out in the ninth but the Red Sox's star rookie raced back to make the grab.
Papelbon then blew away pinch-hitter Seth Smith to end it and secure Boston its seventh world championship in franchise history.
"I couldn't breathe the last inning," Francona said. "It doesn't feel like that. You're fighting so hard to get through that game, and so many guys had to dig deep. There will be a time when we can sit back and enjoy it, but not when you're playing. It's so hard."
Boston quickly jumped on Cook in the first. Ellsbury led off the game by slicing a double down the left field line before moving up 90-feet on Dustin Pedroia's soft grounder to third. Colorado manager Clint Hurdle flashed his desperation by pulling in the infield and Ortiz promptly slapped an RBI single through the right side.
Cook settled down from there and induced Manny Ramirez to ground into a 5-4-3 twin-killing to get out of the frame.
The Rockies threatened in the second but couldn't break through. Helton set the table by slapping a double to left-center. But, Atkins grounded to short and Ortiz, a player not known for his defense, dug out a bad throw by Julio Lugo to avert disaster and get the out.
Helton did advance to third on a Ryan Spilborghs fly ball before Lester issued a walk to Hawpe. Yorvit Torrealba then came up with a chance to record a big two-out RBI but grounded weakly to short.
Colorado had another opportunity in the third after Matsui laced a one-out double over the head of Ramirez in left. Lester was equal to the task again, however, and got out of the inning by punching out Tulowitzki and the Rockies' best hitter, Matt Holliday.
The Red Sox got back to business in the fifth. Lowell hammered a leadoff double to the gap in left-center and, a batter later, Varitek shot a single through the right side. The slow-footed Lowell raced home and slid under a strong throw from Hawpe in right to make it a 2-0 game.
Lugo followed with another base hit up the middle but Cook settled down to fan Lester and Ellsbury to end the threat.
After getting the first two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Lester walked Atkins and was removed by Francona. Delcarmen then came on and struck out Spilborghs to end the inning.
Lowell put even more pressure on the Rockies when he opened the seventh by greeting Jeremy Affeldt with a line drive homer over the wall in left to make it 3-0.
"I was in a 1-0 count and Aaron has got a good sinker and just tried to get him to put it up a little," Lowell said. "I got my hands inside, I got through and I knew I hit it well, and it went out and it was a great feeling."
The New York Yankees were the last team to sweep consecutive World Series appearances, taking eight straight games over the San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves during the 1998 and 1999 Fall Classics.
Meanwhile, Colorado is just the second team in World Series history to be swept in its first trip to the Fall Classic. In 2005, the Houston Astros made their first World Series appearance and were whitewashed in four games by the Chicago White Sox
http://www.enterbet.com
Free Baseball Picks - Baseball Betting Articles, Systems, Picks - 2007 Statistics - Predictions ... Free Baseball Picks predictions from all of the top free
Free baseball picks, mlb picks, baseball picks, play of the day from ... baseball picks, posted here daily since 1999 plus free football picks
latest Guaranteed Picks, Sports Betting Trends, Free Betting Picks, and sports ... Betting on Baseball. Spring is here and so is Major League Baseball
Labels: basketball gambling, betting odds, football bet, football gambling, free baseball picks, hockey betting, online baseball gambling, online casino, sports bets
