Baseball Betting

Nationals give 1B/OF Morse extension

Baseball Betting Lines

01/20/2012 - Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals agreed to a multi-year contract extension with first baseman/outfielder Michael Morse on Friday, avoiding salary arbitration.

Morse, 29, batted .303 with 31 home runs and 95 RBI in 146 games last season with the Nationals and became just the fourth qualified National to hit .300 since the franchise moved to D.C. prior to the 2005 season.

He was acquired by Washington from the Seattle Mariners on June 28, 2009 in exchange for outfielder Ryan Langerhans.

In three seasons with Washington, Morse has belted 49 home runs and has driven in 146 runs to go with a consistent .295 batting average in 276 games.

The deal assures that the powerful righty will be a mainstay in the middle of a potent Nats' lineup which includes former All-Stars Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman, and could see the emergence of super-prospect Bryce Harper in 2012 to go with an up-and-coming middle infield tandem of Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa.

Over seven major league season with Washington and Seattle. Morse is a career .296 hitter with 69 doubles, 52 home runs and 183 RBI in 383 games.


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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.