LaRue, Cardinals rough up Pirates
Baseball Betting Lines
08/21/2008 -
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason LaRue hit a two-run homer, doubled
and finished with three runs batted in, as St. Louis blasted Pittsburgh, 11-2,
in the finale of a two-game set with the Pirates.
Rick Ankiel also had a two-run blast, while Skip Schumaker went 3-for-4 with a
walk and run batted in for the Cardinals, who split the series and ended a
two-game slide.
Todd Wellemeyer (11-4) allowed both Pirates runs on five hits and a pair of
walks in five innings of work. He also struck out five on the way to winning
his third consecutive start and fourth straight decision.
Jason Davis (1-3) was rocked for eight runs -- six earned -- on nine hits and
three walks in just 3 2/3 frames to absorb the loss. Craig Hansen allowed
three runs on three hits in two innings of relief for Pittsburgh, which had a
two-game win streak snapped.
Ryan Doumit provided all the offense for the Pirates with a two-run homer, and
finished 3-for-4 with a double.
The Cardinals put two runs on the board in the second inning. With runners in
scoring position and no outs, LaRue hit a sacrifice fly to right field, and
Wellemeyer followed with a base hit to right that plated another run. Doumit's
two-run blast in the top of the third tied the game at two.
But in the home third, the Cardinals started to pull away. Schumaker led off
with a single and Ryan Ludwick followed with a double. Albert Pujols drove in
one run with a ground out to short, bringing up Ankiel, who crushed the ball
beyond the center-field wall to put St. Louis ahead 5-2.
The Cardinals added three more runs in the fourth. With runners on the corners
and one out, Schumaker slapped a single to right, plating one run and again
placing runners on the corners. Ludwick hit a sacrifice fly to make it a 7-2
game.
Pujols then walked, and after a wild pitch let the runners advance, Ankiel
worked a free pass to load the bases. Troy Glaus walked to force a runner in,
ending Davis' day on the mound. Romulo Sanchez entered and got Felipe Lopez to
ground out, but not before St. Louis had a six-run lead.
Sanchez worked 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball, but Hansen took the mound in
the seventh. He gave up a one-out single to Glaus, and two batters later,
LaRue slugged the ball to left for the two-run homer and a 10-2 Cardinals
lead.
Pujols completed the scoring in the eighth with an RBI double, plating
Schumaker.
Game Notes
The Pirates next travel to Milwaukee to begin a three-game set Friday with the
Brewers...St. Louis hosts Atlanta for three games, with that series also
beginning Friday...Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright is expected to come off
the disabled list and make the start Friday against the Braves. He has been on
the DL since early June with a sprained right middle finger...St. Louis
pitcher Kyle Lohse was suspended five games and fined an undisclosed amount on
Wednesday. Lohse was penalized for an incident in his last start on Sunday,
when he threw a pitch near the head of the Reds' Edinson Volquez during the
fifth inning of Cincinnati's 7-3 win. The 29-year-old right-hander decided to
appeal the decision and the suspension will not begin until a ruling has been
made.
<< Cardinals P Wainwright to return
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam
Wainwright is expected to return from the disabled list and start Friday
against the Atlanta Braves.
Wainwright has been on the DL since June 8 with a
<< Dunn, D-Backs overcome early deficit to clip Padres
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Dunn hit a three-run homer and walked
twice, as the Arizona Diamondbacks held on for an 8-6 win over San Diego, in
the second of three games with the Padres.
The game was expected to be a pitcher
<< Top-notch field of 11 set for Pacific Classic
Del Mar, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eleven of the best older thoroughbreds in
training make up the field for Sunday's $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar.
The winner of the 1 1/4 mile race gains an automatic spot in the 2008
Breeder
<< Verdasco rolls; Fish advances, Karlovic falls at Pilot Pen
New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco was
an easy third-round winner, while second-seeded Croat Ivo Karlovic went by way
of the upset Wednesday at the $708,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event, a final U.S.
Open tu
<< Bocanegra's header helps USA hold off Guatemala
Guatemala City, Guatemala (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Bocanegra scored in the
68th minute to help the United States down Guatemala, 1-0 at Mateo Flores on
Wednesday in a World Cup qualifier.
The USA is now 5-0-4 against Guatemala all-
Phils' Myers brilliant in shutout of punchless Nats >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brett Myers threw a nine-hit shutout,
and Greg Dobbs hit a two-run homer, as Philadelphia blanked Washington, 4-0,
in the second of three games with the Nationals.
Myers (6-10) worked out of sev
Marlins SS Ramirez leaves game vs. Giants with thumb injury >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins lost shortstop
Hanley Ramirez to a thumb injury in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the San Francisco
Giants.
Ramirez singled in the top of the third inning and stole second base. As
Heat re-sign Wright >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat re-signed guard/forward Dorell
Wright to an undisclosed contract Thursday.
Wright, who originally signed with the Heat after being drafted in the first
round in the 2004 NBA Draft, has app
Benesova, Suarez Navarro reach Forest Hills semis >>
Forest Hills, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Czech Iveta Benesova
and fourth-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro were a pair of quarterfinal
winners Thursday at the $74,800 Forest Hills Tennis Classic, a final U.S.
Open tu
Rams RB Jackson signs six-year extension >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Rams signed running back
Steven Jackson to a six-year contract on Thursday.
Jackson arrived in St. Louis on Thursday morning, ending his lengthy holdout
as his agent and the club ironed
Online Sportsbook Football Betting
Colts give the ‘D’ its due
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smith and Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running back Deuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
Big East Conference odds
Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence
 Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.
Work left to do:
Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.
Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.
DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...
West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.
Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.
For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com
For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
|
