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07/21/2007 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aramis Ramirez drove in the tying run and scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, and later added a three-run homer as the red-hot Chicago Cubs defeated the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-2, in the opener of a three-game set at Wrigley Field.
Jacque Jones drove in a pair of runs for the Cubs, who have won three straight and continue to put pressure on the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Mike Fontenot had two hits, scored three runs and stole two bases for Chicago, which has won seven of eight on its 10-game homestand.
Jason Marquis (7-5) started for the Cubs and picked up the win, allowing two runs on four hits over 7 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked one to pick up his second win in three starts. He combined with Carlos Marmol and Bob Howry on the four-hitter.
Chris Young hit a two-run homer for the Diamondbacks, who have dropped two straight and five of six on the road.
Arizona starting pitcher Brandon Webb (8-8) was solid, but still suffered his third straight loss over his last four starts. The right-hander allowed three runs -- two earned -- on five hits, striking out four and walking one, over seven innings.
Trailing 2-1 in the sixth, the Cubs put together a two-out rally to take the lead for good. After Alfonso Soriano and Ryan Theriot struck out to begin the inning, Fontenot singled to center and then stole second. Ramirez followed with a base hit to plate Fontenot with the tying run and moved to second when right fielder Jeff DaVanon bobbled the ball for an error. Jones then singled to center to score Ramirez with the go-ahead run.
Ramirez, who ended 2-for-4, hit a three-run homer in the eighth off Arizona reliever Brandon Lyon.
Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero attempted to call time before the pitch was thrown, but it wasn't granted.
In his last six games, Ramirez is hitting 12-for-25 with a homer, 12 RBI and five runs scored.
Chicago now trails the Brewers by three games. Milwaukee hosts San Francisco later Friday night.
Chicago started the scoring in the fourth inning. With one out Fontenot walked and after Ramirez struck out, Fontenot stole second with Jones in the box. Jones then singled to right to plate Fontenot for the early lead.
Young, though, put the Diamondbacks ahead in the fifth, connecting for a two- run home run over the wall in left.
Game Notes
Prior to the game, the Cubs activated pitcher Ryan Dempster from the 15-day disabled list, recalled infielder Scott Moore from Triple-A Iowa (PCL), placed outfielder Daryle Ward on the 15-day disabled list and optioned pitcher Sean Gallagher to Iowa...Ramirez has 16 homers this season...Young has 15 homers...Fontenot has four stolen bases this season...Arizona's Eric Byrnes had a hit and stole his 24th base of the year.
<< TFC aiming to end road trip on winning note at Crew
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto FC concludes its six-game road trip on
Sunday with a visit to Crew Stadium to take on the Columbus Crew.
The Canadian side is 1-1-3 on its current trip, including a 0-0 draw last time
out against the
<< Conference USA - Title game rematch?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two years ago, Conference USA won just
11% (two of 19) of its games vs. BCS schools, but finished 12-9 ATS. Last
season was an improved campaign with a 19% winning percentage against BCS
teams with five win
<< Red Bulls to be without Angel versus United
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Red Bull New York enters the second
game of a five-game homestand Sunday when it hosts D.C. United in a Major
League Soccer fixture.
It will be the second meeting between the Eastern Conferenc
<< Dynamo look to add to shutout record at Revs
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of first place teams will take the
field Sunday night at Gillette Stadium as the Houston Dynamo battle the New
England Revolution.
The defending Major League Soccer champion Dynamo lead the West
Sorenstam, Ochoa fall in Match Play >>
New Rochelle, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa both
lost in Friday's second round matches at the HSBC Women's World Match Play
Championship at Wykagyl Country Club as the top seeds continue to struggle at
this ev
Bucks sign Voskuhl >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks signed center Jake
Voskuhl to a one-year contract Friday.
A seven-year NBA veteran, Voskuhl, 29, played the last two seasons with the
Charlotte Bobcats, averaging 4.8 points a
Rockets bring back Francis >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Francis, who played his first five NBA
seasons in Houston, officially returned Friday when he agreed to a deal with
the Rockets.
Francis was sent to Portland from the New York Knicks along with Chann
Ogilvie leads U.S. Bank Championship >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Ogilvie fired a seven-under 63 Friday to
take the lead after two rounds of the U.S. Bank Championship, the PGA Tour
event playing opposite the British Open.
Ogilvie was at 10-under 130, heading to th
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 Smithand 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 Bearsin 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 backDeuce 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
Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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