07/24/2008 - Phoenix, AZ (Baseball Betting) - Reed Johnson hit a grand slam and Ted Lilly was solid on the mound, as the Chicago Cubs avoided being swept with a 10-6 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Lilly (10-6) tossed six frames and was allowed just three runs on six hits while fanning six and walking three batters. Lilly also added an RBI single and stole a base in the win.
Derrek Lee went 2-for-5 with a solo homer for the Cubs, who, despite the win, are still 2-5 over their last seven matchups. Alfonso Soriano, who was activated from the disabled list prior to the game, went 1-for-5 with an RBI.
Doug Davis (3-5) took the loss as he gave up four runs on five hits in seven innings of work. Davis also struck out six and walked two batters in defeat.
"Couldn't stay away from the big inning tonight," said Davis. "No outs, second and third, and Lilly comes up with the good hit. Not only that, when he gets on second he steals third; that was a huge turning point. You've got to give props to him for catching me sleeping and when he stole third that was pretty much the winning run."
Chris Snyder hit a three-run homer and Tony Clark added a two-run shot for the D'Backs, who are 3-2 over their last five games. Stephen Drew had a double, which extended his hit streak to 10 games.
Chicago scored six runs in the eighth inning. Ryan Theriot opened the frame with a walk from Micah Owings before Lee flied out. Aramis Ramirez then snapped an 0-for-26 slump with a single to left. Both runners advanced into scoring position on Conor Jackson's throwing error before Geovany Soto followed suit by snapping an 0-for-21 slide with an RBI single.
After a Kosuke Fukudome walk loaded the bases, Mark DeRosa worked a four- pitch, RBI walk to chase Owings from the game. Johnson greeted Leo Rosales to the contest by taking his second pitch over the wall in right-center for a grand slam that gave the Cubs a 10-3 cushion.
"We've been struggling late to score runs," Johnson said. "So anytime that we can get some runs on the board is good. Ted (Lilly) ends up getting a big hit for us...and obviously the six run inning was big for us too."
The D'Backs rallied in the home eighth off Bob Howry. Jackson opened the frame with a single before Mark Reynolds went down swinging. Chris Young then finagled a double before Clark lined to Lee for the second out. Snyder cleared the table with homer to left, and Arizona was within 10-6.
Lee hit a homer in the first inning, his 16th of the year and first since June 20, to give the Cubs an early 1-0 lead.
Arizona took the lead, 2-1, in the fourth stanza. Young led the inning off with a double over the head of Soriano in left and Clark followed with a homer beyond the fence in right.
The Cubs answered right back in the fifth. It was second and third as DeRosa singled and Johnson followed with a ground-rule double. Lilly then clubbed an RBI single and Soriano followed with an RBI groundout, before Lilly stole third base. Theriot closed out the scoring with an RBI grounder as Chicago took the lead back, 4-2.
Arizona got a run back in the home fifth, as Augie Ojeda walked and Jackson followed with a triple.
Game Notes
Prior to the game, the Cubs activated pitcher Scott Eyre from the 15-day disabled list and optioned infielder Micah Hoffpauir and pitcher Kevin Hart to Triple-A Iowa...The Cubs won the season series 4-2...Chicago improved to 24-10 against NL West...The D'Backs dropped to 28-40 vs teams outside NL West.
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CALGARY STAMPEDERS (3-1) AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (0-4)
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.
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