08/07/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals send out their most successful pitcher of 2008 to the mound as the playoff hopefuls shoot for a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers this afternoon at Busch Stadium.
After falling further back of both Chicago and Milwaukee in the National League Central race due to a stretch of nine losses in a 14-game span, the Cardinals have improved their positioning with consecutive victories in this series. St. Louis used the long ball to down the Dodgers last night, as Albert Pujols and Ryan Ludwick socked back-to-back home runs during a big fourth inning that lifted the Cards to a 9-6 triumph.
Pujols snapped a 3-3 tie with a grand slam off Los Angeles starter Derek Lowe and Ludwick followed with his 29th homer of the season. The two All-Stars combined for seven hits and six RBI on the evening, with Pujols finishing 4- for-4 at the plate.
Ludwick has now gone deep in five straight contests and is batting .486 (18- for-37) with six home runs and 12 RBI during a current nine-game hitting streak.
Cardinals right-hander Joel Pineiro (4-5) allowed four runs and eight hits over seven innings to end a four-start winless streak, while rookie Chris Perez tossed 1 2/3 scoreless frames to notch his first career save.
Lowe (8-10) was torched for eight runs and 13 hits before being yanked after just 3 1/3 innings, as Los Angeles suffered its fourth loss in its last six games.
Manny Ramirez had a solo homer, his third since joining the Dodgers in a blockbuster trade last week, and an RBI single in the loss. Casey Blake, another recent addition to the Los Angeles lineup, ended 3-for-4 with an RBI double.
St. Louis remained a half-game back of the Brewers for the top spot in the NL Wild Card standings and 5 1/2 behind the NL Central-leading Cubs with Wednesday's win. The Dodgers enter today's play trailing NL West front-runner Arizona by 2 1/2 games.
The Cardinals go for the sweep today behind 13-game winner Kyle Lohse, who will be attempting to continue his season-long success in St. Louis. The offseason free-agent pickup improved to 7-1 at home this year after defeating Philadelphia on Friday, and has posted a strong 2.92 earned run average in his 14 starts on the Busch Stadium mound.
Lohse wasn't overly sharp in his most recent outing, however. He worked just 5 1/3 innings against the Phillies and surrendered three runs while issuing three walks. Prior to that start, the right-hander was rocked for seven runs and 11 hits over five frames in a July 27 loss to the Mets.
The 29-year-old is 1-1 with a 4.85 ERA in four career appearances (2 starts) against Los Angeles and beat the Dodgers with six shutout innings back in May.
Phenom Clayton Kershaw seeks a third straight outstanding start for the Dodgers this afternoon. The rookie earned his first major league victory by firing six scoreless innings against Washington on July 27, then followed up by shutting out Arizona over six frames on Friday. He did not factor in the decision of LA's 2-1 loss, however.
Kershaw made his big league debut against the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium on May 25 and was impressive. The 20-year-old allowed two runs and struck out a personal-best seven batters in a six-inning no-decision.
St. Louis is 4-1 against the Dodgers this season and has won six of the last seven meetings between the teams. Los Angeles is just 2-11 in regular-season play at Busch Stadium since the start of the 2005 campaign.
<< Phils send out slumping Hamels in rubber match with Marlins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Philadelphia Phillies have been rolling as of
late, their ace has been struggling. Cole Hamels will try for his first win in
over a month and give his team a big series win when Philadelphia wraps up a
three-g
<< Eight set to go in Arlington Million XXVI
Arlington Heights, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saturday's 26th running of the
Arlington Million at Arlington Park features a world class field of eight
turf runners. The 1 1/4 mile grass race is part of the "Win and You're In"
program
<< Rangers' Murphy to miss up to four weeks after collision
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers outfielder David Murphy
will miss two to four weeks after a collision with Yankees catcher Ivan
Rodriguez in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to New York.
The injury is listed as a straine
<< Blumenherst, Na win in match play opener at U.S. Women's Amateur
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephanie Na and Amanda Blumenherst each
posted victories in the opening round of match play Wednesday at the 108th
U.S. Women's Amateur at Eugene Country Club.
The Australian Na beat Kelley Louth
Yanks' Mussina goes for 15th win in finale with Rangers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Mussina will attempt to become the latest member of
the American League's 15-win club when the veteran hurler takes the mound for
the New York Yankees in tonight's finale of a four-game series with the host
Texas Rangers
First-place White Sox aim to extend Tigers' skid >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox aim for a three-game sweep of the
badly-slumping Detroit Tigers, who hope to avoid a seventh consecutive loss in
tonight's matchup between the American League Central rivals from U.S.
Cellular Field.
Rockies, Nationals wrap up set with double dip >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Streaking right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez looks for his fifth
consecutive win and seventh in eight starts today, when the Colorado Rockies
host the Washington Nationals in the doubleheader finale of a weather-
impacte
Astros' Oswalt vies to extend dominance over Reds >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Roy Oswalt faces his all-time favorite
opponent when his Houston Astros visit Great American Ball Park tonight for
the first of four weekend games with the Cincinnati Reds.
Oswalt enters the game w
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.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting