Cubs try to keep win streak intact against Padres
Baseball Betting Lines
06/03/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Chicago Cubs will try to run their win streak to nine games this evening in San Diego, where the current owners of baseball's best record continue a three-game series with the Padres at Petco Park.
After going perfect on a seven-game homestand this past week, the Cubs took their successful act to the road on Monday and came through with a 7-6 triumph over the Padres.
Carlos Zambrano labored through five innings on the mound, but the standout pitcher helped Chicago greatly at the plate by collecting three hits and an RBI. Zambrano (8-1) walked four batters and threw 96 pitches during his five- inning stint, but held San Diego to three runs to win his seventh consecutive decision.
Jim Edmonds doubled twice and finished with two RBI while Ryan Theriot went 3- for-5 for the Cubs, who survived a three-run rally attempt by the Padres in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Adrian Gonzalez pulled San Diego within 7-6 on a three-run homer off Carlos Marmol with one out in the ninth. That blast brought Kerry Wood into the game, and the Cubs closer retired the final two batters to notch his 15th save of the year.
Gonzalez ended 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored in the loss, the Padres' second straight following a three-game win streak.
Cha Seung Baek (1-1) took the loss for San Diego after surrendering four runs on nine hits over 4 1/3 frames.
The Cubs will attempt to maintain their roll tonight behind the inconsistent Jason Marquis. The veteran right-hander has recorded no decisions in back-to- back starts against Colorado and Pittsburgh, pitching 5 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits in both outings.
Marquis' last victory came against the Pirates on May 18, when the sinker specialist held the Bucos to three runs -- two earned -- and four hits through six innings.
The 29-year-old was dealt a loss by the Padres at Wrigley Field back on May 13, with Marquis giving up four runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. He is 3-3 with a 3.86 earned run average over eight lifetime games (7 starts) against San Diego.
Wil Ledezma hopes to build off an encouraging last start when he toes the rubber tonight for the Padres. The left-hander yielded just one run and two hits while racking up a season-best seven strikeouts over five innings Thursday against Washington, although he wound up without a decision in a 5-2 San Diego win.
Ledezma has shuffled between the bullpen and the rotation this year and is 0-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 12 appearances, four of those starts. As a starter, Ledezma is 0-2 with a 5.63 ERA.
The native Venezuelan pitched in relief against the Cubs last month and was touched for three runs and five hits in just 1 2/3 innings.
Chicago won three of four games from the Padres at Wrigley Field in May, but San Diego is 13-7 against the Cubs since the start of the 2006 campaign.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yankee Stadium should be abuzz this evening, as right- hander Joba Chamberlain makes his first major league start when the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays play the first of three games in the Bronx. Chamberla
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Big 12 Conference betting odds
Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State
Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.
Work left to do:
Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.
Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.
Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.
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."
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