Votto's RBI in the 10th leads Cincy past D'Backs
Baseball Betting Lines
07/02/2009 -
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joey Votto's single to left in the bottom of
the 10th scored Chris Dickerson and gave the Reds a 3-2 win over Arizona in
the finale of a three-game set from Great American Ball Park.
Votto totaled four hits in all while Dickerson was 2-for-4 with an RBI single
of his own as Cincinnati took the final two games of this series and won for
the fifth time in seven games.
Aaron Harang pitched well, yielding just four hits and two runs over seven
full frames. The right-hander, who remains without a win over his last seven
starts, walked three and struck out eight. Francisco Cordero (1-2) received
the win for pitching a scoreless top half of the 10th.
Mark Reynolds hit a solo home run and Chad Tracy had an RBI single for the
Diamondbacks, who have lost seven of eight. Doug Davis scattered seven hits
and a run with four walks and five strikeouts over seven effective innings for
Arizona. The lefty is riding a five-start winless stretch.
Clay Zavada (1-2) took the bump to start the bottom portion of the 10th and
gave up a leadoff single to Dickerson. Ramon Hernandez walked and Jay Bruce
loaded the bases with a bunt single before Laynce Nix and Jerry Hairston were
retired. Votto, though, came through with a base hit to left to end the game.
The D'Backs had loaded the bases on three walks by Cordero in the top halfof
the 10th but Justin Upton flied out to right to end the threat.
Arizona struck for the game's first run in the second inning. Gerardo Parra
drew a one-out walk, stole second and moved to third when Miguel Montero
grounded to second. Tracy came through with an RBI base knock to left and the
D'Backs led 1-0.
The Reds tied it up in the fourth but wasted a chance to take the lead. Jonny
Gomes opened with a double and Ryan Hanigan's bunt single left runners at the
corners. Dickerson scored Gomes with a base hit back through the middle and
Paul Janish followed with a walk to load the bases with nobody out. Harang,
though, popped out, Willy Taveras grounded out and Hairston Jr. did the same
to end the threat.
Cincy juiced the bags again in the fifth with two outs but Janish went down
swinging which allowed the visitors a 2-1 lead when Reynolds' hit his 22nd of
the year with one away in the sixth.
Davis retired the Reds in order over the next two frames but the bullpen ran
into trouble in the eighth. Jon Rauch gave up a pair of singles to Hanigan and
a pinch-hitting Hernandez that left runners on the corners with one out.
Scott Schoeneweis was brought on and got Bruce to foul out. Chad Qualls then
entered and fanned a pinch-hitting Nix to escape the inning.
However, Qualls blew his fourth save of the year in the ninth as Hairston Jr.
and Votto opened with base hits. Both runners advanced on Brandon Phillips'
fielder's choice and Drew Sutton tied the game at two with a run-scoring
pinch-hit grounder to second.
Game Notes
Cincinnati swept a three-game series from the Diamondbacks in Phoenix from May
11-13 and has won seven of its last eight matchups with Arizona...Hanigan was
3-for-3 with a walk for Cincy, which had 14 hits but stranded 16
runners...Arizona left seven men on base.
<< Bryans reach fourth Wimbledon final
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded American twin Bryan
brothers, Bob and Mike, landed in their fourth Wimbledon final on Thursday.
The former champion Bryans handled a ninth-seeded tandem of Wesley Moodie and
Dick N
<< Crew's Schelotto earns MLS Player of Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Columbus Crew forward Guillermo Barros
Schelotto was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Month for June, it was
announced on Thursday.
Schelotto scored four goals and two assists in four MLS
<< Parma makes offer for Udinese's Di Natale
Parma, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Parma has tabled an $13 million bid for
Udinese's Italy international striker Antonio Di Natale.
The 32-year-old has been at the Friuli for five years, but has hinted that he
would welcome the oppo
<< Wolverhampton completes Milijas signing
Wolverhampton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolverhampton has completed the
signing of Nenad Milijas after being granted a work permit for the Serbia
midfielder.
Milijas, 26, agreed a four-year contract with the newly-promoted Prem
<< Atletico swoops for Juanito
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atletico Madrid has completed the signing of
central defender Juanito from relegated Real Betis.
The 32-year-old Spain international stopper has been with the Seville-based
club for more than a decad
Stars sign D Skrastins >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars signed free agent defenseman
Karlis Skrastins to a two-year contract on Thursday.
The 34-year-old is slated to make $2.75 million on the deal, earning
$1.1 million next season.
S
Leafs re-sign Grabovski to three-year deal >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs re-signed center
Mikhail Grabovski to a three-year contract on Thursday. Financial terms were
not disclosed.
Grabovski, 25, collected 20 goals and 28 assists for 48 points i
Sounders add Costa Rican left back to fold >>
Renton, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Sounders FC signed Costa Rican
defender Leonardo Gonzalez, pending receipt of his P-1 work permit and
International Clearance, it was announced on Thursday.
"It's nice to have to hav
Real's De la Red may not play again >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid midfielder Ruben De la Red could
be facing the end of his career as doctors struggle to diagnose a problem which
caused him to collapse during a game last season.
The 24-year-old lost consciou
UEFA President Platini embarrassed by fees >>
Nyon, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - UEFA President Michel Platini has again
spoken out against the escalation of transfer fees after admitting he is
"embarrassed" by Cristiano Ronaldo's $131 million move to Real Madrid.
World and
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
NFL Betting Lines
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Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting
So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.
Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?
If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)
Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).
In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.
Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.
As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.
(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)
If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.
Work left to do:
Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.
Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).
Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.
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