05/15/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wrigley Field has been a win factory this season for the Chicago Cubs and will be today's site for the finale of a four-game series versus the San Diego Padres.
Chicago has won two of the first three meetings with the Padres and six of eight games overall to maintain its one-game lead over St. Louis for the top spot in the NL Central. It improved to 5-1 on a 10-game homestand and 16-7 as the host this season following Wednesday's 8-5 victory over San Diego, highlighted by a solid outing from starter Ted Lilly.
Lilly was reached for four runs on six hits over six innings to pick up his third straight win, while striking out a season-high 11 batters.
Alfonso Soriano drove in three runs and Geovany Soto clubbed a two-run homer and ended with three RBI in a winning effort. Kosuke Fukudome was 3-for-5 and scored twice for the Cubs, who will also host Pittsburgh for three games in the Windy City.
Chicago bolstered its outfield on Wednesday by signing veteran center fielder Jim Edmonds to a contract, and he will be available for today's game. Edmonds was just released by the Padres last Friday after they acquired him in a trade with St. Louis in December. The 37-year-old was batting just .178 with one home run and six RBI in 26 games this season.
In parts of 16 big league seasons with the Angels (1993-99), Cardinals (2000-07) and Padres (2008), the four-time All-Star amassed a career batting average of .286 with 363 homers and 1,127 RBI.
Cubs starter Ryan Dempster is coming off a pair of subpar outings and will try for a win in Thursday's finale. Dempster is 0-1 in his previous two trips to the hill after opening the season 4-0 in six starts.
Dempster started the recent efforts with a May 5 performance at Cincinnati in which he gave up five unearned runs in six innings of a 5-3 loss. He then took the hill on Saturday versus Arizona, allowing two runs in six frames of a 7-2 Cubs win that he did not receive a decision in.
He is 4-1 with a 2.76 earned run average in eight starts in 2008. In 17 career games (8 starts) against San Diego, the right-handed Dempster is 5-3 with a 4.35 earned run average.
The Padres have lost two of three and fell to 4-9 this month after Wednesday's three-run loss at Wrigley Field. San Diego ace and reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy lasted only four frames, giving up four runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts to suffer the loss. Wilfredo Ledezma then surrendered three runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief.
Tadahito Iguchi knocked in three runs for San Diego, which is last in the NL West standings and will visit Seattle at Safeco Field for three games to close out a seven-game road trip.
Greg Maddux is slated to handle pitching duties for the Padres today and is 3-3 with a 3.60 earned run average in eight starts.
Maddux ended a four-start winless streak (0-3) in his previous outing on Saturday versus Colorado. In the 3-2 victory at Petco Park, the future Hall of Famer gave up just one unearned run in six innings of work. He also notched the 350th win of his career, becoming the ninth pitcher in big league history to reach that mark.
The right-hander and former Cub is 12-3 with three complete games and a 2.56 earned run average through 22 career starts against Chicago.
The Padres went 5-3 against the Cubs last season, with a 3-2 mark at Wrigley Field, and are 13-5 over the previous 18 matchups in this series.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays shoot for their first three-game
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a four-game ser
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City Royals can finish the residency with a .500 mark and also sweep the
Detroit Tigers for a second time this season, as the two teams end a three-
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former first-round draft pick Mike Pelfrey will try to end
a four-start winless skid today when the New York Mets finish off a four-game
series with the visiting Washington Nationals at Shea Stadium.
The No. 9 overall sele
Brewers ink Braun to record-setting extension >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers have signed outfielder
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players with three years or less of major league experience.
The deal, worth a re
Brewers P Riske lands on DL >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher David Riske
has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a hyperextended right elbow,
the team announced Thursday.
Riske left Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Los Angeles
Nationals' Johnson heads to DL again >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals have placed oft-
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U.S. announces World Cup semifinal home sites >>
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The Unit
MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds
With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season. What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season. Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all. Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13). Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two. Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury. Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven. Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury. Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.
In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons. Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4. Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1). The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this. No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.
Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend. Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend. With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.
MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:
Atlanta Hawks 1000-1
Boston Celtics 5000-1
Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1
Chicago Bulls 20-1
Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1
Dallas Mavericks 2-1
Denver Nuggets 25-1
Detroit Pistons 6-1
Golden State Warriors 250-1
Houston Rockets 12-1
Indiana Pacers 60-1
Los Angeles Clippers 45-1
Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1
Miami Heat 9-1
Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1
Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1
New Jersey Nets 50-1
New Orleans Hornets 150-1
New York Knicks 150-1
Orlando Magic 75-1
Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1
Phoenix Suns 5-2
Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1
Sacramento Kings 250-1
San Antonio Spurs 9-1
Seattle Sonics 5000-1
Toronto Raptors 35-1
Utah Jazz 20-1
Washington Wizards 25-1
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