08/14/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves are expected to have Tom Glavine back on the mound tonight, when they close out a three-game series versus the Chicago Cubs at Turner Field.
Glavine has been on the disabled list since June 11 with a sore left elbow, and last took the hill on June 10 at Chicago's Wrigley Field. He was reached for four runs and six hits in three innings of a 10-5 setback against the Cubs to suffer the loss.
The veteran southpaw and two-time NL Cy Young Award winner is 0-2 in his last four trips to the rubber and owns a 2-3 record with a 4.85 earned run average in 12 starts this season. Glavine is 15-14 with six complete games and a 3.72 ERA in 36 career starts against Chicago.
Atlanta will try to put the brakes on a three-game losing streak tonight, and recover from Wednesday's sweep in a day-night doubleheader. The Braves suffered a 10-2 loss in the first game before Chicago posted a three-hit shutout to back an 8-0 triumph in the nightcap.
Braves starter Charlie Morton allowed four runs on four hits and four walks in 2 1/3 innings to suffer the loss in the first meeting. Jorge Campillo lost for the first time since July 7 in the second contest, allowing five runs on seven hits in five innings while striking out five and walking two batters.
Yunel Escobar had two of Atlanta's three hits and Martin Prado added the third in the shutout. The Braves are 0-2 on a seven-game homestand and fell to 33-27 away from Turner Field this season.
Meanwhile, the NL Central-leading Cubs remained 3 1/2 games ahead of the surging Milwaukee Brewers in the division standings thanks to Wednesday's sweep of the Braves. Jason Marquis earned the win and rookie Geovany Soto finished 3-for-5 with a two-run double and a two-run homer.
Cubs starting pitcher Rich Harden and four relievers then combined for a three-hit shutout under the lights, as Harden scattered just two hits over five innings of work. Chad Gaudin, Neal Cotts, Kerry Wood and Sean Marshall each tossed a scoreless inning to preserve the win.
Kosuke Fukudome and Aramis Ramirez each had two hits and drove in two runs, giving the Cubs their sixth win in seven games. Chicago is 2-0 on a six-game road trip and 28-30 away from Wrigley Field this season.
Cubs starter Ted Lilly will try to run his unbeaten streak to six games when he takes the ball this evening. Lilly is 2-0 over his last five starts, with the Cubs going 4-1 during that stretch.
Lilly last pitched on August 8 versus the St. Louis Cardinals and did not factor in the outcome of a 3-2 triumph. He allowed a pair of runs on seven hits through 7 1/3 innings of work.
The left-hander is 5-3 on the road this season and his last loss as the visitor came on June 4 against the San Diego Padres. Lilly will face Atlanta for the second time this season after beating the Braves on June 10 with 6 2/3 innings of three-run ball in a 10-5 victory. He is 2-2 with a 5.70 earned run average in six career meetings with the Braves.
Chicago swept a three-game series from the Braves in early June this season at Wrigley Field, and has won eight of the last 10 meetings in this series. The Cubs and Braves split six games in Dixie last season.
<< Mets wrap up series with Nationals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The race for National League East supremacy seems much like
a see-saw, with teams either sharing the lead or trading the top spot on
several occasions.
The New York Mets are back at the top of the heap tied with the Philad
<< Jackson makes Tribe debut versus O's
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Recently acquired southpaw Zach Jackson makes his first
appearance in an Indians uniform tonight when Cleveland closes out a four-game
series with the visiting Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field.
Jackson began the se
<< NCAA Football Preview - USC Trojans
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
2007 SEASON IN REVIEW: The USC Trojans entered last season once again as the
team to beat in the Pac-10, and did not hesitate to flex their muscle in the
season opener, as the team pounded Idaho, 38-10. The T
<< NCAA Football Preview - UCLA Bruins
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
2007 SEASON IN REVIEW: Last season the Bruins opened the campaign ranked 14th
in the nation, and after victories over Stanford (45-17) and BYU (27-17) UCLA
moved up to 11th in the country, but after that the
Penguins break ground on new arena >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins broke ground on
their new arena Thursday.
The new multi-purpose facility, which is located beside Mellon Arena, is
slated to open in time for the 2010-11 season.
Among
Blake ousts Federer from Olympics; Williams sisters out of singles >>
Beijing, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Blake has finally slayed the dragon.
The eighth-seeded Blake had been 0-8 against Super Swiss Roger Federer going
into Thursday's tennis quarterfinal match at the Olympics, but the American
pulled out
Saints DT Thomas out two months >>
Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Hollis
Thomas suffered a right triceps injury in practice on Wednesday that will
sideline him about two months.
A starter for much of his two seasons with New Orlea
Roy has successful surgery >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy
underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on Thursday to repair a meniscus
tear in his left knee.
The All-Star from the University of Washington learned of th
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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