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06/01/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates will attempt to bring out the heavy lumber for a second straight day as the hard-hitting club resumes a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals this afternoon at Busch Stadium.
Pittsburgh drew even in this set between National League Central foes with a 19-hit onslaught on Saturday that resulted in a 14-4 rout. Luis Rivas belted his first career grand slam and was one of three Pirate players to homer on the night, while Xavier Nady knocked in three runs with a first-inning double that staked the Bucs to an early lead.
Ronny Paulino and Freddy Sanchez also went deep for Pittsburgh, with Paulino finishing 3-for-5 with three RBI and Sanchez collecting three hits as well. Jose Bautista went 4-for-5 with a run-scoring single to help the Pirates improve to 2-3 on a current seven-game road trip.
Pittsburgh also received a sharp effort on the mound from Paul Maholm (3-5). The left-hander held St. Louis to one run and four hits without issuing a walk over the first 6 2/3 innings.
On the other side, Cardinals rookie Mike Parisi (0-2) was bombed for eight runs and eight hits and lasted just 2 2/3 innings in his first major league start.
Troy Glaus hit a solo homer for St. Louis, which had a three-game win streak halted, while Albert Pujols ended 2-for-3 to raise his season average to .369.
A Pittsburgh offense that ranks fourth among NL teams in runs scored will take its swings today against struggling Cardinals right-hander Braden Looper. The ex-closer is 1-3 with a 7.17 ERA over his four most recent mound trips and hasn't pitched beyond six innings on any of those occasions. Over that span, the right-hander has given up 34 hits in just 21 1/3 innings of work.
Looper was lit up for eight runs (7 earned) on nine hits before being yanked after 4 1/3 innings in a home loss to Houston on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old is 2-2 with five lifetime saves against the Pirates, while posting a 3.07 ERA over 27 total games (3 starts).
Ian Snell will also attempt to put a poor performance in his last start behind him when he takes the mound for Pittsburgh. The talented hurler was a mess on the mound in Tuesday's outing at Cincinnati, as Snell issued seven walks in just five innings and allowed seven runs to suffer the loss in the Pirates' 9-6 setback.
The defeat left Snell with a 1-3 record and a subpar 6.75 earned run average in seven road starts this year.
The 26-year-old is going through one of the roughest stretches of his five- year career, having lost four straight decisions and failing to record a victory in any of his last eight starts. Snell hasn't won since April 12.
He was also hit hard in a May 15 start at Busch Stadium, where Snell surrendered five runs and 11 hits over a season-low four innings. He was spared another potential loss, however, when the Pirates rallied late for an 11-5 victory.
Snell has faced the Cardinals 10 times previously (9 starts) and owns a 3-3 record with a 4.25 ERA against St. Louis.
Pittsburgh owns a 4-3 edge in the 2008 season series with St. Louis following Saturday's triumph. The Bucs took two of three from the Cards at Busch Stadium earlier this month.
<< Resurgent Yankees try to keep rolling in Minnesota
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees will attempt to record their third
consecutive victory over the Minnesota Twins today at the Metrodome.
Bobby Abreu went 2-for-5 with two RBI and drove in the go-ahead run in the
12th inning as
<< Slumping 'Stros to send out Chacon in finale with Brewers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Journeyman right-hander Shawn Chacon aims for his third win
in three starts today, when the Houston Astros visit Miller Park for the third
and final game of a weekend series with the host Milwaukee Brewers.
Chacon, with hi
<< U.S. easily wins Curtis Cup
St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States easily won the
Curtis Cup on Sunday, taking 5 1/2 of a possible eight points in the singles
matches to defeat Great Britain & Ireland, 13-7.
It was the sixth consecutiv
<< Orioles fighting to avoid home sweep by Red Sox
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles will attempt to halt a three-game
losing skid as they play the third of four straight games against the Boston
Red Sox this afternoon at Camden Yards.
On Saturday, Manny Ramirez hit his 500th c
Wie takes sixth in Germany >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michelle Wie posted a five-under 67 on
Sunday, but it was only enough to get her a sixth-place finish at the Ladies
German Open.
Wie chipped in for eagle at the first, then recorded four birdies, i
Rangers have brooms ready for visiting A's >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics will attempt to halt a four-game
losing skid and avoid a three-game sweep to the Texas Rangers as the teams
close out a series this afternoon in Arlington.
On Saturday, Josh Hamilton homer
Angels to hold Big A rubber match with Blue Jays >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After having a three-game winning streak halted on
Saturday, the Toronto Blue Jays will attempt to get back on track when they
close out a three-game weekend set against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
this af
Giants turn to ace in hopes of stopping Padres' surge >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres are on their best winning surge of
the season, but the improving squad figures to face a stern challenge in
today's finale of a three-game series with the San Francisco Giants from AT&T
Par
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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