07/24/2008 - Pittsburgh, PA (Baseball Betting) - Yoslan Herrera was solid on the mound to pick up his first major league win, and the Pittsburgh Pirates made short work of the San Diego Padres, 9-1, in the opener of a four-game set.
Herrera (1-1) tossed six innings of scoreless, six-hit ball while fanning four batters and walking just one. Xavier Nady and Jason Bay clubbed solo homers for the Pirates, who have rattled off four straight wins after a five-game skid. Nate McLouth added a two-run shot and finished with three RBI.
Clay Hensley (1-1) took the loss as he was touched for six runs on seven hits. Hensley, who has not started since last August and has made just three relief appearances this season, got the call in place of left-hander Randy Wolf, who was dealt to Houston earlier this week.
Adrian Gonzalez knocked in the only run for San Diego, which has dropped three straight and 9-of-10 overall.
The Bucs wasted no time in getting on the board. McLouth led the home first off with a walk and Freddy Sanchez followed with a single. Ryan Doumit then cracked an RBI double down the line in right and Bay belted a sac fly to center to make it 2-0.
Bay and Nady opened the fourth frame with back-to-back home runs, which marked the first time the Pirates have hit consecutive blasts this season, to make it a 4-0 game.
The Pirates tacked on two more in the sixth. Nady singled and Adam LaRoche walked before Justin Hampson was called on in relief of Hensley. Doug Mientkiewicz loaded the bases with a single and pinch-hitter Chris Gomez worked an RBI walk. Luis Rivas then flied out, but McLouth launched a sac fly to center to give Pittsburgh a 6-0 cushion.
San Diego got on the board in the eighth inning. Jody Gerut led off with a double before Edgar Gonzalez and Brian Giles were retired. Gonzalez followed with an RBI single.
Pittsburgh got three runs back in the home half. Mientkiewicz hit a double, moved to third as Bryan Corey unleashed a wild pitch and scored as Rivas singled. McLouth then cleared the table with a two-run homer for the final margin.
Game Notes
Hensley won 11 games in 37 appearances -- 29 starts -- for the Padres in 2006, then was 2-3 in 13 games -- nine starts -- a season later. Prior to Thursday, Hensley had pitched three times this month, allowing just a hit in five scoreless innings and getting credit for a 6-4 victory at Cincinnati on July 21...San Diego was 6-1 against the Bucs last season and had won 11 of the 13 meetings since the start of the 2006 campaign prior to Thursday's setback...San Diego owns the worst record in the majors at 38-65.
<< Lions sign top pick Cherilus
Allen Park, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Lions on Thursday signed
offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus to a five-year contract. Per club policy,
financial terms of the deal were not released.
Cherilus was selected in the firs
<< Rays activate SS Bartlett
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays activated shortstop
Jason Bartlett from the 15-day disabled list Thursday.
Bartlett has been sidelined with a right knee sprain since July 3. He
came into Thursday's actio
<< Wood put on DL
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs placed pitcher Kerry Wood on
the 15-day disabled list Thursday with a blister on his right index finger.
The move is retroactive to July 14.
The Cubs will make a corresponding roster move
<< Pats add a little Mayo to linebacking corps
Foxboro, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots signed linebacker
Jerod Mayo, their first round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, to an undisclosed
contract Thursday.
Mayo, the 10th overall pick in April's draft, recorded 236
Marlins reinstate P Miller from DL; option P Tucker to Double-A >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins reinstated pitcher Justin
Miller from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday.
The reliever had been sidelined since July 5 with right elbow inflammation.
Miller is 2-2 with a 4.58 earned
Blanco's goal, assist leads MLS All-Stars over West Ham >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Major League Soccer All-Stars improved to
5-0 against foreign opponents with a 3-2 victory over English Premier League
side West Ham United in the 2008 MLS All-Star Game at BMO Field on Thursday
night.
Blanco's goal, assist lead MLS All-Stars over West Ham >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Major League Soccer All-Stars improved to
5-0 against foreign opponents with a 3-2 victory over English Premier League
side West Ham United in the 2008 MLS All-Star Game at BMO Field on Thursday
night.
Chargers sign first-round pick Cason >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers and cornerback
Antoine Cason agreed to terms on a five-year contract Thursday.
Cason, the 27th overall pick in April's draft out of Arizona, is expected to
be in camp Friday
March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
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