Gorzelanny shoots for fourth straight win in middle tilt with Cards
Baseball Betting Lines
07/24/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Gorzelanny goes after his fourth straight win this afternoon when the Chicago Cubs play the middle test of their three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field.
Gorzelanny, who is 5-5 with a 3.12 earned run average, outdueled Roy Halladay to win his third consecutive start on Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies, holding them to two earned runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings.
The lefty has faced the Cardinals six times and is 1-3 against them with a 3.82 ERA.
Chicago drew first blood in this set on Friday, as Randy Wells turned in seven scoreless innings, and three different players hit home runs, propelling the Cubs to a 5-0 win. Tyler Colvin, Geovany Soto and Alfonso Soriano each reached the seats for the Cubs, who have won three of five.
Wells (5-7) won for just the second time this month after scattering five hits while fanning seven with three walks.
"He's pitching with a much better tilt on the ball, his slider's got much better rotation and sharpness to it," said Cubs manager Lou Piniella of Wells. "Now he's starting to mix in his changeups. It's just been a nice turnaround for him."
Jon Jay singled and walked twice for the Cardinals, who have lost two straight after winning eight in a row.
Jeff Suppan (0-6) was tagged in defeat for 10 hits and five runs over six full frames, walking three with no strikeouts. The veteran right-hander hasn't won a game since September 19, 2009, a span of 25 appearances.
"He still gave us a chance in a game where we didn't give ourselves a chance to win because our offense wasn't productive," Cards manager Tony La Russa said of Suppan. "He's a very competitive guy and he's just got to figure out a way to get out of this."
Getting the call for the Cardinals today will be righty Blake Hawksworth, who has won his last two starts. Hawksworth beat the Phillies on Monday, but was not overly impressive in allowing three first inning runs and 10 hits in six innings. He also walked three batters, but improved to 4-5 on the year to go along with a 4.85 ERA.
"I got us in a hole early, but they picked me up and got the 'W'," Hawksworth said after the game.
This will be Hawksworth's first start against the Cubs, but he has pitched to a 2.45 ERA in three relief outings against them.
St. Louis' offense should also get a boost this afternoon with the return of outfielder Ryan Ludwick, who was activated from the 15-day disabled list after missing 23 games with a strained calf.
In 71 games for the Cardinals this season, Ludwick is batting .273 with 11 home runs and 42 runs batted in.
St. Louis took two of three from the Cubs earlier in the season at Wrigley.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez continues his quest to become the youngest player to 600 home runs this afternoon when the New York Yankees resume their four-game series with the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium. On Saturday, Rodriguez
<< Cards activate Ryan Ludwick off DL
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals have activated
outfielder Ryan Ludwick off the 15-day disabled list.
Ludwick had been sidelined with a strained calf since June 26 and missed 23
games entering Saturday's c
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Diamondbacks, 7-4, in the continuation of a four-game series.
Andres Torres added
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The Mets were held to four runs or less in each of the
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Detroit and Minnesota nipping at their heels the Chicago White Sox will try to keep their small lead in the AL Central when they take on the Oakland Athletics this afternoon at the Coliseum. One of the biggest reasons
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Pelfrey hopes to bounce back from the shortest start
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with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mat Latos returns from a short stint on the disabled list
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Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.