Bay and LaRoche help Bucs end skid

Baseball Betting Lines

07/22/2007 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Bay and Adam LaRoche both drove in two runs, as the Pittsburgh Pirates downed the Houston Astros, 7-3, at PNC Park in game two of a three-game series for their first win since the All-Star break.

Freddy Sanchez homered and scored three times for the Pirates, who ended a season-high seven-game losing streak, having been swept in three games at Atlanta and then in three games at home against Colorado before losing the first game of this series.

Former first-round draft pick Paul Maholm (6-12) allowed two runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and two walks over 6 2/3 innings to avoid a major league-leading 13th loss for the Bucs.

Mike Lamb homered for the Astros, who have split their last four. Eric Bruntlett finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in the loss. Southpaw Wandy Rodriguez (6-9) gave up six runs - four earned - on seven hits with six strikeouts and a walk over five-plus frames.

Pittsburgh plated a pair of runs in the fourth. Matt Kata, Sanchez and LaRoche each led off with singles before Xavier Nady got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Sanchez then scored on a Bay sacrifice fly.

The Pirates added four more runs in the fifth. Jack Wilson lined a lead-off single, Maholm reached on a force attempt thanks to Morgan Ensberg's throwing error, and Kata scored Wilson on a ground-rule double. Sanchez next got intentionally walked for LaRoche, who made Rodriguez pay by singling in two runs. Bay capped the rally with his second straight sac fly.

Houston scored two runs in the seventh sparked by Lamb's lead-off homer to right-center field on a 1-1 pitch. Bruntlett then singled, Brad Ausmus walked, and pinch-hitter Craig Biggio advanced Bruntlett to third on a forceout. Hunter Pence next doubled in a run before Salomon Torres stopped the bleeding by inducing an inning-ending Mark Loretta groundout.

The Bucs answered with a run in the seventh off reliever Matt Albers, who surrendered a solo shot to Sanchez on a 3-1 pitch.

The Astros got another run in the eighth, as Ensberg, Lamb and Bruntlett hit three straight singles.

Game Notes

The Pirates got their season off to a promising start when they swept the Astros in Houston from April 2-4 to open the season. The club then hosted Houston from April 24-26 and took all three games of that set as well. It was a quick turnaround for a Pirates team that lost 13 of the 16 games they played against the Astros last season. That included seven losses in 10 home games in 2006...Houston stranded 10 runners in the game...Bay has 60 RBI on the season.

Wevshots Baseball Betting News

<< Bowden among those enshrined into College Football Hall of Fame
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Bowden, the winningest coach in major college football history, led a group that was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Other notables included former Heisman Trophy winners

<< Mauer's inside-the-park HR lifts Twins past Angels
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Mauer's inside-the-park three-run home run in the eighth inning lifted the Minnesota Twins over the LA Angels of Anaheim, 5-2, in the second game of a three-game set at the Metrodome. Jason Bartl

<< Chakvetadze, Morigami reach Cincinnati final
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze and seventh-seed Akiko Morigami of Japan will battle in the final of the $175,000 Western & Southern Financial Open after both completed hard-fought victories on Satu

<< Marlins sink Reds with eight-run eighth
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hanley Ramirez hit a three-run home run as part of an eight-run eighth inning as the Florida Marlins crushed the Cincinnati Reds, 11-1, in the third of a four-game set at Dolphin Stadium. The big news for Fl

<< Cards agree with top pick Kozma
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals agreed to terms with their top draft pick, shortstop Pete Kozma, on Saturday. Kozma, who was the 18th pick overall in the first-year player draft on June 7, will report to the club'

Injured Beckham sits out scoreless first half >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Beckham did not start for Los Angeles on Saturday night as the Galaxy are hosting English Premiership power Chelsea in a friendly at The Home Depot Center. With the match scoreless at the i

Scherrer extends lead to three shots >>
Springfield, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Looking for his first win in seven years, Tom Scherrer will carry a three-shot lead into the final round of the Nationwide Tour's Price Cutter Charity Championship. Scherrer fired a six-under 6

Yankees acquire C Molina from Angels >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees announced Saturday they have acquired catcher Jose Molina from the Los Angels of Anaheim in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jeff Kennard. Molina, 32, has a .224 batting average wi

Harris ties club record as Braves pound Cards >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Harris went 6-for-6 to tie an Atlanta record for hits in a game, and the Braves scored early and often in a 14-6 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals at Turner Field. Harris, who tripled twice, fini

Beckham makes American debut as sub; Galaxy fall to Chelsea >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The David Beckham era in the United States officially began on Saturday night as the midfielder walked onto the field of The Home Depot Center in the 78th minute of an international friendly between

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.