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07/25/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Carpenter goes after win No. 12 this evening when the St. Louis Cardinals try to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Carpenter won his second straight start on Tuesday against Philadelphia, as he held the Phillies to a run and five hits in eight innings to run his record to 11-3 on the year, while lowering his earned run average to 3.05.
"I had good command of my sinker-ball near the bottom of the strike zone," said Carpenter of his dominant outing. "I also threw some good curveballs and kept them off- balanced."
Carpenter, who has allowed just two earned runs in his last two starts spanning 16 innings, beat the Cubs the last time he faced them and is 10-3 lifetime against them with a 2.73 ERA in 18 starts.
The Cubs made it two straight over the Cards on Saturday, as Tyler Colvin and Starlin Castro homered to support six solid innings from Tom Gorzelanny, as Chicago eked out a 6-5 win.
Castro finished with three hits, two runs scored and two runs batted in, while Colvin scored twice and walked for Chicago, which has won the first two games over their rivals to claim its first series against a division foe in 11 tries.
A win on Sunday would give the Cubs their first home sweep of the Cards since turning the trick in a four-game set from July 27-30, 2006. Chicago also had a three-game sweep at home over the Cards earlier in that season.
Gorzelanny (6-5) earned the win after allowing three runs on seven hits while walking three and fanning three for Chicago, which has claimed a series over a division foe for the first time in 11 tries. Carlos Marmol set down the Redbirds in the ninth to record his 18th save.
Blake Hawksworth (4-6) suffered the loss after allowing six runs -- five earned -- on seven hits over 4 1/3 innings while walking three and fanning four for the Cardinals, who have dropped three straight.
"The amount of pitches I'm throwing is just too many," said Hawksworth. "I'm just not locating the ball, especially my fastball. I'm falling behind guys and just throwing too many pitches. That's the factor right now, it's not the home runs, just my location is off."
Chicago, meanwhile, will pin its hopes tonight on righty Ryan Dempster, who is 8-7 with a 3.70 ERA. Dempster is unbeaten in his last three starts, but did not get a decision on Tuesday against Houston, which managed seven runs (four earned) and eight hits in five innings of his team's 14-7 win.
Dempster was hit hard by the Cards back on May 30 for six runs in 6 2/3 innings and is 6-7 in 42 games against them with a 4.55 ERA.
St. Louis took two of three from the Cubs earlier in the season at Wrigley.
<< Padres hope to get the brooms out in Pittsburgh
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres will try to complete a three-game
sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon at PNC Park.
The Padres won for the sixth time in eight games since the All-Star break on
Saturday, as Everth Cabrera an
<< Braves, Marlins play rubber match in South Beach
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jair Jurrjens tries to win his fourth straight decision
this afternoon when the Atlanta Braves close out a three-game series with the
Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium.
Jurrjens has gone 3-0 in his four starts since ret
<< Tigers, Blue Jays play two at Comerica
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Due to the postponement of the contest on Friday, the fans
at Comerica Park will get a double dose of baseball this afternoon when the
Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays wrap up their four-game series with a
traditional dou
<< Twins go for series win in Baltimore
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins hope to continue their recent strong
play on the road this afternoon when they close out their four-game series
against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
The Twins have posted just a 22-26 mark awa
A's, White Sox close set at Coliseum >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Ben Sheets hitting the disabled list Dallas Braden
will head to the hill for Oakland, as the Athletics battle the Chicago
White Sox this afternoon in the finale of a three-game set at the Coliseum.
Sheets, who was su
Hunter tries to stay perfect, as Rangers finish set with Halos >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Hunter will try to remain flawless on the season when
he takes the hill for the Texas Rangers this evening in the finale of a four-
game series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Rangers Ballpark in
Arlington.
Shin denies Pressel, Thompson at Evian Masters >>
Evian-les-Bains, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Jiyai Shin
birdied the 18th hole Sunday to earn a one-shot victory at the Evian Masters,
her seventh win on the LPGA Tour.
Shin made five birdies for a five-under 67, fi
Mets wrap up disastrous road trip at Chavez Ravine >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - R.A. Dickey targets his first win in six starts this
afternoon when the New York Mets wrap up what has been a disastrous road trip
with the finale of their four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at
Dodger Stadium.
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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