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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 03:17 AM

Daily Sports Roundup

Thursday, July 2

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: Tiger Woods tries for a win at Congressional Country Club, the Yankees meet the Mariners, and the D-Backs battle the Reds.

Meeting up in the Junior Circuit . . .

The Yankees will send CC Sabathia (7-4, 3.55 ERA) to the mound on Thursday night at home against the Mariners and Jason Vargas (3-3, 3.79 ERA). Lefthander Sabathia wasn't hindered by his sore biceps last time out, holding the Mets to just one earned run on three hits over seven innings in a victory. Lefthander Vargas wasn't nearly as effective in his last trip to the mound, as the Dodgers pounded him for five earned runs on nine hits over only 4 2-3 innings.

There are just two other games on the American League schedule for Thursday, with the White Sox at Kansas City and Baltimore at the Angels. The Orioles will send Jeremy Guthrie (6-7, 5.11 ERA) to the hill in that last matchup, while the Angels will turn to John Lackey (2-3, 5.06 ERA) in their quest for a win at home.

Taking the field in the Senior Circuit . . .

The Diamondbacks and Reds will get the day started for the National League on Thursday, with early-afternoon action in Cincinnati. The D-Backs will send Doug Davis (3-8, 3.28 ERA) to the mound in the day game; the lefthander hasn't picked up a win since June 5, but over his last two starts he's given up just one earned run over 14 innings of work. Righthander Aaron Harang (5-8, 3.95 ERA) gets the ball for the Reds; Harang last made it into the victory column on May 25.

There are five other games on the NL slate for Thursday, with the Mets at Pittsburgh, Houston at San Diego, Philadelphia at Atlanta, San Francisco at St. Louis, and Milwaukee at the Cubs. Brewers righthanded starter Seth McClung (3-1, 3.55 ERA) will be looking to pitch his team to a win over their division rival. Righthander Ryan Dempster (4-5, 4.09 ERA) will try to get on track for the Cubs.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Tiger Woods is the Vegas favorite on the links this week as the PGA Tour tees it up at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland for the AT&T National. Woods is listed at 7/5 on the odds list for the event (which he hosts). Jim Furyk is next at 12/1 odds to grab the trophy this week, with both Hunter Mahan and Paul Casey pegged at 15/1 odds. Anthony Kim, the defending champion at this tournament, is back in the second tier of golfers at 20/1 odds to repeat the victory.

There is one game on the gridiron on Thursday night, with the Blue Bombers and Eskimos kicking off their 2009 Canadian Football League campaign in Edmonton. The oddsmakers like the Eskimos at home in this contest, as they've been pegged as 9.5-point favorites. The total for the matchup is set at 53 points.

Finally, there are three games on the WNBA's schedule for Thursday, with Connecticut at Indiana, Sacramento at Minnesota, and Detroit at New York. The Shock rolled to an 86-72 win over Sacramento last time out, getting 18 points off the bench from Shavonte Zellous and 14 points from Deanna Nolan. The Liberty fell 63- 54 to Indiana last time out despite the team-high 14 points from Essence Carson. Detroit and New York have a combined four wins in 15 games this year.

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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 03:19 AM

Six-pack for Thursday

The six fastest growing cities in America, according to the census.......

6) Irvine, CA-- 7,658 more people than last year-- up 3.8%

5) McKinney, TX-- Northeast of Dallas metroplex, up 5,587, 4.8%

4) Gilbert, AZ-- Not lot of cold weather on the list-- up 10,283, 5%

3) Cary, NC-- Raleigh is also in top 10 of list-- up 8,389, or 6.9%

2) Round Rock, TX-- North of Austin on I-35, up 7,877, 8.2%

1) New Orleans, LA-- Rebounding from Katrina-- up 23,740, 8.2%

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Quote of the Day

"Genius is one percent inspiration
and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
Thomas Edison

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Thursday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but..........

Thursday's List of 13: Nobody asked me, but..........

13) Whatever happened to free speech? Pirate shortstop Jack Wilson vented the other day when Nyjer Morgan was traded to Washington; his comments were heartfelt and pointed, so of course, on Wednesday he apologized, because thats what truth tellers do these days-- after saying exactly what they think, they cover their butts by apologizing. Too bad.

12) Whats up with the state of Minnesota? A couple years after they had a pro wrestler as governor, they elect a comedian senator. Now, lot of politicians are funny, but very few are actually trying to be funny.

11) It costs $15 just to tour the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium.

10) Weird Wednesday-- only three baseball games were going on at 10pm and that included the game in San Diego that started just after 10.

9) Hanley Ramirez has RBI in his last ten games, longest streak by a National League shortstop since Arky Vaughn in 1940.

8) A day after rallying from 10-1 deficit to win 11-10, greatest comeback in franchise history, Orioles blew a 4-run lead in ninth inning and lost in 11 innings to Boston. Last 24 Baltimore hitters went down in order; so much for using the great comeback as a springboard to progress.

7) Yovani Gallardo has started twice against the Mets this year and lost both games 1-0. He's an excellent pitcher.

6) Pablo Sandoval dropped a foul pop up hit by Colby Rasmus in the 10th inning, then Rasmus hit a walk-off homer, giving Cardinals a tense 2-1 win at Busch Stadium. Very tough way to lose a game.

5) Final tally for the Dodgers during Manny Ramirez' suspension was a 29-21 record; I guess its good business, but little weird that Dodgers TV broadcasts were pumping up Manny's return to action like he's some kind of hero, instead of a guy coming back from suspension.......

4) After Astros scored six runs in top of fourth in San Diego, Astros' TV showed a couple of fans wearing bags on their heads at Petco. Since this is the Gadget Era, the two fans snapped pics of themselves with their camera phone and took the bags off to admire the pictures. Tough times for the Padres, but at least the weather's always good in San Diego.

3) Rangers blew a 7-1 7th-inning lead, but Hank Blalock bailed out the bullpen with a walkoff blast over the centerfield fence, giving Texas 9-7 win, moving them within a half-game of the Angels in the AL West.

2) Billy Joel had a 22-2 record as a Golden Gloves boxer. Imagine a guy with those talented fingers risking them boxing? He quit when his nose got broken in his 24th fight.

1) One bad thing about the rise of the Internet-- too many people who just spread rumors-- how about reporting facts, or spreading opinions, but rumors are annoying. The day after Brandon Webb's shoulder was all but prepped for labrum surgery, it comes out that he doesn't need any surgery, and all three doctors he saw agreed with that, so the report that got lot of attention on Tuesday was 100% false. Terrible journalism.

From: Armadillo
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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 03:30 AM

CFL
Week 1 Schedule

Wed July 1
Toronto 34 @ Hamilton 17 7:00 PM
Montreal 40 @ Calgary 27 10:00 PM

Thu July 2
Winnipeg @ Edmonton 9:00 PM

Fri July 3
BC @ Saskatchewan 9:00 PM

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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 03:31 AM

CFL
Dunkel Index

THURSDAY, JULY 2

Game 405-406: Winnipeg at Edmonton
Dunkel Ratings: Winnipeg 106.642; Edmonton 114.773
Dunkel Line: Edmonton by 8; 56
Vegas Line: Edmonton by 9 1/2; 51 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Winnipeg (+9 1/2); Over

FRIDAY, JULY 3

Game 407-408: BC at Saskatchewan
Dunkel Ratings: BC 115.782; Saskatchewan 111.933
Dunkel Line: BC by 4; 55
Vegas Line: BC by 1; 49 1/2
Dunkel Pick: BC (-1); Over

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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 03:32 AM

CFL
Long Sheet

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Thursday, July 2
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WINNIPEG (0 - 0) at EDMONTON (0 - 0) - 7/2/2009, 9:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
EDMONTON is 3-2 against the spread versus WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
EDMONTON is 3-1 straight up against WINNIPEG over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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Friday, July 3
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BRITISH COLUMBIA (0 - 0) at SASKATCHEWAN (0 - 0) - 7/3/2009, 9:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SASKATCHEWAN is 84-52 ATS (+26.8 Units) as an underdog since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 12-2 ATS (+9.8 Units) as a home underdog of 3 points or less since 1996.
SASKATCHEWAN is 36-16 ATS (+18.4 Units) in July games since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
SASKATCHEWAN is 4-4 against the spread versus BRITISH COLUMBIA over the last 3 seasons
BRITISH COLUMBIA is 5-3 straight up against SASKATCHEWAN over the last 3 seasons
6 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 03:32 AM

CFL
Write-up

Thursday, July 2

Canadian Football League starts this weekend; our writeups start right here next week, with Week 2's games.

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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 03:34 AM

CFL

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Trend Report
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JULY 2

9:00 PM
WINNIPEG vs. EDMONTON
Winnipeg is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Winnipeg is 1-7-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Edmonton is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games at home
Edmonton is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home

JULY 3

9:00 PM
BRITISH COLUMBIA vs. SASKATCHEWAN
British Columbia is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of British Columbia's last 12 games
Saskatchewan is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against British Columbia
Saskatchewan is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against British Columbia

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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 03:35 AM

CFL

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Canadian bacon: CFL season betting preview
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If bettors are looking for something to hold them over until college and NFL football begins, the CFL is a great way to warm up your wagering. Our Canadian Football League insider gives you his predictions for the 2009 season.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Prediction

1. Edmonton Eskimos 16-2
2. Calgary Stampeders 12-6
3. B.C. Lions 5-13
4. Saskatchewan Roughriders 4-14

EDMONTON ESKIMOS (+200 to win Grey Cup)

Certainties

The acquisition of injury-prone halfback Jesse Lumsden could make a world of difference for this offence. Ricky Ray and slot back Kamaur Peterson are still the pillars of the offence. On the defensive side, the additions of linebacker Maurice Lloyd, defensive halfback Kelly Malveaux and defensive end Kai Ellis beef up the Eskimos depth chart.

Question Marks

The biggest lost is slot back Kelly Campbell, who received an invitation from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL. But this team has plenty of good receives and his absence should go unnoticed.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS (+175)

Certainties

Henry Burris is still one of the best QBs in the league and he can still rely on slotback Nik Lewis or WR Ken-Yon Rambo. Halfback Joffrey Reynolds is also back, giving Burris a chance to diversify the schemes. The addition of former QB Dave Dickenson as an assistant offensive coordinator should reinforce a very capable coaching staff led by coach of the year John Hufnagel.

Question Marks

The Stampeders defensive front will suffer from the departure of defensive end Charleston Hughes (Philadelphia Eagles). The special teams unit will miss long snapper Pat Macdonald (Carolina Panthers).

B.C. LIONS (+500)

Certainties

The Lions offensive will still be a threat with Buck Pierce at QB and many talented targets around him, including slot backs Geroy Simon and Paris Jackson. The secondary is still solid with the returns of linebacker Barron Miles and defensive backs Korey Bank and Bren Johnson.

Question Marks

Can the Lions replace a defensive end with the skills of Cam Wake (Miami Dolphins) or a fullback like Stefan Logan (Pittsburgh Steelers)? Those two losses alone should hurt the Lions considerably during the course of the season.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (+1300)

Certainties

The Roughriders will score plenty of points. There is no doubt about that. Michael Bishop has been fired but Darian Durant is a very efficient QB and will be surrounded by halfback Wes Cates, slotback Andy Fantuz and WR Weston Dressler. The addition of local star Jason Clermont gives even more depth to the offence, despite the loss of good players to free agency and trades made for economical purposes.

Question Marks

Linebacker Scott Gordon left Regina for Edmonton as a free agent. Linebackers Anton MacKenzie and Kitwana Jones also took off. The offensive line was weakened by the departures of Steve Morley and Glen January during free agency.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Prediction

1. Montreal Alouettes 12-6
2. Winnipeg Blue Bombers 11-7
3. Toronto Argonauts 6-12
4. Hamilton Tiger Cats 4-14

MONTREAL ALOUETTES (+375 to win Grey Cup)

Certainties

The nucleus that took the Als to the Grey Cup final is pretty much intact but training camp showed lots of upcoming players that could soon develop into key elements. Adrian McPherson took over Brad Banks No. 2 spot behind starting QB Anthony Calvillo. Linebacker Shea Emry was so brilliant he stole veteran Reggie Hunt’s job and behind Avon Cobourne, young halfbacks like Brendan Whittaker made a big impression.

Question Marks

The Alouettes will have a much improved defence and will rely more on man-to-man coverage. Still, they have to find a way to concede less rushing yards. If Montreal was the least generous in points allowed, it was far more generous in terms of yards allowed.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (+1100)

Certainties

If former Eskimo Stefan LeFors becomes the QB they hope, the Blue Bombers will tail the Alouettes all season long. If not, their season will resemble the last one: a second place finish with a record under .500. The offensive line is improved with the acquisitions of Glenn January from Edmonton and former Alouette Luke Fritz, who showed up in the best physical condition of his career. The Bombers running game will also be very dangerous with the likes of Fred Reid and Lavarius Giles.

Question Marks

The Blue Bombers defence lost many key elements. Linebacker Zeke Moreno was traded to Toronto, defensive end Kelly Malveaux has been shipped to Edmonton, tackle Jerome Haywood and cornerback Stanford Samuels chose to sign with Montreal as free agents and defensive end is now with the Eskimos.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS (+875)

Certainties

New head coach Bart Andrus has the hefty job of leading these Argos to victory and respectability. The Argos did replenish during the offseason and certain acquisitions will have an immediate impact. The offensive line is solid with the arrivals of free agents Rob Murphy and Dominic Picard.

Question Marks

The defensive front of the Argos is a cause for concern – and so is the secondary. Unless newcomers start emerging quickly, Toronto will continue to give up too much yardage.

HAMILTON TIGER CATS (+1600)

Certainties

Quinton Porter will be the No. 1 QB but Kevin Glenn, acquired through free agency, will be ready to take over if that should prove necessary. The offensive line has improved with the acquisitions of tackles Alexandre Gauthier and Dan Goodspeed. Former Alouette Dave Stala is an experienced WR that will prove useful to Porter.

Question Marks

The question marks are so numerous with the Tiger Cats that one wonders where to start. Their excellent but fragile HB Jesse Lumsden is gone to Edmonton, leaving Terry Caulley’s responsible for the running game. If the offensive line crumbles, he won’t be able to do much.

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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 03:36 AM

CFL

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CFL Week 1: Analysis and predictions
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Thursday, July 2

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-10 in 2008 vs Edmonton Eskimos (10-8 in 2008)

The Eskimos may be the most improved team in the CFL and they could even end up wining the Western Conference. The Blue Bombers have also improved during the offseason and they should be pursuing the Alouettes for the Eastern Conference title. But one can still wonder if Stefan LeFors is the QB that will bring them back to the glory days in Winnipeg. If the youthful secondary of the Eskimos hangs on, their new head coach Richie Hall could celebrate his first win at the helm of this Edmonton squad.

Prediction: Edmonton

Friday, July 3

B.C. Lions (11-7 in 2008) vs Saskatchewan Roughriders (12-6 in 2008)

The Lions will miss defensive end Cam Wake and running back Stefan Logan, who both departed for the riches of the NFL. And that’s without mentioning the losses of tackle Rob Murphy, slotback Jason Clermont or linebacker Otis Floyd. But the Lions still have tremendous passing power and defensively they are still stronger than the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Riders are a squad who seem condemned to a year of misery, especially with many injuries at key positions for the start of this season. B.C. fans probably won’t have has many reasons to rejoice this season as in the past but at least they should celebrate a victory this week in Regina.

Prediction: B.C.

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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 04:37 AM

MLB
Baseball Today

SCOREBOARD

Thursday, July 2

Milwaukee at Chicago Cubs (8:05 p.m.). The NL Central rivals open a four-game series at Wrigley Field. Seth McClung (3-1, 3.55 ERA) is scheduled to get the ball for the division-leading Brewers, while Ryan Dempster (4-5, 4.09 ERA) is expected to start for the Cubs.

STARS

Wednesday

-Alex Rodriguez, Yankees, hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning of New York's 4-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.

-Jose Contreras, White Sox, pitched eight solid innings to help Chicago beat the Cleveland Indians 6-2 for its fifth consecutive victory.

-Derrek Lee and Kosuke Fukudome, Cubs, homered to power Chicago to a 4-1 win at Pittsburgh.

-Joe Mauer, Twins, went 3 for 3 to raise his batting average to .392 and help Minnesota win 5-1 at Kansas City.

-Jason Giambi and Jack Cust, Athletics, each hit a two-run homer in Oakland's 5-1 win over the Detroit Tigers.

-Mike Pelfrey, Mets, allowed six hits in 7 2-3 sharp innings and New York beat the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 to end a five-game skid.

-Johnny Cueto, Reds, struck out eight in six sparkling innings, leading Cincinnati to a 1-0 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

-Jair Jurrjens, Braves, carried a no-hitter into the seventh and gave up an unearned run in seven innings, helping Atlanta to an 11-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.

-Ricky Romero, Blue Jays, pitched four-hit ball over eight innings and Toronto blanked Tampa Bay 5-0 to end the Rays' seven-game winning streak.

-Brian Moehler, Astros, tossed six strong innings in Houston's 7-1 victory at San Diego.

MANNY HAPPY RETURNS

Rafael Furcal had a pinch-hit RBI single in the eighth inning Wednesday, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 1-0 in the final game of Manny Ramirez's 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy. The Dodgers were 29-21 during Ramirez's absence. The 12-time All-Star will return to the lineup Friday night for the start of a three-game series at San Diego.

AIN'T IT COOL

Three National League teams needed just one run to get a victory, the first time 33 years there were three 1-0 games in one league on the same day. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last time there were three 1-0 games in one league was Sept. 1, 1976, in the NL. On that day, St. Louis beat Cincinnati in 11 innings; Houston defeated Philadelphia; and New York beat San Francisco. The home teams won all those games. On Wednesday, the Mets, Dodgers and Reds came away with 1-0 victories.

AIN'T IT COOL II

Alex Rodriguez hit a tiebreaking two-run shot for career homer No. 566 as the New York Yankees overcame Ken Griffey Jr.'s 621st home run in a 4-2 win against the Seattle Mariners. The last time two players with at least 550 career homers connected in the same game was May 8, 1971, when Hank Aaron and Willie Mays did it, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

A REAL WILD ONE

One day after succumbing to the greatest comeback in Orioles history, the Red Sox staged an improbable rally of their own. Boston used a four-run ninth inning to pull even, Julio Lugo singled in the tiebreaking run in the 11th and Jonathan Papelbon became the team's career saves leader by closing out a 6-5 victory. Papelbon got three outs for his 133rd save with the Red Sox, breaking the team record held by Bob Stanley. Less than 24 hours earlier, Papelbon yielded the key hit in the eighth inning of a game in which Boston blew a 10-1 lead before losing 11-10.

A REAL WILD ONE II

Hank Blalock's second homer of the game, a two-run shot with two outs in the ninth inning, gave Texas a 9-7 victory over Los Angeles on Wednesday night and moved the Rangers within a half game of the Angels in the AL West. Juan Rivera's three-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth off Frank Francisco (2-1) tied it at 7 as the Angels erased a six-run deficit. Texas improved to 5-1 against Los Angeles this season.

SEIZING THE MOMENT

Colby Rasmus hit a leadoff homer in the 10th inning after rookie third baseman Pablo Sandoval dropped his foul pop earlier in the at-bat, giving the St. Louis Cardinals a 2-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants. Sandoval circled the rookie's foul ball off a 2-2 count against Bob Howry (0-4), arriving late and missing with what appeared to be a casual stab with his glove. Three pitches later, Rasmus homered to straightaway center for his first game-ending hit.

VERY IMPRESSIVE

Hanley Ramirez extended his RBI streak to 10 games in the Florida Marlins' 5-3 victory over the Washington Nationals. Ramirez hit a two-run double in the third inning to become the first shortstop in NL history with an RBI streak of double-digit games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He is batting .450 (19 for 40) with 24 RBIs since June 21.

ON THE REBOUND

Jose Contreras pitched eight innings to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 6-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians. He improved to 3-2 with a 2.17 ERA since being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte, a monthlong demotion prompted by the 37-year-old opening the season 0-5. The right-hander, who allowed two runs and five hits, was just 1-6 in his previous 10 road starts.

PLAY IN PITTSBURGH EVERY NIGHT

The Cubs beat the Pirates 4-1 and took two of three in Pittsburgh to avoid falling three games under .500 for the first time since they were 36-39 in 2007. The Cubs have won 21 of their last 27 overall against the Pirates, who trail the Cubs by 2 1/2 games despite having an 11-23 record in the NL Central.

SEASONS

July 2

1903 - Washington outfielder Ed Delahanty went over a railroad bridge at Niagara Falls and drowned. The exact circumstances of his death never were determined.

1909 - The Chicago White Sox stole 12 bases, including home plate three times, in a 15-3 rout of the St. Louis Browns.

1930 - Chicago outfielder Carl Reynolds homered in the first, second and third innings, leading the White Sox to a 15-4 win over the New York Yankees. Reynolds, the second player in history to hit home runs in three consecutive innings, had two inside-the-park homers.

1933 - Carl Hubbell of the New York Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 in an 18-inning game. He allowed six hits and no walks. In the second game of the doubleheader, the Cardinals were blanked 1-0, with Roy Parmelee outdueling Dizzy Dean.

1941 - Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees hit a home run to extend his consecutive hitting streak to 45 games, surpassing Willie Keeler's record of 44 straight games for the Orioles in 1897.

1963 - Juan Marichal of San Francisco beat Warren Spahn and the Milwaukee Braves 1-0 in 16 innings on Willie Mays' homer.

1986 - Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox fell short of a record-tying 15th consecutive winning decision when the Toronto Blue Jays scored three runs in the eighth inning for a 4-2 victory.

1995 - Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers became the first Japanese player picked for baseball's All-Star game. Nomo was the NL's leader in strikeouts and second in ERA.

2002 - A record 62 home runs were hit in the major leagues, breaking the mark of 57 set April 7, 2000. Raul Ibanez homered twice for Kansas City, making him the record ninth player to hit at least two in a game. San Francisco's Damon Minor, Tsuyoshi Shinjo and Reggie Sanders each homered twice as the Giants became the 16th team to have three players with multiple homers in a game, an 18-5 win against Colorado.

2007 - Roger Clemens reached a rare milestone, pitching eight innings of two-hit ball to earn his 350th career win and lead the New York Yankees past Minnesota 5-1. Clemens became the first major leaguer to win 350 games since Hall of Famer Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves accomplished the feat in 1963.

Today's birthdays: Wladimir Balentien 25; Angel Pagan 28; Nyjer Morgan 29; Greg Dobbs 31.

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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 04:38 AM

MLB
This Day in Baseball

On July 2 in Baseball History...

1903 - Pitcher Jack Doscher, making his debut with the Chicago Cubs, is the first son of a former major-league player to also play in the major leagues. His father, Herm, was a third base with Troy, Chicago, and Cleveland before the turn of the century.

1941 - Joe DiMaggio extends his consecutive-game hitting streak to 45 by hitting a home run off Boston's Dick Newsome, surpassing Willie Keeler's all-time record.

1950 - Bob Feller, wins his 200th major-league game, a 5-3 Cleveland win over Detroit in the second game of a doubleheader split.

1951 - Bill Veeck gets the necessary 75 percent of outstanding stock on the last day of his option to buy the St. Louis Browns from Bill and Charlie DeWitt.

1963 - At 12:31 A.M. in San Francisco, Willie Mays homers off Warren Spahn in the bottom of the 16th inning to give Juan Marichal a 1-0 victory in the National League's longest game ended by a home run.

1970 - Detroit's Joe Niekro no-hits the Yankees until Horace Clarke singles in the ninth inning as the Tigers win 5-0. This is the third time in the month that Clarke has broken up a no-hitter, having spoiled bids by Kansas City's Jim Rooker (June 4) and Boston's Sonny Siebert (June 19).

1986 - After 14 wins, Roger Clemens suffer his first loss as Toronto scores three times in the eighth inning to down Boston 4-2. Clemens was one game short of the American League record for consecutive wins at the start of a season.

1987 - Jim Eisenreich, making a comeback after being forced out of the major leagues by a nervous disorder in 1984, hits his first Major League home run since 1982 to lead the Royals to a 10-3 win over his former club, the Twins.

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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 04:39 AM

MLB
Write-up

Thursday, July 2

Hot Pitchers
-- Davis has 1.29 RA in his last two starts, but Arizona is 2-9 in his last eleven outings.
-- Correia is 4-1, 2.41 in his last five starts.
-- Happ is 1-0, 1.20 in his last two starts. Vazquez has a 2.11 RA in his last six starts.
-- Maholm is 3-1, 2.18 in his six home starts.

-- Sabathia is 2-0, 2.81 in his last three starts.
-- White Sox won five of Buehrle's six road starts.
-- Guthrie is 2-0, 3.00 in his last couple starts. Lackey is 1-1, 3.27 in his last three starts.

Cold Pitchers
-- Harang is 0-4, 5.90 in his last six starts.
-- Rodriguez is 1-3, 8.24 in his last four road starts.
-- Wellemeyer is 1-3, 7.18 in his last six starts. Zito has a 6.86 RA in his last seven starts.
-- Dempster is 0-2, 4.11 in his last five starts. McClung allowed three runs in four IP in his first '09 start, against the Giants.
-- Redding is 1-1, 5.84 in his last four starts.

-- Vargas is 1-2, 4.27 in his last four starts.
-- Chen lost 6-2 in Pittsburgh Saturday (four runs in six IP) in his first major league start in three years.

Hot Teams
-- Pirates won seven of their last ten home games..
-- Marlins won their last seven home games.
-- Giants won eight of their last eleven games.
-- Brewers won four of their last five games.
-- Astros won four of their last six road games.
-- Rockies won 21 of their last 25 games.

-- Bronx won its last six games, outscoring foes 45-19. Mariners won four of their last five games.
-- White Sox won eight of their last ten games.
-- Tampa Bay won 15 of its last 19 games.
-- Orioles won five of their last seven home games. Red Sox are 11-4 in their last fifteen road games.
-- Twins are 9-5 in their last fourteen road games.
-- Angels won 13 of their last 17 games.
-- Tigers won eight of their last eleven games.

Cold Teams
-- Cubs lost eight of their last ten road games.
-- Diamondbacks lost eight of their last ten games. Reds lost four of last five home games.
-- Nationals lost seven of their last nine games.
-- Braves lost four of their last six games. Phillies lost 12 of their last 16 games.
-- Mets are 6-14 in their last 20 games, losing the last five.
-- Cardinals are 6-11 in their last seventeen home games.
-- Padres lost eleven of their last seventeen games.
-- Dodgers lost five of their last seven games, but are 9-2 against Rockies so far this season. .

-- Indians lost twelve of their last fourteen games.
-- Toronto is 6-12 in its last eighteen home games.
-- Royals lost nine of their last thirteen games.
-- Rangers are 6-9 in their last fifteen home games.
-- Oakland lost seven of its last nine games.

Totals
-- Under is 10-4-1 in Cubs' last fifteen road games.
-- Under is 8-3 in Cincinnati's last eleven home games.
-- Six of last eight Washington road games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 8-3 in Atlanta's last eleven home games.
-- Eleven of last fifteen Milwaukee games went over the total.
-- Three of Giants' last four games went over the total.
-- Seven of last eight Houston road games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 10-4 in Dodgers' last fourteen home games.

-- Under is 15-4-1 in Seattle's last twenty road games.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in White Sox' last six games.
-- Four of last five Boston games stayed under the total.
-- Seven of last eleven Toronto home games went over the total.
-- 13 of last 15 Texas home games stayed under the total.
-- Five of last seven Kansas City home games went over the total.
-- Under is 9-3-1 in last thirteen games at Oakland.

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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 04:41 AM

MLB

Thursday, July 2

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Hot lines: Today’s best MLB bets
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Philadelphia vs. Atlanta

The Phillies were one of the coldest teams in the majors heading into their series in Atlanta with just three wins in their 12 games prior. But if they’re hoping to turn things around on Thursday, they had to groan when they saw who was scheduled to call the balls and strikes.

Mike Everitt, one of the biggest homers in baseball this season, will be the home plate umpire Thursday. Everitt has seen the home team go 12-4 when he’s calling the game this year and only two umpires in the majors have seen the home team win more games.

It could be just a coincidence, but you can’t argue with the numbers: the home team is winning by an average margin of nearly three runs (2.88) with Everitt behind home. He calls a tight strike zone with a 61.8 strike percentage and that should help play into the hands of scheduled Braves starter Javier Vasquez. Vasquez has a 2.01 ERA in his past three starts.

Pick: Atlanta

Baltimore vs. L.A. Angels

Do you remember that scene from Bull Durham when the manager hauls all the players into the shower and blasts them for being a bunch of “lollygaggers”? Well, that’s kind of what Angels manager Mike Scioscia did after the team lost 11-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays back on June 11.

Minus hauling them into the shower, that is.

According to a story in the Orange County Register, the veteran skipper gave his team the what-for and the results have been impressive. The Angels responded by going 13-4 in their next 17 games and their bats are hotter than the Cali sun.

L.A. scored at least eight runs in seven of those games during the streak and the club was held to fewer than four runs just three times. The scoring spike is showing up in the odds too, where over/unders in Angels games have recently bumped to higher than 10 runs.

We’d advise you to be careful of the rising totals, but with the lowly O’s coming to town you can expect the scoreboard operator to stay busy.

Pick: Over

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**pm530** · 07-02-2009, 04:42 AM

MLB

Thursday, July 2

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Streaking and Slumping Pitchers
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Streaking

Doug Davis (Arizona Diamondbacks)

This snake is starting to have some bite.

Davis (3-8, 3.28 ERA) has been mediocre much of the season for the struggling Diamondbacks, but appears to finally be rounding into form. The left-hander lasted at least seven innings in each of his past two starts, giving up a combined one earned run.

The former Milwaukee Brewer and Toronto Blue Jay should have a better record, but has been plagued by bad run support. In his eight losses, the team has combined to score a meager 17 runs. But the way Davis is pitching, it won’t take much to get a win against the Reds.

"I feel like I'm giving the team a chance to win. Unfortunately, we haven't been doing that," Davis told the Associated Press. "The guys are battling every day. It's not like they are laying down and dying."

J.A. Happ (Philadelphia Phillies)

J.A. couldn’t be much happier.

Happ (5-0, 3.00 ERA) was once regarded as the top pitching prospect of the defending World Series champions. The young left-hander, however, struggled out of spring training and was in the bullpen until late May.

But the move to the rotation has yielded great results. Happ has failed to strike out at least four batters in only one start this season and has been dialed in his past two. He held the Orioles to just two runs over six innings on June 20, and followed that performance by tossing a complete-game shutout, yielding a meager five hits to the Blue Jays in a 10-0 win.

Slumping

Bruce Chen (Kansas City Royals)

Know who believes in the 32-year-old left-hander?

Apparently no one, because he isn’t owned by a single player in any ESPN fantasy league. You’d think his mother would at least start a team to pick him up.

But it’s hard to get behind the struggling veteran, who was beat up in his lone start of the season, a 6-2 loss to Pittsburgh. In that loss, he yielded four runs on seven hits in 6 1-3 innings after he was called up from Triple-A on June 27. Chen must do a better job of keeping hitters off balance if he is to do better against the White Sox.

"I didn't think Chen was that bad," Royals manager Trey Hillman told the Associated Press. "He left that pitch up for the home run, but I thought he pitched effectively on both sides of the plate."

Todd Wellemeyer (St. Louis Cardinals)

The former reliever’s job will be on the line against the Giants.

Wellemeyer (6-7, 5.68 ERA) had a June to forget, as he went 1-3 with a 6.89 ERA last month, including lasting just 2 1-3 innings in a 5-3 win over the Twins. The victory, however, had little to do with Wellemeyer, who allowed three earned runs on four hits with four walks.

"I just feel like if I hadn't gone to the pen and tried to change something, the guys would think this game isn't worth working for," Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa told the Associated Press. "He had it and lost it. He's searching."

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