05/13/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals hope that the home crowd can lift their depleted spirits, as the slumping club opens a six-game homestand tonight with the first of three straight games versus the Pittsburgh Pirates at Busch Stadium.
St. Louis has lost two straight and five of six and finished an eight-game road trip with a 3-5 record. In Monday's 8-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in the finale of a four-game series at Miller Park, Rick Ankiel homered and both Jason LaRue and Skip Schumaker drove in a run. Starter Adam Wainwright was tagged with the loss after being shelled for eight runs -- six earned -- on eight hits over six innings.
The Cardinals will also host the Tampa Bay Rays for three games on this stand.
Taking the ball for St. Louis tonight will be Kyle Lohse, who will try to put the brakes on a personal two-start losing streak. Lohse last took the hill Thursday at Colorado, where he yielded seven runs in four innings of a 9-3 loss. In a game versus the Cubs five days earlier, Lohse was reached for eight runs in six frames during a 9-3 setback at Busch Stadium.
Lohse, who opened the season 3-0 in six starts, is 3-2 with a 4.87 earned run average through eight trips to the hill in 2008. The right-hander is 2-0 with a solid 1.78 ERA in four career games (three starts) against Pittsburgh.
The Pirates begin a six-game road trip on Tuesday, and just split a doubleheader with the Atlanta Braves yesterday at PNC Park. Pittsburgh extended its winning streak to six games with a 5-0 victory in the first contest, as Freddy Sanchez doubled in three runs and Zach Duke pitched six scoreless innings for his second straight win.
Pittsburgh's winning streak came to an end in the nightcap, as the team suffered an 8-1 loss to close out a seven-game stand with a 6-1 mark. John Van Benschoten was reached for seven runs -- six earned -- on nine hits with two walks and five strikeouts in four-plus innings for the Pirates, who had their first six-game winning streak in almost four years stopped.
Doug Mientkiewicz had a double and scored the lone Pirates' run in the nightcap.
Pittsburgh will also visit the Chicago Cubs for three games at Wrigley Field.
Taking the ball for the Pirates tonight will be Phil Dumatrait, who is 1-1 with a 3.86 earned run average in 12 games (2 starts) this season. He last pitched on Wednesday versus San Francisco and hurled 5 2/3 shutout innings in a 3-1 win, notching five strikeouts and one walk.
Dumatrait, a left-hander, faced the Cardinals in a relief role at PNC Park on April 24, allowing a pair of runs and six hits in two innings for a no decision in a 6-2 loss.
St. Louis and Pittsburgh split two meetings in the Steel City earlier this season, while the Cardinals are 34-17 in the series since the start of the 2005 campaign.
<< Cubs resume successful homestand with another test from Padres
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs will shoot for their
fifth straight win this evening, when they resume a four-game series with the
San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs, who are one game ahead of St. Lou
<< Rays aim to maintain winning ways in rematch with Yanks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays try to extend their franchise-record
home-winning streak to 11 games this evening, when they continue their four-
game series with the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field.
Tampa moved six games abo
<< Davydenko, Ferrer ease into third round in Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Russian star Nikolay
Davydenko and fifth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer were easy second-round
winners Tuesday at the $2.955 million Masters Series Hamburg, a clay-court
French Open tuneup.
<< D'Backs try to stop slide vs. Rockies
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suddenly, the Diamondbacks are a team that can be beat.
Arizona will try to halt its season-long losing streak tonight in the opener
of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field.
Arizona was sw
Former Pats employee Walsh meets with NFL commissioner >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former New England Patriots employee Matt
Walsh met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday to discuss what he
knows about the team's videotaping practices.
Walsh is now on his way to a separa
Grant expects Terry, Drogba to play in final >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea coach Avram Grant expects both John
Terry and Didier Drogba to be fit for the Champions League final on May 21.
Both captain Terry and main striker Drogba suffered injury scares in the final
game of
AC Milan's Maldini may play one more season >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini is set to delay
his retirement to continue for yet another season with the Rossoneri.
The 39-year-old defender had earlier stated that this campaign would be his
last, but Ma
Report: Sorenstam set to retire >>
Clifton, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hall of Fame golfer Annika Sorenstam has
scheduled a press conference for Tuesday afternoon at the Upper Montclair
Country Club in New Jersey, at which time she will reportedly announce her
retirem
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
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Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
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