Nationals pound Pirates behind Rodriguez
Baseball Betting Lines
09/04/2010 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ivan Rodriguez hit a two-run homer and knocked in four as the Washington Nationals thumped Pittsburgh, 9-2, in the second of three games from PNC Park.
John Lannan (7-6) struck out seven in seven strong innings, walked one and allowed a run on five hits for the Nationals, who broke a three-game losing streak. Ian Desmond added three hits and an RBI to the win.
Paul Maholm's (7-14) troubles continued, as the southpaw slid to a fifth loss in six starts after surrendering eight hits and seven runs in 4 1/3 frames.
Andrew McCutchen's 13th home run of the season highlighted the Pirates' offense on the way to their sixth loss in the last eight games.
The game was scoreless until Washington broke out in the fourth for five runs. The bases were loaded right out of the shoot on a pair of singles and a walk and Rodriguez chased in two with a base hit to right-center.
An error left men at second and third for Danny Espinosa, who drove in another with a single and Justin Maxwell added a fourth run with a sacrifice fly. Nyjer Morgan later scored Espinosa with a single.
Mike Morse led off the fifth with a base hit and scored on Rodriguez's two-run shot to left two batters later that ended Maholm's time on the hill.
McCutchen belted out a solo home run for a 7-1 game after five innings.
It was all Washington the rest of the way as Desmond doubled in Lannan in the sixth, then Morse tagged Chan Ho Park with an RBI single to plate Desmond in the eighth.
The Nats' starter gave way to Doug Slaten in the home eighth and Ronny Cedeno managed a two-out run-scoring double. Joel Peralta finished out the win with a scoreless ninth.
Game Notes
Washington swept a three-game set from the Pirates back in June and had won five in a row in the series prior to Friday's setback...Maholm fell to 0-4 in seven all-time meetings with the Nationals...Lannan picked up his first career defeat of the Pirates in six attempts...Rodriguez had three hits and scored twice. It was his third home run of the season...Lastings Milledge had three hits for Pittsburgh.
Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quarterback Patrick Ramsey and defensive end Bobby McCray were among the highest-profile players released by the New Orleans Saints on Saturday, as the defending Super Bowl champions reduced their roster to the N
<< Oklahoma holds on against Utah State
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Broyles posted 142 yards and two touchdowns
on nine receptions as seventh-ranked Oklahoma nearly wasted a 21-point lead
but topped Utah State, 31-24, in the season-opener for both schools at
Oklahom
<< Jackson powers Tigers past Royals
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Austin Jackson went 3-for-4 and singled in
the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, leading the Detroit Tigers to a 6-4 win
over the Kansas City Royals in the middle test of a three-game series.
Jackson als
<< Engram, Jennings, McDonald among Browns' final cuts
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wide receiver Bobby Engram, running back Chris
Jennings and cornerback Brandon McDonald were among the notables released by
the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, as the team reduced its roster to 53 players.
Engram,
<< Cornhuskers clobber WKU
Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez ran for
three touchdowns and accounted for 263 of Nebraska's 536 yards of offense, as
the eighth-ranked Cornhuskers walloped Western Kentucky, 49-10, at Memorial
Stadium
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts released 22 players including veteran tackle Adam Terry on Saturday, also acquiring cornerback Justin Tryon via a trade with the Washington Redskins amid their "cut-down-day" transactio
Patriots list LBs Alexander, Burgess, Woods among final cuts >>
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Linebackers Eric Alexander, Derrick Burgess
and Pierre Woods, all of whom had a role with the Patriots in past years, were
released as part of New England's "cut-down-day" roster maneuvers on Saturday.
Alexa
Alabama starts BCS title defense with rout of San Jose State >>
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eddie Lacy and Trent Richardson each rushed
for a pair of touchdowns, and top-ranked Alabama began defense of its BCS
national title with a 48-3 win over San Jose State.
Greg McElroy and A.J. McCarron
FCD extends unbeaten run to 13 with win over Toronto >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas earned a 1-0 victory over Toronto FC
in Major League Soccer action at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday night.
Jeff Cunningham's eighth goal of the season and 129th of his MLS career were
enough to propel
CB Vasher, WR Reed among Chargers' final cuts >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers pared their roster to
the 53-player maximum on Saturday, releasing 23 players as part of their "cut-
down day" moves.
Excised were wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu, tackle Brady Bond, runni
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."
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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
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