Pirates blank Cubs, complete rare winning mark in June
Baseball Betting Lines
06/30/2009 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Freddy Sanchez doubled and knocked in two runs, and Ross Ohlendorf tossed seven shutout innings, as the Pittsburgh Pirates got by the Chicago Cubs, 3-0, in the second of a three-game set at PNC Park.
Brandon Moss finished 2-for-4 for Pittsburgh, which recovered from a 3-1 setback in the series opener on Monday. The Pirates have won five of seven overall.
Ohlendorf (7-6) was sensational, giving up only four hits and striking out a career-high eight batters without issuing a walk. Matt Capps picked up his 18th save of the season after pitching a hitless ninth inning.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Pirates traded outfielder Eric Hinske to the New York Yankees for minor league pitcher Casey Erickson and outfielder Eric Fryer. Pittsburgh then shipped outfielder Nyjer Morgan and left-handed pitcher Sean Burnett to Washington for outfielder Lastings Milledge and right-hander Joel Hanrahan. The club also recalled outfielder Garrett Jones from Triple-A Indianapolis.
The victory gave the Pirates a 14-13 mark for the month, their first winning record in June since going 15-12 in 1996.
Geovany Soto had a pair of hits for the Cubs, who have dropped three of four and seven of nine.
Ted Lilly (7-6) was the hard-luck loser after throwing seven innings. The veteran lefty allowed three runs -- two earned -- on eight hits, while striking out seven. He also walked a pair.
Sanchez led off the fourth inning with a single and Andy LaRoche served a base hit into left three batters later to put runners on first and second. Moss then struck out swinging, but a wild pitch allowed a hustling Sanchez to come into score after Lilly was unable to handle a toss from catcher Soto.
Sanchez's RBI single in the fifth brought in Jack Wilson, who reached on a bunt single and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Ohlendorf to give the Pirates a 2-0 lead.
Pittsburgh tacked on another run in the seventh when pinch-hitter Steve Pearce doubled down the left-field line and crossed the plate on Sanchez's two-bagger to center.
John Grabow pitched out of a Cubs' eighth inning threat, retiring Derrek Lee on a ground ball after Chicago put runners on second and third. Capps came on for the ninth and issued a two-out walk to Soto, but got Mike Fontenot to fly out to left to end the game.
Game Notes
Cubs reliever Jeff Samardzija was recalled from Triple-A Iowa earlier on Tuesday and pitched a scoreless eighth inning...Chicago finished 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven, while the Pirates went 2-for-9 with RISP and left seven...Despite the loss, the Cubs have won 20 of the last 26 meetings.
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Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Forward Carlos Boozer and center Mehmet
Okur both announced they will remain with the Utah Jazz for the 2009-10
campaign.
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Bozeman, MT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montana State University has agreed to
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Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Haren threw seven innings of one-run ball and added a double and solo home run at the plate to help snap the Diamondbacks' five-game losing streak with a 6-2 decision over the Reds. Haren (7-
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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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