08/27/2008 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Ludwick finished 3-for-4 with two runs batted in, as St. Louis used a four-run eighth inning to upend Milwaukee, 5-3, and earn a split in the two-game set with the Brewers.
Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina each had two hits, while Aaron Miles drove in the go-ahead run for the Cardinals, who have won four of six. St. Louis also moved within 3 1/2 games of first-place Milwaukee in the NL Wild Card standings.
Adam Wainwright allowed three runs -- two earned -- on eight hits in a six- inning start for the Cardinals, but didn't factor into the decision. Ryan Franklin (5-5) threw a scoreless eighth to earn the win.
David Riske (1-2) took the loss for the Brewers after giving up three runs in the eighth. Starter Manny Parra was solid in six-plus innings, as he gave up one run on six hits and struck out seven for Milwaukee, whose five-game win streak ended.
The Brewers also fell to six games back of the Chicago Cubs for first in the NL Central.
Mike Cameron and Jason Kendall each finished with two hits and an RBI, while J.J. Hardy had three hits and drove in a run for the Brewers.
The Cardinals trailed by two heading into the bottom of the eighth, but got a rally started when Pujols hit a lead off double off Riske. Ludwick followed with another double to plate the run, and Troy Glaus singled to tie the game.
After Riske got Molina to ground out, Brian Shouse came on in relief to face pinch-hitter Miles with Glaus on third. Miles sent a grounder to shortstop, but Glaus slid under the tag as Hardy went home with the throw.
Braden Looper sacrificed Miles to second with a bunt and Felipe Lopez singled to center to bring another run home for a 5-3 lead.
Chris Perez entered for the Cardinals in the ninth and gave up a one-out double to Hardy. However, he struck out Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder to end the game and notch his sixth save.
Hardy's RBI single in the third inning plated Kendall, who had singled, went to second on an error and advanced to third on a bunt. In the fourth, consecutive doubles from Corey Hart and Cameron gave the Brewers another run. A ground out put Cameron on third base for Kendall, whose single made it 3-0, Milwaukee.
Ludwick hammered a two-out pitch from Parra in the sixth for a solo homer to bring St. Louis within two.
Game Notes
Milwaukee left 10 runners on base, while the Cardinals stranded eight...On Wednesday, St. Louis purchased the contract of first baseman Josh Phelps from Triple-A Memphis, and optioned pitcher Jaime Garcia to Memphis....Phelps was 1-for-1 in a pinch-hit appearance on Wednesday...The Cardinals also transferred pitcher Mark Mulder to the 60-day disabled list on Wednesday.
<< Rangers sweep Royals in KC
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 3-for-4 with a
pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored while Brandon Boggs homered, as the
Texas Rangers completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with
a 3-2 v
<< Indians win 10th straight to sweep Tigers
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kelly Shoppach and Shin-Soo Choo each hit
a two-run homer to lead Cleveland to its 10th straight victory, as the Indians
edged the Tigers, 9-7, in the finale of a three-game set.
Grady Sizemore ended wit
<< Oswalt strong again as Astros top Reds
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Oswalt continued his mastery of the Reds
with seven strong innings to lead the Houston Astros to a 4-1 win over
Cincinnati at Minute Maid Park.
Oswalt (12-9) allowed one run on five hits with
<< Pedroia helps BoSox slam Yanks
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Bay finished 2-for-4 with four RBI and
Dustin Pedroia added a grand slam as Boston routed the New York Yankees,
11-3, in the middle contest of a three-game set from Yankee Stadium.
Jacoby Ellsbu
Angels' Kendrick and Aybar leave game early >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim second baseman
Howie Kendrick and shortstop Erick Aybar both left Wednesday's 6-5 loss to
the Oakland Athletics with hamstring injuries.
Kendrick was running to second ba
Angels recall Willits from disabled list >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim activated
outfielder Reggie Willits from the 15-day disabled list prior to Wednesday's
6-5 loss to the Oakland Athletics.
Willits pinch-hit for Mike Napoli in the ninth t
Brown, Davis help A's hold off Angels >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Emil Brown hit a two-run homer and finished
with three runs driven in, while Rajai Davis scored twice and notched his
first career four-hit game, as the Oakland Athletics edged the Los Angeles
Angels
Angels activate Willits from disabled list >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim activated
outfielder Reggie Willits from the 15-day disabled list prior to Wednesday's
6-5 loss to the Oakland Athletics.
Willits pinch-hit for Mike Napoli in the ninth t
NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.
Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.
Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.
Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
Arizona 20-1
Butler 20-1
Duke 30-1
Florida 7-2
Georgetown 30-1
Indiana 35-1
Kansas 15-1
Marquette 25-1
Maryland 40-1
Memphis 50-1
Nevada 50-1
UNC 9-2
OSU 8-1
Oregon 30-1
Pittsburgh 15-1
Texas 30-1
Texas A&M 18-1
UCLA 6-1
Wisconsin 10-1
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