Garland, Padres edge Cubs

Baseball Betting Lines

08/17/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Garland threw seven scoreless innings and out-pitched Chicago starter Randy Wells to help the San Diego Padres edge the Cubs, 1-0, in a pitchers' duel at Wrigley Field.

Garland (12-8) allowed four hits and struck out three for the Padres, who have won the first two contests of this four-game series and have also captured eight of their last nine overall.

San Diego increased its lead atop the NL West to five games over San Francisco, which lost to Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Wells (5-11) allowed the one run on three hits with six strikeouts for the Cubs, who have lost five of their last seven overall.

The Padres scored the only run of the game in the first inning. Jerry Hairston, Jr. led off with a single and moved to second when Miguel Tejada walked. A long fly out off the bat of Adrian Gonzalez saw Hairston tag-up to third and the bases were loaded after Ryan Ludwick was hit by a pitch. The next batter was Chase Headley, whose groundout brought home Hairston.

In the bottom of the second, the Cubs had runners on first and second with no outs, but Blake DeWitt grounded into a double play and Koyie Hill struck out.

Chicago had a runner in scoring position with two outs in the third, but Aramis Ramirez flied out. Xavier Nady led off the bottom of the fourth with a double, but Alfonso Soriano grounded out, DeWitt popped out and Hill looked at a called third strike.

Garland was perfect over the next three innings.

Padres reliever Mike Adams came on for the home portion of the eighth. Kosuke Fukudome drew a one-out walk and moved to third when Starlin Castro singled, but Marlon Byrd grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.

San Diego closer Heath Bell yielded a leadoff single to Ramirez in the bottom of the ninth before he struck out Nady and Soriano. DeWitt then drilled a slider to deep right field, but Ludwick made a leaping catch against the ivy to preserve the win.

Bell earned his 36th save of 2010.

Game Notes

The last time the Cubs lost a game by a 1-0 score was June 16, 2007 -- also against the Padres...The Cubs outhit the Padres 6-3...Both teams left seven runners on base...Attendance was 33,664.

Starbuck-casino Baseball Betting News

<< McGehee, Bush lead Brewers over Cardinals
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Casey McGehee hit a two-run homer and Dave Bush was solid in six innings on the mound, as the Milwaukee Brewers held off the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2, in the opener of a brief two-game set at Busch Stadium

<< Crawford, Longoria highlight Rays' rout of Rangers
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria each had three hits and drove in three to back a strong start by Matt Garza, as the Rays routed the Rangers, 10-1, in the middle contest of a three-game set. Crawford

<< Pence hits two HRs, including game-winner as Astros get by Mets
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hunter Pence belted the game-winning home run in the eighth inning to lift Houston to a 4-3 win over New York in the second installment of a four-game set. Pence hit two home runs and drove in all four ru

<< Sabathia wins 16th as Yanks topple Tigers
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - CC Sabathia struck out nine over seven strong innings to pick up his American League-leading 16th win, as the New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-2, in the second contest of a four-game series.

<< Prado returns to help Braves stay hot with win over Nats
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Prado, Matt Diaz, and Melky Cabrera each drove in two runs to help give Mike Minor his first win in the majors, as the Atlanta Braves took down the Washington Nationals, 10-2, the opener of a three-g

Pettitte, A-Rod each get MRIs >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and pitcher Andy Pettitte both had MRI exams taken on Tuesday. Rodriguez, who departed Monday's game against Detroit and sat out Tuesday's contest, underwent an

Greinke helps Royals edge Indians >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wilson Betemit and Yuniesky Betancourt each hit a home run to back six strong innings from Zack Greinke, as the Kansas City Royals edged the Cleveland Indians, 2-1, in opener of a three-game set. Greink

Top seeded Jankovic falls in Montreal >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Iveta Benesova, a qualifier from the Czech Republic, upended top-seeded Jelena Jankovic, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, Tuesday at the $2 million Rogers Cup, a U.S. Open tune-up. The event is being played on the hardcou

Thome's HR in 10th pushes Twins' division lead to four >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Thome played hero against his former team, drilling a two-run homer off Matt Thornton in the 10th inning, as the Twins edged Chicago, 7-6, to widen their lead to four games over the White Sox in the

Royals put Bannister on DL >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals have placed pitcher Brian Bannister on the 15-day disabled list because of right rotator cuff tendinitis. Bannister has not pitched since August 2. In 22 starts this season, the

Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.

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."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.