Lee homers twice as Cubs down Brewers
Baseball Betting Lines
07/02/2009 -
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derrek Lee headlined a home run parade with two
long-balls -- a three-run shot and a grand slam -- for a career-high seven
RBI, leading the Chicago Cubs to a 9-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in the
beginning of a crucial four-game series between the NL Central foes.
It was Lee's 20th career multi-homer game, as the Cubs won for the third time
in four games. Jake Fox and Geovany Soto each hit a solo shot in a game that
featured six total homers -- all in the first six innings.
Ryan Dempster (5-5) was the beneficiary of the run support, moving to 10-3
lifetime against Milwaukee after allowing three runs on eight hits and two
walks with nine strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
Mike Cameron and Prince Fielder each hit a home run for the Brewers, who have
lost two in a row after winning four of their previous five. Seth McClung
(3-2), in his second start of the year, was hammered for seven runs on seven
hits with two walks and a strikeout in only 3 1/3 innings.
The Cubs got off to a quick start in the first. Sam Fuld drew a walk to lead
off, Ryan Theriot followed with a single, and Lee scored everybody with a
three-run homer to left for an early cushion.
Two batters later, Fox hit his fourth home run of the season for a 4-0 edge.
Cameron, though, answered for Milwaukee, blasting a two-run shot in the second
to cut the Brewers' deficit in half.
To keep the home run parade going, Soto drilled his eighth of the year to lead
off the fourth and give the Cubs a 5-2 lead.
Chicago blew the game wide open in the same frame thanks to more hot hitting
from Lee. Following Soto's homer, Mike Fontenot and Fuld both singled, and
Theriot walked, setting up Lee's grand slam to center for a commanding 9-2
advantage.
Fielder added to the home run tally with a leadoff shot in the sixth, pulling
the Brewers to within 9-3. Ryan Braun produced the first non-homer run of the
game with an RBI single in the seventh, although it still left Milwaukee down
by five.
In the top of the eighth, with one out and Aaron Heilman pitching for Chicago,
Cameron doubled, Corey Hart was hit by a pitch, and Jason Kendall grounded an
RBI single through the left side of the infield for a 9-5 game.
Heilman limited the damage by retiring the next two hitters, and Carlos Marmol
finished off the Brewers in the ninth.
Game Notes
Thursday marked the beginning of an 11-game homestand for the Cubs. They will
also face Atlanta and St. Louis while at Wrigley Field...Chicago leads the
season series, 4-3...Cameron finished 3-for-4, while Fielder was 2-for-4 for
Milwaukee...Fuld and Theriot both had a pair of hits for Chicago...Since May
30, a span of 29 games, Lee is hitting .339 with nine homers and 29 RBI. He
has 14 home runs total this season. It was his 10th career grand
slam...Dempster earned his first win since May 30.
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Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sprint Cup Series driver and team owner
Jeremy Mayfield was not present at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday,
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<< Cubs reliever Cotts has Tommy John surgery
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underwent Tommy John surgery on Thursday and will be sidelined indefinitely.
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to Tri
Buehrle, ChiSox stop Royals >>
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inning, as the Chicago White Sox extended their season-high win streak to six
games with a 4-1 win over the Kansas City Royals.
Buehrle (8-2) allowed a run on
Artest joining Lakers >>
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leaving the Houston Rockets to join the Los Angeles Lakers and will provide
the team with more offensive firepower next season, as he'll join Kobe Bryant
and Pau
Rockets lose out on Artest but nab Ariza >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Just moments after losing out to the Lakers for
the services of forward Ron Artest, the Rockets have reportedly come to an
agreement with Trevor Ariza, who was a key part of Los Angeles' championship
run thi
Kings reach agreement on four-year deal with Scuderi >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings have reached an
agreement on a four-year contract with former Penguins blueliner Rob Scuderi.
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in t
NASCAR Hall of Fame nominees announced >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR on Thursday revealed the 25 nominees
for the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame induction class. Nominees included
pioneers, former champions and driver-turned-team owners of the sport.
A 21-member committe
Pacific-10 Conference odds
Teams that should be in: Stanford
 Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.
Should be in:
Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.
| Southeastern Conference odds |
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State
 It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.
Work left to do:
Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.
Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.
Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.
Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile. |
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