Cardinals do talking with sweep, jump Reds for divison lead

Baseball Betting Lines

08/11/2010 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colby Rasmus belted a grand slam in support of Adam Wainwright's seven scoreless innings as St. Louis downed Cincinnati, 6-1, to complete a three-game sweep and move into sole possession of first place in the National League Central.

Wainwright (17-6) put together another dominant performance, as he allowed just two hits, did not walk a batter and struck out four for the Cardinals, who lead the season series, 10-5.

Skip Schumaker had three hits and drove in a run and Jon Jay added a pair of hits and a run scored for St. Louis, which has won five of its last six contests to move one game ahead of Cincinnati.

Bronson Arroyo (12-7) lasted five innings, giving up four runs on six hits while walking three and striking out two for the Reds, who were last swept in a three-game series June 18-20 in Seattle.

Wainwright retired the side in order in four different frames and did not allow a runner past second base for a second straight start to match Ubaldo Jimenez for the major league lead in wins. His outing was limited to seven frames by a rain delay that lasted for 46 minutes heading into to the top of the eighth.

The Cardinals loaded the bases with two outs after a walk to Wainwright in the second inning, but couldn't score after Brendan Ryan struck out.

The visitors filled the bases again in the fifth on a Jay double and walks to Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday before Rasmus belted a 3-2 offering from Arroyo over the wall in straightaway centerfield for the Cardinals' second decisive grand slam of the series.

St. Louis then put the game out of reach with a pair of runs in the seventh off Jordan Smith on back-to-back run-scoring singles by Yadier Molina and Schumaker.

Cincinnati finally got on the board in the eighth when Brandon Phillips and Paul Janish singled with two outs to chase Mitchell Boggs from the hill. He was replaced by Trever Miller, who have up a base hit to Joey Votto that scored Phillips and brought Mike MacDougal out of the Cardinals bullpen. Scott Rolen then fouled out to the catcher Molina to end the threat.

Game Notes

The Reds were swept in a four-game set in Philadelphia July 8-11...The Cardinals last swept the Reds in a series September 26-28, 2008...Wainwright evened his career record against Cincinnati at 3-3 with two of the wins coming this season...He is 19-3 against division opponents since the start of 2009... The St. Louis trio of Wainwright, Chris Carpenter and Jaime Garcia allowed a total of nine hits in the series and each won their start as the Redbirds improved to 48-24 in their starts...Pujols lost a 10-game hit streak, but he scored for a tenth consecutive game...Holliday went 1-for-2 and has hit safely in seven straight and 23 out of his last 25...The Cardinals placed veteran right-hand pitcher Jeff Suppan on the 15-day disabled list with a sore groin and purchased the contract of catcher Steven Hill from Double-A Springfield... Arroyo dropped to 7-10 in his career against the Cardinals, including 1-2 this season...UFC star Rich Franklin threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.

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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.

Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .

''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''

Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.

He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.

''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''

Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.

With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.

Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.