Reds, Cubs conclude set in Cincy

Baseball Betting Lines

08/29/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie left-hander Travis Wood steps into Edinson Volquez's spot in the Cincinnati starting rotation today, when the first-place Reds close out a three-game weekend series with the visiting Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park.

Wood, a second-round draft choice in 2005, has made 10 starts, while plugging in various holes on the mound for the Reds, who were without Volquez and Aaron Harang due to injuries and lost Johnny Cueto because of a week-long suspension earlier this month.

Volquez was scheduled to start against the Cubs but was sent to the bullpen by manager Dusty Baker after retiring just two batters in an 11-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Monday.

Wood dropped a 1-0 verdict to Colorado in his first big-league decision on July 18, but rallied with consecutive wins at Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, the Cubs and Arizona before a loss to the Giants on Tuesday by the Bay.

In 10 starts, he's allowed 43 hits and struck out 49 batters in 61 1/3 innings. He gave up four hits and three earned runs in the Aug. 8 win over Chicago at Wrigley Field, tossing 6 1/3 innings.

The Reds, who won Friday's series opener, dropped a 3-2 verdict in game two Saturday when Chicago's Kosuke Fukudome hit the game-winning two-run home run and Randy Wells spun six solid frames.

Fukudome finished 2-for-3 and Xavier Nady also went deep for the Cubs, who have won four of their last five.

Wells (6-12) allowed two runs on six hits while walking two and fanning four and Carlos Marmol closed the door in the ninth by retiring the side in order to earn his 24th save.

Bronson Arroyo (14-8) suffered the loss after he yielded three runs on five hits and did not walk a batter, while striking out five for the Reds.

In spite of the loss, Cincinnati maintained its four-game lead over St. Louis in the National League's Central Division after the Cardinals fell, 14-5, at Washington.

For the Cubs, fellow rookie Casey Coleman makes his third career start and seeks a second consecutive win.

The 23-year-old product of Florida Gulf Coast University made four relief appearances between Aug. 2-13 before starting for the first time on Aug. 18 in a 5-1 loss to San Diego.

He bounced back for win No. 1 five days later in Washington, where he gave up three hits and a run in 6 1/3 innings of a 9-1 triumph.

Coleman was touched for two hits and two runs in three innings of relief in Chicago's 11-4 loss to the Reds on Aug. 8 at Wrigley.

He's allowed three hits and a run in 9 1/3 road innings.

The Reds are 11-4 against the Cubs this season.

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship

(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.

MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.

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