Cubs, Diamondbacks play rubber match at Wrigley

Baseball Betting Lines

07/22/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sean Marshall will square off against the Arizona Diamondbacks for the first time in his career this afternoon when the Chicago Cubs wrap a three-game set with Arizona at Wrigley Field.

Marshall is also winless in his last three starts overall this season. After taking a loss against Milwaukee on June 30, the left-hander has turned in two straight outings of two-run ball, but has gotten a no-decision each time. That includes a six-inning performance against the Giants on Tuesday.

Marshall is 4-3 on the year with a 3.43 earned run average.

Yusmeiro Petit will make his fifth start of the season today for Arizona and is coming off a loss last time out on Tuesday. Versus Milwaukee, the young right-hander limited the Brewers to three runs (two earned) on eight hits over five frames, but it wasn't enough in the 3-2 setback.

Petit, who is 1-2 on the season with a 3.22 ERA, faced Chicago once in relief while with Florida last season and pitched a hitless frame against them.

After dropping the series opener on Friday, the Diamondbacks rebounded with a 3-2 victory on Saturday, as Stephen Drew hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning to pace his team to victory.

Orlando Hudson went 3-for-5 with an RBI and Chris Young scored twice for the Diamondbacks, who had lost five of six before the win and are 4 1/2 games off the pace in the National League West.

Arizona starter Micah Owings lasted just four innings after giving up two runs on four hits. Juan Cruz (4-1) took over for Owings and pitched three no-hit innings to earn up the win. Jose Valverde worked around a one-out walk in the ninth to pick up his 29th save of the season.

Angel Pagan hit a two-run triple for the Cubs, who had a three-game winning streak halted while losing for just the second time on a 10-game homestand (7-2).

The second-place club remains 2 1/2 games behind Milwaukee for first in the NL Central.

Rich Hill pitched six innings, yielding two runs -- one earned -- on six hits with six strikeouts and four walks. Bob Howry (5-5) allowed Drew's homer to take the loss.

Arizona has had recent success against Chicago. It won four of six against the Cubs in 2006, and is 14-7 against them since the start of the 2004 season.

Wwwebankinter Baseball Betting News


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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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