05/09/2008 -
Brandon Webb is talking with the Arizona Diamondbacks about a new contract and building his case for more cash at the same time.
He became the first pitcher in three years to win his first eight starts, tossing his 13th career complete game to help Arizona beat the Philadelphia Phillies 8-3 on Thursday.
The 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner struck out four and didn't walk a batter in his first complete game of the year. He hit one batter.
``I felt early on I had good stuff, even in the pen,'' Webb said. ``My arm felt great, the best it's probably felt in three games.''
In other NL games, it was Atlanta 5, San Diego 4; Colorado 9, St. Louis 3; Washington 8, Houston 3; Florida 7, Milwaukee 2; and Pittsburgh 5, San Francisco 4.
The easygoing Webb (8-0) became the first pitcher to win his first eight starts since Jon Garland of the Chicago White Sox in 2005 and the first in the NL since Pedro Martinez for Montreal in 1997, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
``Everything has to go your way for these things to work,'' Webb said. ``Guys hitting in situations and making plays. The bullpen has been coming through. Everything has to fall in place and it has whenever I've been out there.''
Webb is one of baseball's biggest bargains, or one of the most underpaid depending on the perspective, but the Diamondbacks are trying to work out a new deal.
He is scheduled to make $5.5 million this season as part of a four-year contract that originally guaranteed him $19.5 million and potentially is worth $27.5 million over five seasons. He is due $6.5 million next year, and the Diamondbacks have an $8.5 million option for 2010 with a $1.5 million buyout.
``We've been talking a little bit and, hopefully, it's not something that drags out too long,'' said Webb, who turns 29 on Friday. ``We'll get something done.''
Chris Young hit a two-run drive, his second homer in as many games, and Chris Snyder had a two-run double for the Diamondbacks, who split the four-game series to finish their longest homestand of the season 5-5. Justin Upton added a solo home run for Arizona.
Brett Myers (2-3) allowed seven runs - six earned - and nine hits in five innings for the Phillies. He struck out five and walked three, one intentionally.Braves 5, Padres 4
At Atlanta, the Braves finally won a one-run game when Matt Diaz hit a bases-loaded single in the ninth inning. Atlanta was the first team since the 2000 Houston Astros to lose its first nine one-run games, and the only team in the major leagues without a one-run win.
Atlanta, which trailed 4-1 after five innings, has won six straight games, all at home.
The Padres, who lost their fourth straight, committed three errors that led to four unearned runs. Joe Thatcher (0-4) was charged with the loss.
Manny Acosta (1-1) recorded one out to get the win.Rockies 9, Cardinals 3
At Denver, Matt Holliday had four singles, Jorge De La Rosa scattered five hits over 5 2-3 innings and Colorado beat St. Louis to salvage a split in their four-game series.
Omar Quintanilla added a career-high three hits and Garrett Atkins finished 2-for-3 with a double, triple and two RBIs for the Rockies.
De La Rosa (1-1) was making his second start for Colorado since being acquired April 30 from Kansas City. He gave up two runs and struck out five.
Kyle Lohse (3-2) struggled for a second straight outing, allowing seven runs and eight hits in four innings for St. Louis. Ryan Ludwick hit two home runs.Nationals 8, Astros 3
At Houston, Willie Harris and Rob Mackowiak homered and Washington ended the Astros' five-game winning streak.
John Lannan (3-3) allowed seven hits in six innings and the Nationals snapped Houston's eight-game winning streak at Minute Maid Park. The Astros averaged 7.3 runs and 11.5 hits in their previous eight home games.
Austin Kearns had a two-run single off Brandon Backe (2-4), who had a career-high nine strikeouts.Marlins 7, Brewers 2
At Miami, Matt Treanor achieved a career high in RBIs with one swing, hitting a three-run homer to help Florida complete a three-game sweep.
Jorge Cantu also homered for the first-place Marlins, who won their fourth game in a row and matched their best start after 34 games (20-14).
The Brewers lost their sixth game in a row, their longest losing streak this year. They finished 1-5 in the season series against Florida, scoring a total of 10 runs.
Logan Kensing (1-0) retired all eight batters he faced, striking out four, to earn the win.
Carlos Villanueva (1-4) allowed seven runs in five innings to remain winless since his first start of the season April 4. His ERA rose to 6.46.Pirates 5, Giants 4
Adam LaRoche hit a go-ahead single in a three-run seventh inning, and the Pirates rallied to complete a three-game sweep.
Pittsburgh has won 13 of its last 15 games against San Francisco and swept three-game series from the Giants in three straight seasons, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. San Francisco has lost four in a row overall.
Freddy Sanchez and Jason Bay had three hits apiece for the host Pirates. Franquelis Osoria (2-1) pitched a one-hit seventh, John Grabow and Tyler Yates combined on a one-hit eighth and Matt Capps finished for his eighth save in as many chances.
Matt Cain (1-3) allowed five runs and nine hits in 6 1-3 innings for the Giants.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Rangers blank M's
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ramon Vazquez finished 4-for-5 and Ian Kinsler
hit a two-run homer, as the Texas Rangers blanked the Seattle Mariners, 5-0,
in the finale of a four-game series from Safeco Field.
Kason Gabbard, activated f
<< Ginobili, Parker push Spurs past Hornets in Game 3
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker each poured
in 31 points as San Antonio used a strong second half to beat New Orleans,
110-99, in the pivotal Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
The Sp
<< Smith named head coach at Alcorn State
Vicksburg, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alcorn State named Larry Smith it's new
men's basketball coach Thursday.
Smith lettered for four years at Alcorn State and was part of the undefeated
1979-80 team at the school before moving on to an
<< Sexson ejected after charging mound and throwing helmet
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle first baseman Richie Sexson was
ejected in the fourth inning of Thursday's game against the Texas Rangers.
With two outs in the inning, Keith Gabbard came up and in with a fastball that
caused
Thursday's NBA Playoff Boxes >>
CLEVELAND (73)James 6-24 9-13 21, Wallace 0-0 0-0 0, Ilgauskas 9-12 1-2 19, West 1-5 1-2 3, Szczerbiak 4-11 4-4 13, Varejao 1-5 1-2 3, Smith 2-7 0-0 4, Gibson 0-2 2-2 2, Pavlovic 2-4 0-0 5, D.Brown 1-3 0-0 2, Dw.Jones 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 26-73 19-27 7
2008 All-NBA Teams List >>
F - Kevin Garnett, Boston (118), 612F - LeBron James, Cleveland (117), 610C - Dwight Howard, Orlando (86), 546G - Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers (127), 635G - Chris Paul, New Orleans (124), 629Second TeamF - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas (1), 189F - Tim Duncan, S
Tribe hopes to solve its struggles at Progressive Field >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Beginning tonight against Toronto, the Cleveland Indians
will play each of their next seven games at home.
While that usually is a blessing for any team, the Indians are just 8-11 at
Progressive Field. Last weekend, they w
AL West rivals square off in Arlington >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of American League West members on good recent
rolls begin a three-game series tonight in the Lone Star State, where the
Texas Rangers take on an Oakland Athletics squad in search of a fifth
consecutive victory.
O
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds
With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season. What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season. Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all. Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13). Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two. Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury. Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven. Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury. Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.
In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons. Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4. Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1). The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this. No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.
Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend. Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend. With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the NBA Championship:
Atlanta Hawks 1000-1
Boston Celtics 5000-1
Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1
Chicago Bulls 20-1
Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1
Dallas Mavericks 2-1
Denver Nuggets 25-1
Detroit Pistons 6-1
Golden State Warriors 250-1
Houston Rockets 12-1
Indiana Pacers 60-1
Los Angeles Clippers 45-1
Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1
Miami Heat 9-1
Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1
Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1
New Jersey Nets 50-1
New Orleans Hornets 150-1
New York Knicks 150-1
Orlando Magic 75-1
Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1
Phoenix Suns 5-2
Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1
Sacramento Kings 250-1
San Antonio Spurs 9-1
Seattle Sonics 5000-1
Toronto Raptors 35-1
Utah Jazz 20-1
Washington Wizards 25-1
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