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08/25/2010 - Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newly-acquired Rod Barajas hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning to lift the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-3 win over Milwaukee in the opener of a three-game set.
Matt Kemp hit a two-run home run, a 447-foot shot in the second inning off Dave Bush. Barajas, who was acquired from the New York Mets on a waiver claim Sunday, finished the game 3-for-4 for the Dodgers, who have won two of their last three games.
Ted Lilly (8-8) won his fifth consecutive start as he gave up three runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 frames.
"That was a good one for us," said Dodgers manager Joe Torre. "Our catcher the other day had three hits, too. I guess our managers dumb for batting them eighth. The two doubles were a bonus, but the home run was a game-changer. When you get traded sometimes, you're so excited to get to your net team."
Rickie Weeks hit a solo home run while Casey McGehee went 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Brewers, who have dropped their past two games. Bush (6-11) was handed the loss as he was charged with five runs on 10 hits over six innings.
"Bush would like to have a couple of pitches back," said Milwaukee manager Ken Macha. "A couple of two-strike breaking balls got too much over the plate and accounted for all their runs. Besides that he pitched good."
The Dodgers went ahead in the second as James Loney led off with a single and Kemp followed with a blast over the center field wall.
The Brewers got a run back in the bottom of the second as Prince Fielder led off with a single and McGehee brought him home with a triple to make it a 2-1 game. McGehee was stranded at third as the next three batters recorded outs.
Milwaukee then went ahead in the fifth. With two outs, Weeks homered to right to tie the game. Alcides Escobar then singled and Ryan Braun's double to left scored Escobar for a 3-2 lead.
Los Angeles, though, surged ahead in the sixth. With two outs, Ronnie Belliard kept the inning alive with a single and Jamey Carroll followed with a single. Barajas then launched a pitch over the left field wall for a 5-3 lead.
Lilly worked around a leadoff double by McGehee in the sixth and got the first out of the seventh before handing the ball to Ronald Belisario, who set down the next two batters.
With one out in the eighth, Fielder doubled, but McGehee lined out to third and Fielder was caught off the bag for the double play to end the frame.
Hong-Chih Kuo came on to close the game and got the first out, but Carlos Gomez laid down a bunt single. Jonathan Lucroy then hit one back to the mound and Kuo's throw to second base went into the outfield, leaving everyone safe. Kuo, though, then got pinch-hitter Corey Hart to pop out and Weeks to strike out and pick up his fifth save of the season.
Game Notes
Former Milwaukee owner and current baseball commissioner Bud Selig was honored with a bronze, 7-foot statue in front of Miller Park on Tuesday...Each team has won twice in the season series...Gomez was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the game as he was suffering from a concussion...Lilly has won all five of his starts with Los Angeles since coming to the team from the Cubs.
<< Rockies upend Braves behind De La Rosa
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dexter Fowler's two-run single in the eighth
gave the Rockies some breathing room in support of Jorge De La Rosa's solid
start in a 5-2 victory over Atlanta.
De La Rosa (5-4) scattered six hits and two ru
<< Oswalt plays outfield after Howard ejection
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Roy Oswalt became the first Phillies pitcher to play a position in the field in 39 years after Ryan Howard was ejected in the 14th inning on Tuesday night.Oswalt caught a routine fly ball from Astros catcher Jason Castro, earning
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Del Mar, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richard's Kid, trained by Bob Baffert, will
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nine challengers. The winner of the 1 1/4-mile stakes will automatically gain
entry i
<< Rangers hold on to edge Twins
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Young's infield single scored Andres
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Josh Hamilton belted his 29th h
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Johnson helps Astros win marathon against Phils >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Johnson's infield single scored the
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over the Phillies in a battle of attrition at Citizens Bank Park.
The game was th
Giants use offensive explosion to crush Reds >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pablo Sandoval homered twice and joined
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Sandoval pounded two of the game's
Davis, Rays stay hot in victory over Angels >>
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straigh
NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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