05/11/2008 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daryle Ward's two-run pinch-hit double in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the Chicago Cubs over the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-4, to complete a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field.
The start of game was delayed for 58 minutes due to rain, and both scheduled starters, Randy Johnson and Carlos Zambrano, were scratched before the game due to the weather. Edgar Gonzalez started for Arizona, while Sean Gallagher got the call for the Cubs.
Reed Johnson hit a two-run home run for the Cubs, winners in four of their last five. Derrek Lee belted a solo shot, while Kosuke Fukudome went 2-for-4 and scored a run.
Carlos Marmol (1-0) earned the win as four Chicago relievers combined for 4 2/3 shutout innings, with Kerry Wood picking up his seventh save. Gallagher lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits while striking out six.
Conor Jackson tripled and drove in a pair of runs for the D-Backs, who have dropped six of eight. Miguel Montero and Eric Byrnes each doubled and scored, while Augie Ojeda and Justin Upton drove in a run apiece.
Tony Pena (0-1) took the loss after allowing two runs in 1 2/3 innings of relief. Gonzalez was solid for five innings, holding the Cubs to two runs on five hits.
The Cubs fell into a 4-2 hole through five innings, but rallied against a struggling Arizona bullpen.
With Juan Cruz in his second inning of relief, the Cubs finally reignited their offense in the seventh. Mike Fontenot drew a one-out walk, then Johnson turned on a Cruz fastball and launched it over the wall in left-center to force a 4-4 tie. A walk to Ryan Theriot chased Cruz in favor of Tony Pena, who got Lee to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Ramirez lined a single to left to start the home eighth, and with Fukudome at the plate, Ramirez stole second. Fukudome dropped a perfect bunt that died on the third base line for a single, and moved to second when Geovany Soto was retired on a grounder just in front of the plate.
After pinch-hitter Alfonso Soriano was intentionally walked, Ward then belted a long fly ball that fell in the gap for a two-run double to put the Cubs in front.
Wood hit Jeff Salazar with a pitch in the ninth, but got Ojeda to ground into a game-ending double play to complete the sweep.
Chris Young worked a two-out walk in the first, and scored on Jackson's triple, but Mark DeRosa tied the game in the second inning when he singled and made it to third before dashing home on a wild pitch.
Lee put the Cubs on top in the third, launching a one-out solo homer into the seats in right-center.
Arizona couldn't put another run across until the fifth, when Montero led off with a double to start a three-run inning that including an RBI single from Ojeda and run-scoring walks to Jackson and Upton -- both walks were issued by Chad Fox, who came on in place of Gallagher.
But, the Chicago bullpen settled down and held the D-Backs without a hit over the final 4 2/3 innings.
Game Notes
Jackson's two RBI give him 30 for the season...Fox, Marmol, Wood and Michael Wuertz all threw at least one scoreless inning for Chicago...The Cubs stranded seven runners, while the D-Backs left six men on base...The Cubs continue their 10-game homestand on Monday with the start of a four-game set against the Padres...The D-Backs return home on Tuesday for the opener of a three-game series with the Rockies.
<< Crawford's HR carries Rays to sweep of Angels
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Crawford blasted the go-ahead
three-run homer in the sixth inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays used 15 hits to
beat the Angels, 8-5, completing a three-game weekend sweep.
Crawford had three h
<< Braun leads Brew Crew past Cards
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun's fourth career multi-homer
game helped the Milwaukee Brewers to a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in
the third of a four-game set at Miller Park.
Jeff Suppan (2-2) gave up one run
<< Twellman returns to lead New England over Chivas
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Taylor Twellman scored less than 15 minutes into
his season debut Sunday and the New England Revolution defeated Chivas USA 2-1
in Major League Soccer.
Twellman missed New England's first seven matches followi
<< KC's Bannister shuts down O's
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Bannister was virtually
untouchable through eight innings as the Kansas City Royals avoided a four-
game sweep with a 4-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Bannister (4-4) took th
Atletico Madrid pulls level with Barcelona >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Diego Forlan scored as Atletico Madrid edged
Deportivo, 1-0, to pull even in points with third-place Barcelona, which blew
a two-goal lead in a 3-2 loss to Mallorca on Sunday in the Spanish La Liga.
Atletic
Flyers' Coburn struck in face by puck, leaves game >>
PITTSBURGH (AP) -Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn was struck in the face with a shot by Pittsburgh's Hal Gill early in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals Sunday night.Gill took a shot from the left point that apparently deflected o
Holm's first career homer propels Giants past Phillies >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Holm's first major league home
run in the bottom of the seventh inning drove in the winning run, as the San
Francisco Giants edged the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3, in the rubber match at
AT&
Flyers D Coburn leaves after getting hit with puck >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Braydon
Coburn left in the first period of his team's playoff game against Pittsburgh
after the puck hit him in the face.
Just 1:51 into the second game of the Easte
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.