Cox, Piniella set to square off one more time in Braves-Cubs finale

Baseball Betting Lines

08/22/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunday's matchup isn't just big because of Atlanta's quest to end a four-year playoff drought. It could also mark the final time managers Bobby Cox and Lou Piniella square off in a major league game.

With both managers set to retire at season's end, Cox and his first-place Braves will try to better Piniella's Cubs one more time in the finale of a three-game set at Wrigley Field.

Cox owns a 37-26 advantage in the head-to-head matchups between himself and Piniella. While he has spent the majority of his coaching career with the Braves, Piniella has helmed the Yankees, Reds, Mariners, Devil Rays and Cubs in his coaching career. Both have also won a World Series as a manager.

Cox got the best of his fellow skipper on Friday thanks to a late rally and nearly pulled off another comeback yesterday. Brooks Conrad hit a pinch-hit, three-run double in the eighth inning to pull the Braves within one, but the Cubs prevented further damage and closer Carlos Marmol, who blew a one-run lead in the ninth on Friday, posted a scoreless ninth for his 22nd save.

Chicago's bullpen nearly wasted a gem by starter Tom Gorzelanny, who scattered a run and seven hits over seven innings, striking out nine in his first victory since July 24.

"We put him in the rotation and he's gotten progressively better as the season has gone on," Piniella said. "That's a good sign. Instead of a pitcher peaking early and going the other way, he's pitched better as the summer has wore on. That's what you want to see."

Aramis Ramirez had three hits and both he and Tyler Colvin drove in two runs for the Cubs, who snapped a five-game skid overall and halted a string of eight consecutive losses at Wrigley Field.

Tommy Hanson yielded five runs -- four earned -- over five full frames in defeat for the Braves, who had won five of six coming in but still maintained a 2 1/2-game edge over the Phillies for first place in the National League East.

Atlanta has won five of its last seven versus Chicago, taking two out of three at home from April 5-8.

Young left-hander Mike Minor will make his third start with the Braves looking to build off his first career victory.

After allowing three earned runs in his debut in Houston on Aug. 9, a no- decision, the seventh overall pick of the 2009 draft limited the Nationals to just a pair of runs on five hits over six innings in his home debut.

"Definitely feels a lot better than last week. I am glad to help out the team," the 22-year-old Minor said. "I started the first inning slow and wasn't hitting my spots or anything. I kind of felt like I settled in and started hitting my spots."

Drawing the starting assignment for the Cubs is Randy Wells, who is winless over his last five starts -- all Cubs losses -- while going 0-4 with a 5.97 ERA in that span.

Wells, who turns 28 next weekend, looked like he would earn his first victory since July 23 on Tuesday versus the Padres as he gave up just a run on three hits over seven innings, but he got no support in a 1-0 loss that dropped him to 5-11 on the season with a 4.44 ERA.

The right-hander certainly didn't look like he would have a losing record at this point given the start to his season. Wells hurled six shutout innings of six-hit ball in a 2-0 triumph versus the Braves on April 8, improving to 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in three career starts against Atlanta.

Wells is likely to be pitching to catcher Geovany Soto today as he is expected to return from a sprained ligament in his right shoulder that landed him on the disabled list Aug. 7. Soto is hitting .288 with 15 homers and 45 RBI in 88 games this season.

Wwwbaymeadows Baseball Betting News


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March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets

With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship.  Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92.  After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points.  Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1.  Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years.  With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed.  UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern.  Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier.  OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak.  Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four.  It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta.  But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.

Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props.  Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000.  Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.

MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:

EAST National Championship Region
Arkansas 300-1 50-1
Belmont 1000-1
Boston College 100-1 40-1
Eastern KY 1000-1
George Washington 75-1
Georgetown 10-1 3-2
Marquette 100-1 40-1
Michigan State 100-1 25-1
New Mexico St. 500-1 200-1
UNC 6-1 6-5
Oral Roberts  500-1
Texas 15-1 5-1
Texas Tech 200-1 5-1
USC 75-1 20-1
Vanderbilt 100-1 30-1
Washington State 40-1 15-1
WEST
Duke 50-1 10-1
Florida A&M 1000-1
Gonzaga 200-1  40-1
Holy Cross 300-1
Illinois 300-1 60-1
Indiana 75-1 40-1
Kansas 5-1 13-10
Kentucky 100-1 40-1
Niagara 1000-1
Pittsburgh 40-1 8-1
Southern Ill. 50-1 12-1
UCLA 10-1 3-2
VCU 500-1 100-1
Villanova 100-1 40-1
VA Tech 50-1 15-1
Weber St 1000-1
Wright St 1000-1 300-1
MIDWEST
Arizona 50-1 30-1
Butler 40-1 30-1
Davidson 300-1
Florida 4-1 4-5
Georgia Tech 75-1 25-1
Jackson State 1000-1
Maryland 30-1 6-1
Miami-OH 300-1
Notre Dame 100-1 20-1
ODU 500-1 100-1
Oregon 40-1 6-1
Purdue 300-1 60-1
Texas A&M CC 1000-1
UNLV 100-1 30-1
Winthrop 500-1 100-1
Wisconsin 15-1 7-2
SOUTH
Albany 200-1
BYU 200-1 40-1
Central CT St. 1000-1
Creighton 100-1 35-1
Long Beach St. 500-1 200-1
Louisville 40-1 10-1
Memphis 30-1 4-1
Nevada 75-1 35-1
North Texas 500-1
Ohio State 7-1 6-5
Penn 500-1
Stanford 200-1 50-1
Tennessee 100-1 20-1
Texas A&M 12-1 11-5
Virginia 75-1 18-1
Xavier 100-1 40-1

Field                                              100-1

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