08/20/2008 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason LaRue hit a two-run homer, doubled and finished with three runs batted in, as St. Louis blasted Pittsburgh, 11-2, in the finale of a two-game set with the Pirates.
Rick Ankiel also had a two-run blast, while Skip Schumaker went 3-for-4 with a walk and run batted in for the Cardinals, who split the series and ended a two-game slide.
Todd Wellemeyer (11-4) allowed both Pirates runs on five hits and a pair of walks in five innings of work. He also struck out five on the way to winning his third consecutive start and fourth straight decision.
Jason Davis (1-3) was rocked for eight runs -- six earned -- on nine hits and three walks in just 3 2/3 frames to absorb the loss. Craig Hansen allowed three runs on three hits in two innings of relief for Pittsburgh, which had a two-game win streak snapped.
Ryan Doumit provided all the offense for the Pirates with a two-run homer, and finished 3-for-4 with a double.
The Cardinals put two runs on the board in the second inning. With runners in scoring position and no outs, LaRue hit a sacrifice fly to right field, and Wellemeyer followed with a base hit to right that plated another run. Doumit's two-run blast in the top of the third tied the game at two.
But in the home third, the Cardinals started to pull away. Schumaker led off with a single and Ryan Ludwick followed with a double. Albert Pujols drove in one run with a ground out to short, bringing up Ankiel, who crushed the ball beyond the center-field wall to put St. Louis ahead 5-2.
The Cardinals added three more runs in the fourth. With runners on the corners and one out, Schumaker slapped a single to right, plating one run and again placing runners on the corners. Ludwick hit a sacrifice fly to make it a 7-2 game.
Pujols then walked, and after a wild pitch let the runners advance, Ankiel worked a free pass to load the bases. Troy Glaus walked to force a runner in, ending Davis' day on the mound. Romulo Sanchez entered and got Felipe Lopez to ground out, but not before St. Louis had a six-run lead.
Sanchez worked 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball, but Hansen took the mound in the seventh. He gave up a one-out single to Glaus, and two batters later, LaRue slugged the ball to left for the two-run homer and a 10-2 Cardinals lead.
Pujols completed the scoring in the eighth with an RBI double, plating Schumaker.
Game Notes
The Pirates next travel to Milwaukee to begin a three-game set Friday with the Brewers...St. Louis hosts Atlanta for three games, with that series also beginning Friday...Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright is expected to come off the disabled list and make the start Friday against the Braves. He has been on the DL since early June with a sprained right middle finger.
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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
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 this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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