Bailey, Reds shut out Pirates again for sweep

Baseball Betting Lines

05/12/2010 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Homer Bailey pitched his first career shutout, allowing only four hits, as the Cincinnati Reds completed a three- game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 5-0 win at PNC Park.

Joey Votto hit a two-run homer and Drew Stubbs went 2-for-4 with a solo shot for the Reds, who earned their first sweep of the Pirates since September 22-24 of last year in Pittsburgh. Bailey (1-2) added six strikeouts to his ledger without walking a batter. He came into the contest with a 7.24 earned- run average in six previous starts this season.

Bailey, who threw just 90 pitches, is the second straight Cincinnati starter to throw a shutout, as Johnny Cueto threw a one-hitter in a 9-0 win over the Pirates on Tuesday night. It was the first time Reds starters tossed back-to back shutouts since Jose Rijo and Tom Browning did so on June 9-10, 1989, against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

Garrett Jones had a pair of hits, while Steve Pearce and Lastings Milledge each singled for Pittsburgh's only offense. The Pirates have dropped four in a row. Zach Duke (2-4) was roughed up for nine hits and five runs with two strikeouts and one walk in five innings of work.

Cincinnati posted runs in each of the first two innings to grab the early lead. Brandon Phillips doubled with one out in the first and crossed the plate when Votto followed with a two-run homer. Ryan Hanigan's RBI double and a bloop run-scoring single by Orlando Cabrera in the second made it a 4-0 game.

Stubbs cracked a solo homer to straightaway center in the fourth to give the Reds a five-run cushion.

Bailey retired seven straight batters before surrendering a single to Milledge leading off the eighth. However, the right-hander got Andy LaRoche to bounce into a force out and Jason Jaramillo to hit into a nicely-turned 4-6-3 double play.

The Reds went quietly in the top of the ninth, then in the bottom half, Bailey retired the Pirates in quick order to complete the gem.

Game Notes

The Pirates, who swept a three-game set from Cincinnati from April 16-18, finished 4-5 on their nine-game homestand...Bailey improved to 5-0 in five career starts against Pittsburgh...Duke dropped to 3-7 in 12 lifetime starts versus the Reds, who have won five straight overall.

Gambling-sportsbook-online Baseball Betting News

<< Porcello, Tigers tame Yankees in doubleheader opener
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rick Porcello tossed seven scoreless innings to lead the Detroit Tigers past the New York Yankees, 2-0, in the first game of a day/night doubleheader at Comerica Park. Magglio Ordonez and Brennan Boesch each

<< Twins nip White Sox at Target Field
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denard Span and Justin Morneau each finished with a pair of hits and a run batted in, and Carl Pavano threw seven solid innings, as the Minnesota Twins edged the Chicago White Sox, 3-2, to earn a

<< Mariners' Jack Wilson lands on DL
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners placed shortstop Jack Wilson on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday with a right hamstring strain. Wilson, who last played on May 5th, had started 25 games at shortstop this seas

<< Seattle Mariners: Placed shortstop Jack Wilson on the 15
day disabled list; Recalled infielder Matt Tuiasosopo from Tacoma (PCL).

<< Lyon takes over third place
Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon moved into the third and final Champions League spot in Ligue 1 on Wednesday as they took care of Monaco, 3-0, at the Stade de Gerland. The win lifts the team one point ahead of fourth-placed Auxerr

Duke vs. Michigan State highlights ACC/Big Ten Challenge >>
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Duke, the defending national champions, will face off against Michigan State as part of the 12th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge next season. The game will take place on Wednesday, December 1. The 1

Blue Bombers sign two imports >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers added import defensive backs Bernard Hicks and offensive lineman Andre Douglas to their roster Wednesday. Douglas, a Temple product, started 24 games in his final t

Snider's homer helps Blue Jays edge Red Sox >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Travis Snider hit a two-run homer and drove in all three runs as Toronto avoided a sweep with a narrow 3-2 decision over Boston in the final contest of three from Fenway Park. Lyle Overbay doubled and sco

Texans ink veteran LB Clark >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Texans signed free agent linebacker Danny Clark to an undisclosed contract on Wednesday. Clark spent the 2007 season with the Texans before joining the New York Giants for the next two years. He

Phils C Ruiz leaves early >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz left Wednesday's game against the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning after coming up lame running the bases. Ruiz appeared to pull up on while running to th

Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.