09/06/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite Albert Pujols' continued hot-hitting, the St. Louis Cardinals have been unable to come up with a winning streak. The club will try to avoid falling further back in the National League wild card race in the continuation of a three-game series with the Florida Marlins tonight at Busch Stadium.
The Cardinals fell in extra innings to the Marlins yesterday, giving them six losses in their last seven games. Coupled with Milwaukee's win on Friday, St. Louis is now six games back of the Brewers for the wild card spot.
The Marlins are nine games back as well and seven behind NL East-leading New York.
Pujols had a pair of doubles in Friday's 4-1, 11-inning setback. He leads the majors with a .360 average and has a hit in 15 of his last 17 games. He is hitting .470 (31-for-66) in that span with 10 multi-hit games.
Yet, St. Louis hasn't won back-to-back games since August 20-22 and is just 27-30 since July 1.
Dan Uggla singled home the go-ahead run for the Marlins, who themselves won consecutive games for the first time since July 30-31. Mike Jacobs homered in the ninth to force extra innings.
The Marlins will now try to win three straight for the first time since a four-game run from July 9-12.
Florida's victory in last night's series opener was just its second in five games versus the Cardinals this year. The Marlins haven't defeated St. Louis in two straight since August 5-6, 2003.
Scott Olsen will try to avoid a sixth consecutive losing decision tonight for the Marlins.
The left-hander is 0-5 over his last eight starts, posting a 5.70 earned run average in that span. Having not won since July 19, Olsen was tagged for six runs on seven hits -- including three homers -- in a loss to the Mets on Sunday.
Olsen, 24, is 6-9 with a 4.35 ERA on the season and 1-3 in four career starts versus the Cards with a 6.12 ERA. That includes a loss on August 14 in which he gave up three runs on 10 hits over seven innings.
He has had some success against Pujols, who is hitting just .231 (3-for-13) lifetime against him with a homer and four RBI.
Todd Wellemeyer starts for the Cardinals and has lost back-to-back starts. He pitched well last time out though, holding Houston to just a run on four hits over seven innings without a walk in a 3-0 loss on Sunday, one day after the right-hander celebrated his 30th birthday.
Wellemeyer is 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA this year. He won his lone career start against St. Louis on August 14, throwing 7 2/3 shutout innings.
<< D'Backs, Dodgers fight for NL West supremacy at Chavez Ravine
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Webb has failed in his last two bids to become the
National League's first 20-game winner since 2005. Arizona could think of no
better time than now for him to post that milestone victory.
With their lead in the N
<< Pirates, Giants resume series at AT&T Park
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates will try for their fifth straight
win over the San Francisco Giants tonight, when the two clubs play the second
test of a three-game series at AT&T Park.
Pittsburgh swept a three-game series fr
<< Ranger domination: Boston shoots for 10th straight win over Texas
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox hope to get a little closer in the AL
East standings this evening when they continue their three-game series with
Texas at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Boston continued to dominate Rangers pitching on
<< Aces Wild: Peavy, Sheets square off in Milwaukee
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the National League's established aces square off
tonight when the San Diego Padres visit the Milwaukee Brewers in the third
test of a four-game weekend series tonight at Miller Park.
Reigning Cy Young Award winner
Indians continue set with Royals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians try to continue their recent mastery
of the Kansas City Royals this evening when the AL Central rivals resume a
three-game series at Kauffman Stadium.
Cleveland has won its last four against the Royal
Mariners battle fading Yankees >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle hopes Ryan Rowland-Smith can duplicate Brandon
Morrow's brilliant performance in the opener of this series when the Mariners
play the second of three games against the New York Yankees at Safeco Field.
Morrow, in h
Reds hope to play spoiler against Cubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Doomed once again to the role of spoilers, the Reds are
at least embracing their duty. Cincinnati tries to hand the Chicago Cubs a
seventh straight loss tonight in the middle portion of a three-game series at
Great American
McIlroy goes four clear at European Masters >>
Crans Montana, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rory McIlroy fired a five-under
66 on Saturday to grab a four-shot lead through three rounds of the European
Masters.
McIlroy, 19, finished 54 holes at 13-under 200 at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Cl
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.
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