Rockies rally past Cubs

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08/12/2007 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Troy Tulowitzki homered and broke a tie with a two-run double in the sixth inning as the Rockies salvaged a four-game series split with the Cubs, winning 6-3.

Matt Herges (1-0) pitched 2 2/3 innings of perfect relief to earn the win for the Rockies. The veteran long reliever came on in the fourth after the Cubs had knocked out Tim Harikkala, who was making his first start of the season. Herges slammed the door on a Cubs threat in the fourth, and then combined with three other Rockies relievers to keep Chicago off the basepaths entirely until Jason Kendall worked a walk off Manny Corpas in the ninth.

Colorado has now won ten of its last 15, and finishes a seven-game homestand 5-2.

Kerry Wood (0-1) took the loss for the Cubs, allowing his first runs of the season. Wood relieved starter Sean Marshall in the sixth, only to allow three earned runs on two hits and a pair of walks.

Mark DeRosa and Mike Fontenot each went 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Cubs, who failed to capitalize on opportunities against Harikkala before being squeezed by the Rockies bullpen.

The Cubs have now lost five of seven, despite taking the first two games of the series in Colorado. They remain just a game and a half behind Milwaukee in the National League Central race though, following the Brewers' loss in Houston.

The Rockies took a 2-0 lead in the second thanks to Clint Barmes' RBI double and Harikkala's first career hit, an infield single that deflected off Marshall's glove and scored Barmes.

Chicago answered in the bottom half of the fourth with three runs to take a short-lived 3-2 lead. DeRosa led off the inning with his second hit of the game, and Fontenot followed with a single to right. Kendall then scored DeRosa with a fake bunt hit-and-run that resulted in a ground ball single to left. Felix Pie hit a sharp ground ball down the first base line that Todd Helton gloved for a force out, but not before Fontenot scored to tie the game.

After Ryan Theriot's single scored Kendall to give the Cubs the lead, Harikkala was lifted for Herges. The right-hander then got Jacque Jones to roll over a 1-1 curve ball that second baseman Kaz Matsui flipped to Tulowitzki to start the rally-killing double play.

Tulowitzki got the run back for the Rockies in his next at-bat, when he jumped on an inside curve ball from Marshall that landed just fair down the left field line for his 15th home run of the year. Herges then retired the Cubs in order in the top of the sixth.

Wood started the bottom half without trouble, getting pinch-hitter Cory Sullivan to fly out for the first out.

But Geronimo Gil worked a walk, and Colorado substituted rookie Ian Stewart, who had made his Major League debut the night before, to pinch-hit for Herges. Stewart one-hopped the right field fence for a double and his first career hit, and Gil moved around to third. After the Cubs opted to intentionally walk Matsui to load the bases, Tulowitzki made them pay by smashing a 2-1 fastball from Wood off the wall in right, missing his second home run by a few feet. Gil and Stewart came around to score on the play, giving the Rocks a 5-3 lead.

Matt Holliday provided an extra run when he grounded a ball up the middle that was gloved on a diving stop by Theriot, scoring Matsui.

The Cubs had three chances to get back in the game following Colorado's sixth inning outburst, but LaTroy Hawkins, Jorge Julio, and Corpas threw scoreless seventh, eight, and ninth innings, respectively, with Corpas picking up his ninth save of the season.

Game Notes Corpas is now 9-for-9 in save opportunities since filling in for injured closer Brian Fuentes...Matsui stole his 23rd base in 25 tries...Jones made a pair of fine running catches in right field to save runs...Colorado left nine runners on base...Tulowitzki matched his career-high of 3 RBI for the second straight game...The Rockies bullpen has now tossed 6 2/3 consecutive shutout innings against the Cubs...Sunday's game was the 20th in 20 days for the Cubs, who went 9-11 over that span.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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