Zambrano returns to rotation in finale with Bucs

Baseball Betting Lines

06/02/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs hope to get a needed spark from Carlos Zambrano when the fiery pitcher returns to a starting role for tonight's finale of a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates from PNC Park.

Zambrano, a three-time National League All-Star who's averaged better than 14 wins over the past seven seasons, was shifted to the bullpen in late April after going 1-2 with a subpar 7.45 earned run average in four starts. The excitable Venezuelan has pitched significantly better as a reliever lately, having not allowed a run in any of his last five appearances, which prompted manager Lou Piniella to insert him back in the rotation in place of the struggling Tom Gorzelanny.

The accomplished right-hander is 11-8 with a 4.16 ERA in 29 lifetime games (25 starts) against Pittsburgh, but was dealt a loss by the Pirates in relief back on May 14 after giving up a go-ahead three-run homer to Garrett Jones in the eighth inning.

Piniella hopes the switch can help his club solve its continued recent struggles against Pittsburgh. The Pirates have won seven of the eight matchups between the NL Central foes this season, including the first two tests of this three-game set, and are 9-1 in their last 10 encounters with the Cubs. Chicago has lost all five of its games played in the Steel City so far this year as well.

Pittsburgh's mastery of the Cubs continued with last night's 3-2 decision, in which the Bucs went in front on Neil Walker's two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning.

With the Pirates trailing 2-1, Andrew McCutchen drew a one-out walk off Cubs starter Ted Lilly and Walker followed by clubbing an 0-1 pitch over the fence in left for his first major league home run.

"I thought [Lilly] was about to get pulled," Walker said. "I didn't think he was going to face me. Fortunately I had three terrible at-bats against him, so I think that's one of the reasons he stayed in the game. I wanted to be aggressive there, I got a pitch over the plate and I was able to drive it."

Jones also homered in the win and finished 2-for-4 for Pittsburgh, which had lost five in a row prior to rallying for a 2-1 decision in Monday's opener of this series. Octavio Dotel worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 12th save of the season.

The Cubs suffered their third straight defeat and now have dropped five of their last seven tilts to fall to a disappointing 24-29 on the season.

"It's frustrating on everyone," said outfielder Xavier Nady, who went 4-for-4 and accounted for all of Chicago's scoring with a two-run homer in the third inning. "You plan on getting big hits and getting things going. But offensively, we're not doing it, there's no way around it.

Lilly (1-5) worked 7 2/3 innings and surrendered all three runs on six hits, while striking out six and walking four.

While the Pirates have enjoyed great success against the Cubs as of late, that trend hasn't carried over to Zach Duke's starts in this series. The left- hander has lost eight consecutive decisions to Chicago and is winless in his last 13 starts versus the Cubs, having last topped the club back on May 2, 2006.

Duke will also be seeking to bounce back from an awful performance his last time out, when the 2009 All-Star was rocked for seven runs and 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings in a loss at Atlanta last Friday. He had been very sharp in his previous two outings, yielding just two runs -- one earned -- over a combined 13 frames in a May 18 win at Philadelphia and a no-decision against the Braves five days later.

The 27-year-old, who's 4-8 with a 3.67 ERA in 17 career starts against Chicago, has compiled a 3-5 mark with a 5.09 ERA in 11 games this season.

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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.

MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.