Cubs' Zambrano takes mound against Milwaukee
Baseball Betting Lines
07/03/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Zambrano takes aim at his first win in five starts this afternoon when the Chicago Cubs continue their four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.
Zambrano was roughed up by the Chicago White Sox in his last start on Sunday, as he allowed five runs (four earned) and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings to fall to 4-3 on the season, while raising his earned run average to 3.69.
The 28-year-old right-hander did not get a decision against the Brewers earlier in the season, but the Cubs have lost his last six home starts against them.
Chicago's offense awakened in a big way in Thursday's opener, as Derrek Lee headlined a home run parade with two long-balls -- a three-run shot and a grand slam -- for a career-high seven RBI, leading the Cubs to a 9-5 win.
It was Lee's 20th career multi-homer game, as the Cubs won for the third time in four games. Jake Fox and Geovany Soto each hit a solo shot in a game that featured six total homers -- all in the first six innings.
"I don't feel different, just swinging the bat well right now," Lee said of his recent string of good hitting. "Getting a pitch to hit and putting the bat on it -- I don't try to compare different times."
Ryan Dempster (5-5) was the beneficiary of the run support, moving to 10-3 lifetime against Milwaukee after allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
Mike Cameron and Prince Fielder each hit a home run for the Brewers, who have lost two in a row after winning four of their previous five. Seth McClung (3-2), in his second start of the year, was hammered for seven runs on seven hits with two walks and a strikeout in only 3 1/3 innings.
"The offense, after getting shut out yesterday, I was pleased with the offense," Brewers manager Ken Macha said. "The offense would have given us a chance to win. The starting pitching didn't."
Getting the call for the Brewers today will be veteran right-hander Jeff Suppan, who has lost his last two starts. Suppan absorbed the loss on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants, who hit him for five runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, dropping him to 5-6 on the year to go along with a 4.86 ERA.
Suppan lost to the Cubs back on April 12 and is 6-8 lifetime against them with a 3.90 ERA in 21 starts.
The 34-year-old Suppan may also have to deal with Alfonso Soriano, who has sat out the last two Cubs' games due to his recent struggles at the plate. Soriano has just 13 hits in his last 64 at-bats and has seen his season average dip to .230.
Milwaukee has lost four of its seven meetings with the Cubs this season, but won in five of its nine visits to Wrigley a year ago.
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
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 MySportsbook.com’s “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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