Cubs, Brewers to begin key NL Central series
Baseball Betting Lines
07/02/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the Chicago Cubs are going to win a third straight National League Central title, they are going to have to pick it up offensively. This weekend would be a good time to get it going, as they return home for the start of a four-game set against the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers that begins tonight.
The Cubs, who last year led the NL with 855 runs scored, have struggled at the plate all season long and especially recently. They were blanked four times in the month of June and managed just one run on three other occasions.
All and all, though, the Cubs are just 3 1/2 games back of the Brewers in the Central race and enter this series on the heels of taking two of three from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Chicago pulled out a series win on Wednesday, as Derrek Lee belted a two-run home run and Randy Wells tossed seven innings of one-run ball to lead the Cubs to a 4-1 win in the rubber match of a three-game series at PNC Park.
Wells (3-3) gave up six hits and fanned four batters to collect his third straight victory. Kevin Gregg retired the side in the ninth to pick up his 14th save of the year.
Kosuke Fukudome hit a solo homer and doubled, while Geovany Soto went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI single for the Cubs, who won for just the third time in their last 10 games.
"I have been trying to go out and throw strikes to keep the flow of the game going. The last three games I have been able to do that," Wells said.
Hoping to keep Chicago in the win column tonight will be Ryan Dempster, who is 4-5 with a 4.09 ERA. Dempster, a 17-game winner a season ago, has just one win in his last eight starts and is winless in his previous five outings.
On Saturday against the White Sox, Dempster did not factor in the decision but was far from effective, as he allowed five runs and eight hits in five innings of the Cubs' 8-7 loss.
Dempster lost to the Brewers the last time he faced them, but is 9-3 lifetime against them with a 2.79 ERA in 37 games (15 starts).
Milwaukee, meanwhile, was denied a sweep in its three-game series with the New York Mets on Wednesday, despite a sensational effort from Yovani Gallardo in the 1-0 loss.
Gallardo (8-5) absorbed the loss despite giving up only one run on five hits in seven innings. He also struck out a career-high 12 and walked two.
"He mixes all his pitches well for strikes," New York's Ryan Church said of Gallardo. "He keeps you off-balance. He keeps you guessing. He really has good control of his curveball and changeup. A lot of people were swinging at the curveball down in the dirt."
Ryan Braun went 2-for-4 for the Brewers, who lost for only the second time in their last six games.
Getting the call for the Brewers tonight will be right-hander Seth McClung, who is 3-1 with a 3.55 ERA this season. After 28 relief appearances, McClung made his first start of the season on Saturday against San Francisco and did not get a decision, as he allowed three runs and six hits in four innings.
This will be McClung's first-ever start versus the Cubs, but he is 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA in 10 trips out of the bullpen against them.
Milwaukee has split its six meetings with the Cubs this season, but won in five of its nine visits to Wrigley a year ago.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves are gradually working their way up the NL East standings and will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high four straight games tonight in the finale of a three-game series versus the Philadelphia
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Chicago comes
Teams that should be in: Stanford
Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.
Should be in:
Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.
| Southeastern Conference odds | |
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.
Work left to do: Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney. Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson. Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable. Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile. |
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