Cook gains 14th victory as Rockies top Pirates
Baseball Betting Lines
07/30/2008 -
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Iannetta hit a three-run homer and
Aaron Cook threw seven solid innings, as Colorado avoided a sweep with a 7-4
win over Pittsburgh in the finale of a three-game set.
Cook (14-6) surrendered four runs on nine hits and three walks, while striking
out one for the Rockies, who dropped the first two games of the series, but
have still won six of eight. Cook's 14 victories ties Arizona's Brandon Webb
for the most in the National League.
Troy Tulowitzki finished 3-for-4 with a double and run batted in, while
Garrett Atkins and Matt Holliday each had two hits and an RBI for Colorado.
"We just scored a few more runs than we did in the other games," Iannetta
said. " We pitched a little bit better down the stretch, that was about it.
Two bad games are going to happen over the course of a season, more than once.
You just try to take a win when you can, and not let them snowball, and I
think we did that."
Zach Duke (4-9) lost his fourth consecutive start after being roughed up for
six runs on eight hits in five innings. He's winless in his last nine outings,
last posting a victory June 9 versus Arizona.
"It's the big inning," Duke said. "It's not limiting the damage when I need
to. The situation, like tonight, I have something set up where if I make some
big pitches, I can get out of it. I'm not executing when I need to."
Jose Bautista went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Jason Bay drove in a pair, but the
Pirates couldn't overcome the Rockies and have now lost four of six.
The Rockies took early leads in each of the first two games of this series,
only to have the Pirates come back to win both times. On Wednesday they again
went out in front, and held onto the lead.
Clint Barmes got Colorado on the scoreboard in the second inning with a
sacrifice fly. It plated Tulowitzki, who hit a one-out double and went to
third on a wild pitch. Holliday's RBI single, scoring Willy Taveras, gave the
visitors a 2-0 edge in the third inning.
But it was a four-run fifth inning that broke the game open. Taveras got on
base with a one-out bunt single. After Jeff Baker grounded into a fielder's
choice, Holliday worked a walk. Atkins followed with an RBI single, leaving
two runners on for Iannetta, who blasted his 12th home run of the season. The
shot went to straightaway center field, and gave Colorado a 6-0 advantage.
Even then, though, the Pirates almost came back. In the home fifth, Pittsburgh
got to Cook after the Colorado starter got out of jams in the early innings.
Nate McLouth and Luis Rivas led off with consecutive walks and Ryan Doumit
doubled to bring one run around.
The hit left both remaining runners in scoring position for Bay, who slapped a
two-run single to center. Later, Bautista singled to bring in Bay as the
Pirates made it a 6-4 game.
But Cook settled back down and allowed just one baserunner combined in the
sixth and seventh innings. Tulowitzki's RBI single in the top of the seventh
brought in Atkins, who had doubled earlier in the frame, to tack on one more
run for the Rockies.
Taylor Buchholz took to the mound for the bottom of the eighth and worked
around a Jack Wilson double to keep the Pirates off the scoreboard. Brian
Fuentes worked a perfect ninth inning to close out the game and nail down his
18th save of the season.
Game Notes
Rivas started at second base again in place of Freddy Sanchez, who has missed
the entire series with back spasms...Colorado is 4-2 on its current road trip,
which continues Thursday in the opener of a four-game set with
Florida...Pittsburgh wrapped up its homestand with a 3-4 mark...The Rockies
have won five of seven matchups with the Pirates this season.
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three hits, three RBI and three runs scored to lift Philadelphia over
Washington, 8-5, in the second installment of a three-game set at Nationals
Park.
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Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ken Griffey Jr. belted a three-run homer to
help the Cincinnati Reds to a 9-5 victory and avoid a three-game sweep to
the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.
Adam Dunn hit his major league-leading 31
<< Cardinals pull away to beat Braves in Carpenter's return
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Mather hit a two-run home run and Chris
Carpenter allowed a run over four innings in his first start in nearly 16
months as the St. Louis Cardinals topped the free-falling Atlanta Braves, 7-2,
in the
<< Young's late RBI pushes Rangers past M's
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Young's sacrifice fly drove in the
go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning, as the Texas Rangers clipped
the Seattle Mariners, 4-3, in the third installment of a four-game set.
Josh Hamil
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London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA and Euroleague Basketball
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Packers prez Murphy meets with Favre >>
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy
traveled to Mississippi Wednesday to meet with Brett Favre, ostensibly to
talk the star quarterback out of reporting to camp later this week.
"I was in Hat
Angels dominate Boston again; Manny's last game for Red Sox? >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Garret Anderson drove in four runs, as the
Angels flattened the Boston Red Sox, 9-2, to complete a three-game sweep at
Fenway Park.
Anderson finished 4-for-5 with a two-run homer and a double for Los
Marlins rough up Pelfrey again as Mets fall out of first place >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh Johnson pitched into the seventh inning for
his first victory since August of 2006, and the Marlins dealt Mike Pelfrey his
first loss in over two months with a 7-5 triumph over the New York Mets in the
rubber
Floyd powerful on mound as ChiSox top Twins >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gavin Floyd allowed one run on just four
hits as the Chicago White Sox earned an 8-3 win over the Minnesota Twins in
the third matchup in a four-game set.
Floyd (11-6) lasted 7 2/3 innings yielding
Ivanovic, Jankovic advance to third round at Rogers Cup >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Ana Ivanovic and fellow Serbian
Jelena Jankovic were second-round winners Wednesday at the $1.34 million
Rogers Cup tennis event.
The world No. 1 Ivanovic, who is the French Open champion
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Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.
Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.
MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .
''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''
Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.
He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.
''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''
Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.
Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.
With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.
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