Cubs use long ball to down D-Backs
Baseball Betting Lines
08/02/2006 -
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Murton went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer
and two runs scored to give the Chicago Cubs a 9-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the second test of a four-game series at Wrigley Field.
Aramis Ramirez and Jacque Jones also had two-run home runs for the Cubs, who
have won five of their last six games.
"We got some balls up in the air like they (Arizona) did last night," said
Cubs manager Dusty Baker.
Shortstop Cesar Izturis, who Chicago acquired on Monday from the Dodgers for
pitcher Greg Maddux, went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Rich Hill (1-4) picked up his first victory in the majors as he gave up three
runs on six hits with a walk and six strikeouts in eight innings of work.
Andy Green had a pinch-hit two-run double and Eric Byrnes hit a solo home run
for the Diamondbacks, who had a two-game winning streak stopped.
Claudio Vargas (8-8) was shelled for seven runs on eight hits in four innings
of work.
The Cubs scored often and early to take control of the game.
In the first, Ramirez hit a two-out, two-run homer to give the Cubs an early
2-0 lead.
Murton and Neifi Perez hit back-to-back one-out singles in the second and
moved up a base on a sac bunt by Hill. Pierre followed with a double to right
to plate both runners for a 4-0 lead.
In the third, Michael Barrett led off with a solo home run. After the next two
Cubs batters recorded outs, John Mabry kept the inning alive with a double and
Murton followed with a homer over the right-center wall to make it a 7-0 game.
The Diamondbacks finally got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning when Green
hit a two-out two-run double that scored Chad Tracy and Orlando Hudson to cut
their deficit to 7-2.
Chicago, though, got the runs right back in the bottom of the fifth when
Jones hit a two-run homer to make it a 9-2 game.
Byrnes hit a solo homer in the eighth to cut Arizona's deficit to 9-3.
Roberto Nova pitched the ninth and issued a lead-off walk to Conor Jackson,
but recorded outs on the next three batters to seal the victory.
Game Notes
Ramirez has 25 home runs and 72 RBI on the season...Arizona left fielder Luis
Gonzalez hit a double in the game and leads the majors this season with
38...The Cubs snapped a five-game losing streak against Arizona...Byrnes has
16 home runs this year.
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Pacific-10 Conference odds
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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