Soriano's two-run homer lifts Cubs over Brewers

Baseball Betting Lines

04/11/2009 - Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alfonso Soriano hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning and the Chicago Cubs held on to edge the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-5, in the second of a three-game series at Miller Park.

Soriano finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored, while Kosuke Fukudome had a solo homer, double and two RBI for the Cubs, who dropped a 6-5 decision in the series opener. Aramis Ramirez added a solo shot in the win.

Carlos Zambrano started and pitched to a no-decision for the Cubs. The big right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and three walks over six innings. Aaron Heilman (1-0) earned the win after going 1 2/3 innings without giving up a run and striking out three. Carlos Marmol notched his first save of the year.

Prince Fielder hit a two-run homer and J.J. Hardy knocked in a pair for Milwaukee, which lost three of four to start the season.

Dave Bush started and went 6 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on six hits with five strikeouts. Carlos Villanueva (1-1) was tagged with the loss after giving up two runs on as many hits in the ninth inning.

With the game deadlocked at 3-3 after 6 1/2 innings, Milwaukee put two on the board in the bottom of the seventh. Angel Guzman started the inning for the Cubs and retired the first batter before issuing back-to-back walks to Corey Hart and Ryan Braun. Neal Cotts replaced Guzman and the lefty promptly issued a free pass to Fielder before being lifted for Heilman.

Hardy then stepped in and laced a two RBI single up the middle, putting the Brewers in front 5-3. Mike Cameron followed by striking out and in the process, Fielder got tagged out while trying to advance to third when the ball got away from Cubs catcher Koyie Hill.

Ramirez's solo homer to left in the eighth got the Cubs to within a run. Then in the ninth pinch hitter Reed Johnson reached on a one-out single and Soriano jumped on a first-pitch changeup from Joey Gathright and hammered it over the left-field wall to put the Cubs in front 6-5.

In the bottom of the ninth, Marmol came on and gave up a one-out base hit to Hart, but recovered to strikeout Braun and Fielder to end the game.

Fielder gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead in the third when the burly slugger belted a 1-2 fastball over the right-field fence, scoring Hart, who singled.

Fukudome's solo blast in the top of the fourth got the Cubs to within a run, but Milwaukee regained a two-run lead in the home half when Rickie Weeks' RBI single brought home Bill Hall.

The Cubs made it a 3-2 game in the top of the sixth when Fukudome hit a double down the right-field line that plated Soriano, who led off the frame with a two-base hit.

Chicago knotted things in the top of the seventh on Soriano's run-scoring fielders' choice.

Game Notes

Chicago won nine of its 16 meetings with the Brewers last season, including five of the seven matchups held in Milwaukee.

Reoma Baseball Betting News

<< Terriers shock RedHawks to win men's national hockey title
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colby Cohen tallied with 8:13 remaining in the first overtime as Boston University rallied from a late two-goal deficit to defeat Miami-Ohio, 4-3, in the NCAA men's hockey national championship at Verizon

<< Red Bulls, Dynamo battle to scoreless draw
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Red Bulls and Houston Dynamo entered Week 4 of the Major League Soccer season with identical 0-2-1 records despite playing each other in the 2008 MLS Cup semifinals. After battling to a phys

<< Armstrong helps Thrashers end season with win over Tampa
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colby Armstrong scored twice to lead the Atlanta Thrashers past the Tampa Bay Lightning, 6-2, in a battle between two teams eliminated from the playoffs at Philips Arena. Eric Perrin, Ilya Kovalchuk,

<< Sabathia gets first win as a Yankee in win over Royals
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - CC Sabathia dazzled on the mound to get his first win as a Yankee, as New York made short work of the Kansas City Royals, 6-1, in the second installment of a three-game set from Kauffman Stadium. Sabathia

<< Reyes, Mets deal Marlins first loss
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Reyes finished 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and three RBI as the New York Mets doubled up Florida, 8-4, in the middle test of a three-game set from Dolphin Stadium. Carlos Delgado collected three hits and

Hill and Suns down Timberwolves >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Grant Hill scored 19 points to lead the Phoenix Suns past the Minnesota Timberwolves, 110-97, at the Target Center. Leandro Barbosa and Jared Dudley added 16 points apiece for the Suns, who have won fou

Bucks silence Thunder >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richard Jefferson matched a season high with 35 points to go with nine rebounds, leading Milwaukee to a relatively easy 115-98 drubbing of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Luke Ridnour donated 18 points an

Carter leads Nets past Magic >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Carter led the Nets with 27 points and nine assists, as New Jersey topped an uninspired Orlando Magic club, 103-93. "I just kind of wanted to set the tone of how we wanted to play t

Howard and Phils double up Rockies >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard had a pair of hits and three runs batted in, as the Phillies used some timely hitting and strong pitching to defeat the Colorado Rockies, 8-4, at Coors Field. Seven of Philadelphia's runs ca

Hudson haunts former team as Dodgers crush D'Backs >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Orlando Hudson backed Eric Stults' spot- start with a home run and three runs batted in, as the Dodgers upended the Diamondbacks, 11-2, at Chase Field. Stults (1-0), filling in for injured Opening

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.