Cardinals attempt to rebound against Braves

Baseball Betting Lines

07/20/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After receiving a double dose of bad news on Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals will try to get back on their feet when the 2006 world champs continue a four-game series with the Atlanta Braves tonight at Turner Field.

The Cardinals learned yesterday that ace pitcher Chris Carpenter needs to undergo Tommy John surgery on his troublesome elbow and will miss the remainder of this season, as well as a significant portion of 2008. St. Louis then proceeded to get smoked by the Braves in the opener of this weekend set.

Atlanta scored 10 times over the first four innings en route to an easy 10-1 victory. Andruw Jones and Matt Diaz each homered and knocked in three runs, with Diaz ended 3-for-4 on the evening and Jones scoring three times.

Chipper Jones added a pair of hits and three runs scored to help the Braves rebound from an embarrassing three-game home sweep by Cincinnati. Jeff Francoeur contributed two hits and two RBI to the winning effort.

Julio Franco delivered a two-run single in the ageless veteran's first game back in a Braves uniform. The 48-year-old, who played for Atlanta from 2001-05, had been released by the Mets earlier this month.

Tim Hudson (10-5) cruised to his 10th victory of 2007 by limiting St. Louis to a run on five hits over seven innings of work.

Cardinals starter Mike Maroth (0-3) wasn't nearly as effective, as the lefty was battered for 10 runs and 11 hits in five innings.

St. Louis, which had won three of four prior to Thursday's rout, was without third baseman Scott Rolen (shoulder) for a second consecutive game. However, center fielder Jim Edmonds was activated from the disabled list and went 1- for-3 in his first action since June 15.

The Cardinals turn to ex-Braves farmhand Adam Wainwright tonight in hopes of getting back on track. The right-hander was Atlanta's first-round choice in the 2000 draft and pitched in the Braves system until being dealt to the Cardinals in December, 2003 as part of the trade that landed J.D. Drew in Atlanta.

Wainwright, a native of Brunswick, Georgia, will be making his first career start versus the Braves. He did throw four scoreless innings over three relief appearances against Atlanta as a rookie last season.

The 25-year-old has also been pitching very well as of late. Wainwright fired seven shutout innings to defeat the Phillies last Sunday and is 3-1 with a 3.24 earned run average over his four most recent starts.

Atlanta counters with a Georgia product of its own in Chuck James, who sports an identical 8-7 season record as Wainwright and is also in the midst of a good recent stretch.

James has yielded just two runs in 17 2/3 innings over his last three starts. The left-hander recorded back-to-back road wins over the Marlins and Dodgers to close out his first half, then came through with six shutout innings against Pittsburgh last Saturday.

The 25-year-old allowed just two hits and three walks in that game but did not factor in the decision of Atlanta's 5-4 win.

James' lone career appearance against the Cardinals came on July 5, 2006 at Turner Field. He wound up with the victory after giving up four runs over six innings of a 14-4 Atlanta triumph.

Thursday's contest was the first 2007 meeting between these teams. Atlanta won four of six matchups with St. Louis last season and is 5-1 in its last six games against the Cardinals at Turner Field.

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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

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Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

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