05/14/2008 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marino Salas, a 27-year-old making his major league debut the same day he was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis, worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth and picked up his first career win in Pittsburgh's 8-4, 10-inning win over the Cardinals, the opener of a three- game set.
Ronny Paulino put the Pirates on top with an RBI single, and Adam LaRoche blew the game wide open with his bases-clearing double. Starter Phil Dumatrait gave up four hits and three runs in six innings, fanning four and walking three for the Pirates, who have won seven of eight.
Ron Villone (0-1) was ripped for four hits and four runs in the 10th to take the loss for the Cardinals, who have dropped three straight and six of seven. Albert Pujols belted a game-tying homer in the eighth for St. Louis. Starter Kyle Lohse gave up five hits and four runs in seven frames.
Salas (1-0) made things interesting in the ninth, walking Aaron Miles to start the frame. Pinch-hitter Adam Wainwright bunted Salas up to second, and Salas then intentionally walked Skip Schumaker. The rookie fanned Brendan Ryan, bringing Pujols to the plate.
Salas wisely walked the St. Louis first baseman, and got Ryan Ludwick to fly out to right the send the game to extras.
The Pirates jumped on top with four runs in the 10th off of Villone. Freddy Sanchez laced a leadoff single to right, and Nate McLouth bunted him up to second. Jason Bay was intentionally walked, and Paulino came through with a line drive single to center, scoring the go-ahead run. Xavier Nady then worked a walk, loading the bases for LaRoche, who stroked a drive into the gap in left-center for a four-run lead.
Matt Capps set the Cards down in order in the home half of the 10th to lock up the win.
Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit left after one inning with a left thumb injury.
A pitch from Dumatrait hit the catcher on the thumb of his glove and skidded past him for a passed ball in the first. Troy Glaus flied out to right, sparing Doumit from having to catch another ball. He was then lifted for a pinch-hitter in the second, as Paulino came on and took his spot behind the plate.
McLouth got the Bucs started in the fourth, following a Sanchez single with a blast to right, boosting the Pirates to a 2-0 lead.
Glaus erased the deficit with one swing, belting a three-run homer to center with two outs in the sixth, and the Cards took a one-run edge.
The Pirates came right back with two runs in the seventh, though. Bay led off with a ground-rule double to right, and Paulino plated him with the tying run on his two-bagger to right. Nady grounded out and LaRoche walked to put runners at the corners, and Jose Bautista poked a single to center to score Paulino, and the Bucs led 4-3.
John Grabow hung a changeup low and over the middle of the plate to Pujols with one out and the bases empty in the eighth, and the Cards first baseman deposited it deep in the seat in left, knotting the game at 4-4.
A Nady double, an intentional walk to LaRoche, and a two-out walk by pinch- hitter Doug Mientkiewicz loaded the bases in the ninth against Ryan Franklin, but pinch-hitter Chris Gomez popped up to first, preserving the tie.
Game Notes
Salas was called up after the Pirates optioned righthander John Van Benschoten to Indianapolis on Tuesday. Van Benschoten was demoted to the minors after losing to Atlanta on Monday. The 28-year-old surrendered nine hits and six runs in four innings, raising his earned run average to 9.39 and dropping his record to 0-2 on the season...The Cards left nine runners on base.
<< Rays climb to first in AL East; top Yankees in 11
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gabe Gross had the game-winning single
off Mariano Rivera in the 11th inning to lead the Tampa Bay Rays past the New
York Yankees, 2-1, and into first place in the AL East.
Akinori Iwamura went 2-fo
<< Pirates' Doumit leaves with thumb injury
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit left after one
inning of Tuesday's game against the Cardinals with a left thumb injury.
A pitch from Pittsburgh starter Phil Dumatrait hit the catcher on the thumb of
his glove
<< Laird propels Rangers over Mariners
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gerald Laird went 2-for-3 with an RBI and
three runs scored as the Texas Rangers upended the Seattle Mariners, 5-2, in
the second test of a three-game series at Rangers Ballpark.
Texas starter Kason Ga
<< Defensive blunder allows Royals to nip Tigers
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zack Greinke threw six solid innings, Jose
Guillen hit a two-run double, and the Kansas City Royals used a Detroit error
to edge the Tigers, 3-2, in the opener of a three-game set.
Guillen finished the ga
Drew, D'Backs down Rockies >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Drew clubbed a three-run home
run to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks past the Colorado Rockies, 8-4 in the
opener of a three-game set.
Orlando Hudson went 2-for-4, knocked in two runs and s
Cain does it all as Giants nip Astros >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Cain allowed just two runs over
eight innings and hit his second home run of the year as the San Francisco
Giants edged the Houston Astros, 4-2, in the second of a four-game set at AT&T
Par
Weaver flirts with no-no as Halos edge ChiSox >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jered Weaver threw seven innings of one-hit
ball, and Mike Napoli's sacrifice fly drove in the winning run, as the Los
Angeles Angels earned a 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox.
Weaver actually had a no-hitte
Hornets' Chandler hurts toe >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Orleans Hornets center Tyson Chandler
hurt a toe on his left foot in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's 101-79 playoff
win over San Antonio.
The Hornets, who grabbed a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven W
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
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