Slumping Diamondbacks visit Mets
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07/30/2010 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The slumping Arizona Diamondbacks head to New York in hopes
of notching a rare road win when they open a three-game weekend series with
the Mets at Citi Field.
The Diamondbacks, now 24 games off the pace in the National League's West
Division, have lost seven straight games as they head to Queens, including
three straight at Philadelphia in a series that concluded Thursday night.
Wilson Valdez helped the Phillies celebrate the acquisition of pitcher Roy
Oswalt with an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning for a 3-2 win.
Miguel Montero hit his third home run of the season and finished with two RBI
for the Diamondbacks.
Joe Saunders made his first start with the D'Backs after he was traded to
Arizona in the Dan Haren deal on Sunday. Saunders was charged with two runs on
nine hits and four strikeouts over seven innings.
Cody Ransom drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the 11th off of Esmerling
Vasquez (1-4) and moved to second base when Carlos Ruiz singled. Valdez then
stepped to the plate and laced a base hit to center field. The throw from
Chris Young partially hit the pitcher's mound, which helped Ransom slide
safely into home plate as the Phillies celebrated the victory.
Arizona has won just 13 of 49 road games so far in 2010.
On the mound, right-hander Ian Kennedy makes his second start against the Mets
in 11 days.
He earned a 13-2 victory in the initial matchup on July 19 in Phoenix,
allowing four hits and a run in five innings to notch his fifth victory of the
season.
One start since ended in loss No. 8 for Kennedy, who was touched for six hits
and four runs in 6 2/3 innings of a 10-4 defeat against San Francisco.
He is 2-5 in 10 road starts with a 4.70 earned run average.
For the Mets, 6-foot-7 right-hander Mike Pelfrey can erase the bad taste from
the aforementioned July 19 game.
The 26-year-old was raked for seven hits and six runs while retiring only four
batters and walking two against the Diamondbacks, who handed him his third
straight loss since starting the year at 10-2.
Pelfrey, the ninth overall draft selection in 2005, hasn't won since a 5-2
interleague defeat of Minnesota on June 25.
He is winless in six career matchups with Arizona, going 0-5 with a 6.75 ERA.
However, he is 6-2 in 11 home starts in 2010.
On Thursday, rookie Ike Davis hit a three-run homer and knuckleballer R.A.
Dickey went 8 1/3 innings as the Mets earned a 4-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the rubber match of a three-game home set.
Angel Pagan chipped in two hits including a triple and scored twice, while
Carlos Beltran contributed a run-scoring single for the Mets, who won for only
the third time in the last 10 games.
Dickey (7-4), who was working on three days rest after exiting his last start
on Sunday with a left leg injury after 5 2/3 innings, was sensational. He
yielded only four hits, finishing with two strikeouts and a pair of walks.
Francisco Rodriguez retired the final two batters in the ninth to pick up his
22nd save of the season.
The Diamondbacks swept a three-game set at home over the Mets from July 19-21
and have won seven of the last eight in the series.
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have been virtually invincible at U.S. Cellular Field during that time period.
Chicago
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Great American Ba
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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