Ankiel's hot bat helps Cards top Dodgers

Baseball Betting Lines

08/11/2007 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rick Ankiel hit two home runs and knocked in three as the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-1, in the middle game of a three-game series at Busch Stadium.

Ankiel also singled and scored three times, and Jim Edmonds collected two hits including a two-run single for the Cards, who have won three of their last four.

Braden Looper (10-9) pitched six strong innings, allowing one run on four hits, while striking out three and walking one. The St. Louis bullpen gave up only one hit over the last three innings.

Luis Gonzalez accounted for the Dodgers lone run with an RBI double. Andre Ethier also had a pair of two-base hits for LA, which had a brief two-game winning streak halted and have now lost 10 of its last 13 contests.

Derek Lowe (8-11) surrendered five runs -- three earned -- on seven hits in six innings of work. The right-hander struck out five and didn't allow a walk.

The Cardinals jumped on Lowe for a pair of runs in the first inning. Aaron Miles led off the frame with a walk and Ankiel followed with a two-run homer to right to give the home team the early advantage.

St. Louis tacked on three more in the third, thanks in part to some shoddy fielding by the Dodgers. Adam Kennedy reached first on a error by shortstop Rafael Furcal and Miles and Ankiel singled to load the bases with nobody out. Albert Pujols then reached on Furcal's second error of the inning, allowing a run to score. Edmonds' base hit plated two more to extend the Cards lead to 5-0.

Los Angeles attempted to get on the board in the fifth when Nomar Garciaparra led off with a single and Ethier doubled, putting runners on second and third with no outs. However, Looper settled down and retired Juan Pierre, Ramon Martinez and Lowe to get out of trouble.

The Dodgers made it a 5-1 game in the sixth inning when James Loney singled to center with two outs and came around to score on Gonzalez's double.

Ankiel's solo home run to right, his second of the game and third of the season with two outs in the seventh, increased the Cards lead to 6-1.

Brad Thompson came on for the ninth and retired the Dodgers in order to preserve the win.

Game Notes

Attendance was 44,260...Lowe has now lost his last five decisions and is winless since June 22.

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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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