Pujols, Glaus power Cards to victory in doubleheader opener

Baseball Betting Lines

06/05/2008 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Wellemeyer tossed six shutout innings, and Albert Pujols hit the first pinch-hit home run of his career as the St. Louis Cardinals topped the Washington Nationals, 4-1 in the opener of a day/night doubleheader at Nationals Park.

Wellemeyer (7-1) scattered five hits and racked up five strikeouts while issuing just one walk to lead the Cardinals to their second straight win and their third in four games. Troy Glaus belted a two-run homer for St. Louis, and Joe Mather added an RBI double.

"(Wellemeyer is) a complete pitcher, throws fastballs on both sides of the plate, up and down," said Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa. "He has four pitches, a nice breaking ball he throws for strikes, and an excellent off- speed pitch. He's very strong and always tough to run on."

Felipe Lopez knocked in the lone run for the Nationals, who saw their losing streak extended to four games. John Lannan (4-6) dropped the decision after allowing two runs on four hits in six innings, walking four while not recording a strikeout. Joel Hanrahan was tagged for two runs on three hits in two innings of relief.

"I had to battle," Lannan said. "I really didn't have my fastball command. It was hot. I was little thrown off with the rain delay last night."

The Cardinals got to Lannan in the top of the fourth, taking a 2-0 lead on Glaus' fifth homer of the year. Ryan Ludwick started the inning with a single to center, and Glaus hammered a 3-2 fastball over the wall in left-center.

Hanrahan replaced Lannan to start the seventh, but was greeted with a pinch- hit appearance by Pujols, who promptly crushed a 1-1 fastball for his 15th homer of the year. One out later, Brendan Ryan worked a walk, then stole second. After Brian Barton struck out, Mather ripped an RBI double to the corner in left for a 4-0 edge.

After Ron Villone and Russ Springer kept the Nats off the board in the seventh, Chris Perez ran into trouble in the eighth, as walks to Kory Casto and pinch-hitter Rob Mackowiak put two men on with two outs. Lefty Randy Flores came out of the bullpen, but couldn't preserve the shutout, as Lopez rapped a single to left that plated Castro. Flores, though, got Ryan Langerhans to ground out to end the inning.

"We couldn't get anything going with two outs, especially with runners in scoring position," said Nats manager Manny Acta. "I hope they don't give up on themselves because I haven't given up on them, and I'm not going to. They have to keep fighting and keep plugging away."

Ryan Franklin worked a perfect ninth, needing just nine pitches to lock up his seventh save.

Game Notes

The Nats were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded 11 men on base...Cristian Guzman went 2-for-5 for Washington, while Yadier Molina went 2-for-4 for St. Louis...The Cardinals send Mike Parisi (0-2) to the hill in the nightcap against Tim Redding (6-3).

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

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