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07/31/2010 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired pitcher Jake Westbrook from the Cleveland Indians in a three-team trade that also involves the San Diego Padres.
Along with Westbrook, St. Louis acquired cash from the Indians and minor league pitcher Nick Greenwood from San Diego. The Padres got outfielder Ryan Ludwick from the Cardinals, while the Indians received minor league pitcher Corey Kluber from the Padres.
Westbrook, who was scratched from his scheduled start Saturday against Toronto in order for the trade to be completed, will fill out the Cardinals' rotation. He is 6-7 with a 4.65 ERA in 21 starts this season, his 10th in the majors and first full year since 2007.
The 32-year-old right-hander made just five starts in 2008 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, then missed all of 2009 while recovering.
Westbrook broke into the majors in 2000 with the Yankees before being traded to Cleveland, and he had been with the Indians since. In 221 career games, 181 starts, the right-hander is 69-71 with a 4.34 ERA, and was an All-Star selection in 2004.
"We've been looking for a quality starting pitcher to add to our rotation for some time," said Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak. "Westbrook is someone we've had our eyes on for a good period of time. We also want to wish Ryan Ludwick all the best with the Padres. He did an outstanding job for us over the past 3 1/2 seasons."
Ludwick, 32, made brief major league appearances with Texas and Cleveland from 2002-05, and spent the entire 2006 season at Triple-A. But after signing with the Cardinals, he got back to the majors in 2007 and played his way into a starting role. He was named an All-Star in 2008, when he hit .299 with 37 home runs and 113 runs batted in.
In 77 games this year, Ludwick is batting .281 with a .343 on-base percentage, 11 homers and 43 RBI.
Greenwood, 22, was a 14th-round selection by the Padres in 2009. The left- hander was 4-4 with a 4.15 ERA at Single-A Fort Wayne this season, and will be assigned to Single-A Quad Cities.
Kluber, 24, went 6-6 with a 3.45 ERA in 22 games (21 starts) this year at Double-A San Antonio. San Diego selected the right-hander in the fourth round of the 2007 draft.
<< Diamondbacks and Pirates make trade
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired
outfielder Ryan Church, infielder Bobby Crosby and pitcher D.J. Carrasco from
the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for catcher Chris Snyder, infielder Pedro
Ciriaco
<< Russians prevail in Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russians Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and
Elena Vesnina were semifinal winners Saturday and will meet for the title at
the Istanbul Cup.
The third-seeded Pavlyuchenkova earned a 7-6 (7-1), 2-6, 7-5
<< Tseng maintains lead at Women's British Open
South Port, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yani Tseng eagled the final hole
Saturday en route to her third straight four-under 68 and a four-shot lead
after the third round of the Women's British Open.
Tseng finished 54 holes at 12-un
<< Indians scratch Westbrook
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians have scratched pitcher
Jake Westbrook from Saturday's scheduled start against Toronto.
The MLB Network said Westbrook is on the verge of being traded and reports it
could be a three-way de
Redskins' Haynesworth has swollen knee, sits out again >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert
Haynesworth did not practice for a third straight day, though this time
because of a swollen knee.
Haynesworth was held out of practice Thursday and Friday
Cubs ship Lilly and Theriot to Dodgers >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs have traded pitcher Ted Lilly
and infielder Ryan Theriot to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for
infielder Blake DeWitt and a pair of minor league pitching prospects.
Chicago also
Former UNM asst. coach sues current coach, regents >>
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -A former assistant football coach at the University of New Mexico has filed a civil rights lawsuit stemming from an altercation involving coach Mike Locksley.J.B. Gerald filed the lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court in Albu
Prado has fractured pinky >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves second baseman Martin Prado
has a broken right pinky finger and could miss only a week.
Prado was hurt during Friday's win against Cincinnati while sliding head-first
into home plate on Jaso
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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