Diamondbacks and Pirates make trade

Baseball Betting Lines

07/31/2010 - 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 and cash considerations.

Church is in his seventh big league season and has been traded for the second time in as many years. He was dealt from the New York Mets to Atlanta last season and signed as a free agent with the Pirates in January.

The 31-year-old veteran is batting just .182 with three homers and 18 runs batted in over 69 games for the Pirates this season. He is a career .264 hitter with 54 homers and 160 RBI in 617 games for Montreal/Washington, the Mets, Braves and Pirates.

Crosby, the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year with Oakland, was also in his first season with the Pirates and was batting just .224 with one homer and 11 runs batted in over 61 games. He spent his first seven seasons with Oakland and owns a career batting average of .237.

Carrasco had a record of 2-2 with a 3.88 earned run average in 45 games out of the bullpen for the Pirates this season, his first with the club. The 33-year- old right-hander has also pitched for Kansas City and the Chicago White Sox, compiling a mark of 22-18 with a 4.37 ERA in 226 games, 23 of which have been starts.

Snyder had spent his entire seven-year career with Arizona and this season was batting .231 with 10 homers and 32 runs batted in through 65 games. The 29- year-old veteran hit 16 homers in 2008 and owns a career average of .233 with 62 homers in 556 games.

"Chris Snyder is a solid major league player who will provide us with a quality catching option for this year and next year," said Pirates general manager Neal Huntington. "He brings leadership to the club, along with a game calling and receiving ability that will help our pitching staff mature. Additionally he will add some home run power to our lineup."

Ciriaco, just 24, was batting .259 with six homes, 51 runs batted in and 14 stolen bases in 87 games for Arizona's Triple-A affiliate in Reno. The Dominican native was the Arizona organization's top base stealer the last two seasons, as he swiped 40 bases in 2008 and 38 last year.

Snyder will join the Pirates, while Ciriaco will head to Triple-A Indianapolis. The Pirates have also recalled infielders Argenis Diaz and Jeff Clement from Indianapolis for Saturday's game against St. Louis.

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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.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.