Reeling Mets continue West Coast tour with stop in LA

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07/22/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Citi Field must feel many moons away for the New York Mets, who will continue their disappointing road trip tonight with the first of four straight games against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.

New York was just swept in three games by the lowly Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix and fell to 1-6 on its 11-game, three-city tour out West with Wednesday's 4-3 setback in 14 innings.

Fernando Nieve gave up Chris Snyder's game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the 14th inning to suffer the loss for the Mets, who have lost nine of 11 overall and are 4-12 in their last 16 road games. New York has been held to four runs or less in 12 straight games, going 3-9 in that span, and is 5-12 in July after going 18-8 in June.

"Offensively, we're just not clicking," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said on the team's website. "We've got too many guys that are not hitting, and that's not a good way to operate."

Angel Pagan finished 3-for-5 with a home run and a pair of runs for the Mets, while Rod Barajas also went deep in defeat. Carlos Beltran drove in a run, but Jason Bay finished 0-for-6 at the plate for New York. Bay is 4-for-36 over his last 10 games and owns just three multi-hit outings since June 18.

The Mets, who are 6 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the NL East lead, will hand the ball to Japanese left-hander Hisanori Takahashi in tonight's series opener in Hollywood. Takahashi is coming off Saturday's 8-4 loss at San Francisco in which he allowed six runs and seven hits in only 2 2/3 innings. The southpaw had been 3-1 in his previous four decisions, but fell to 7-4 in 26 games (10 starts) to go along with a 4.69 ERA this season.

Takahashi beat the Dodgers back on April 27 by holding them to a run over 3 1/3 relief innings of a 10-5 triumph at Citi Field.

Los Angeles put an end to its six-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over the Giants on Wednesday in the finale of a three-game series. Chad Billingsley threw his second career shutout and held San Francisco to five hits with three strikeouts and a pair of walks. He allowed seven runs and 10 hits through four innings in his previous start.

"Chad was great tonight," Dodgers acting manager Don Mattingly said afterward. This is pretty much what we needed. Hopefully this is something that gets us going in the other direction,"

Casey Blake hit a solo homer and drove in another run with a single for the Dodgers, who are six games off San Diego's lead in the NL West and received some disciplinary action from Major League Baseball before the contest. After three batters were hit by pitches in Wednesday's game, leading to three ejections, MLB suspended Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw along with manager Joe Torre and bench coach Bob Schaefer. Kershaw was given a five-game suspension, while Torre and Schaefer got one-game bans.

The Dodgers did a fine job with Mattingly serving as interim skipper last night and will hand the ball to Hiroki Kuroda on Thursday. Kuroda has lost three straight starts and is only 2-7 with a 4.58 ERA in his last 10 outings.

Kuroda was saddled with a tough loss in Saturday's 2-0 decision at St. Louis, as he gave up just one run and four hits in six innings of work. He struck out eight batters before falling to 7-8 in 18 trips to the mound this season.

The right-hander has never beaten the Mets before, having 0-3 with a 7.71 ERA in four career starts. Kuroda lost in Flushing back on April 27, when he gave up two runs in six innings of a 4-0 setback.

New York swept that three-game home series from LA back in late April and has won four of the past five matchups between the teams. The Dodgers won all three meetings with the Mets held at Chavez Ravine last year.

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Problem with Bears?

Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.

"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."

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Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.

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