Royals to host White Sox in Yost's debut

Baseball Betting Lines

05/14/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ned Yost era in Kansas City will commence tonight, when the Royals resume a six-game homestand with the first of three straight games versus the AL Central-rival Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.

After the Royals ended a seven-game slide and salvaged the finale of a three- game series versus the Cleveland Indians with a 6-4 win on Thursday, Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore relieved manager Trey Hillman of his duties and named Yost the new skipper. Hillman knew before the win that he would lose his job, but wanted to finish off the set with the Tribe.

"He (Hillman) said, 'I'm not going out losing seven in a row. I'm going out a winner [Thursday]'," said Moore. "Obviously he wore that all day, but during that game didn't share his emotions with anybody else and went out there and managed a baseball game."

Hillman had a 151-207 mark in two-plus seasons with the club, but the Royals still sit at 12-23 and just one game ahead of Baltimore for the worst record in the majors this year. Yost, meanwhile, had been in the Royals front office serving as a special advisor to baseball operations, a position he was appointed to in January. Yost spent 2003-2008 with Milwaukee and managed the Brewers to a 457-502 record, but was fired in September of 2008.

Before Hillman lost his job, reigning AL Cy Young Award honoree Zack Greinke threw six effective innings to pick up his first win of the season (1-4). He allowed three runs and eight hits and struck out eight batters. Joakim Soria threw a scoreless ninth for his eighth save.

Alberto Callaspo helped his pitching staff with a three-run homer and both David DeJesus and Yuniesky Betancourt had two hits and an RBI for Kansas City, which won for just the second time in 11 tries.

Like Greinke was yesterday, Royals starter Gil Meche is still in search of his first win of the season, having gone 0-4 with an 8.24 ERA in six starts. Meche, who will take the ball in Yost's debut, has dropped back-to-back starts but pitched well enough for the win in his previous outing despite not getting enough run support. In a 3-2 loss at Texas last Saturday, Meche gave up three runs over eight decent innings, but walked a season-high seven batters.

The right-hander, who is 0-2 in three home starts, lost his last appearance against the White Sox on May 3, when he allowed all five runs and nine hits in five innings of a 5-1 loss. Meche, however, is 8-4 with a 4.23 earned run average in 18 career starts against tonight's opponent.

Chicago just split a two-game set with Minnesota and suffered a 3-2 loss on Wednesday at Target Field. John Danks was saddled with the loss after he permitted all three runs and seven hits in seven innings.

"I was battling out there, went deep into the game and gave us a chance to win," Danks said about his outing.

Paul Konerko finished with two hits and an RBI for the Pale Hose, who have dropped four of their last six games. Juan Pierre contributed a pair of hits in defeat.

Mark Buehrle will try to pull the White Sox from their slumber when he makes his eighth start of the season Friday night. After winning his first two starts of 2010, Buehrle is 0-4 with a 6.23 earned run average in his last five trips to the mound.

The left-hander previously pitched last Friday in a 7-4 loss versus Toronto, but did not factor in the outcome after tossing eight innings of three-run ball. Prior to that start, Buehrle was rocked for five runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 frames in a 12-3 setback at New York on May 2.

He will face Kansas City for the first time in 2010 and has a bevy of experience in this series, having gone 20-9 with a 3.55 ERA over 43 games (41 starts) against the Royals.

Chicago won two of three games at home versus the Royals earlier this month and has taken 10 of the last 16 matchups between the teams.

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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.