Brewers, Cubs close series at Wrigley Field

Baseball Betting Lines

07/05/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Burns hopes the Milwaukee Brewers have some runs left in them this afternoon when they close out a four-game series with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

After being shutout twice in their last six games and managing just six runs through the first two tests of this series, the Brewers exploded on Saturday, as Casey McGehee finished a double short of a cycle with four hits, and drove in five to lead Milwaukee to an 11-2 win. Mike Cameron was 2-for-3 with a three-run homer and four total RBI for the Brewers, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Ryan Braun extended his hitting streak to 11 games, while J.J. Hardy homered and finished with two of the Brewers' 14 hits.

Braden Looper (7-4) allowed two runs on six hits and three walks over six innings. Both his runs allowed came on Milton Bradley's two-run homer in the third inning.

"It was probably about as bad as I've felt on the mound in a while," Looper said. "I just was battling myself the whole time mechanically. I just was able to make a few good pitches when I needed to, and the guys made some plays behind me. They kept adding on [runs], too."

Aside from Bradley's homer, the Cubs had only six singles and hit into three double plays, as they had a three-game win streak broken, while losing for the first time in seven home tilts. Alfonso Soriano, dropped from the leadoff spot, finished 0-for-4 in the six hole and is hitless in his last 16 at-bats.

Chicago starter Rich Harden (5-5) surrendered seven runs on eight hits and a walk in two-plus innings, and took the loss.

"I was feeling pretty good, it was just getting that offspeed down. That's the key for me," Harden said. "Throwing my changeup for strikes, keeping it down in the zone. It was getting up, gave up a few hits off that. It was just ugly. It was embarrassing."

Burns is coming off of a win over the New York Mets on Tuesday, as he allowed two runs and five hits in 6 2/3 innings to improve to 1-1, while lowering his earned run average to 3.31.

The 30-year-old right-hander will be making his first-ever start against the Cubs, but has faced them four times out of the bullpen and has pitched to a 1.80 ERA in those outings.

Chicago, meanwhile, will counter with left-hander Ted Lilly, who is 7-6 with a 3.35 ERA. Lilly lost his second straight start on Tuesday in Pittsburgh, despite a decent effort that saw him surrender two earned runs and eight hits in seven innings.

Lilly, who is winless in his last four outings, is 2-2 lifetime against the Brewers with a 4.72 ERA in seven games (six starts).

Milwaukee has lost five of its nine meetings with the Cubs this season, but won in five of its nine visits to Wrigley a year ago.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.