Paulino, Bucs top Cards

Baseball Betting Lines

09/06/2007 - St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ronny Paulino belted a three-run homer, and Jack Wilson drove in three runs in Pittsburgh's 8-2 win over St. Louis, spoiling Mark Mulder's 2007 debut and sending the Cardinals to another tough defeat in their playoff chase.

Mulder (0-1) underwent left rotator cuff surgery last September and missed St. Louis' run to a World Series title. The lefty, in his first outing since August 29, 2006, was torched for eight hits and six runs over four innings. This marked his first career loss (6-1) in nine starts against the Pirates.

Rick Ankiel hit a two-run homer for the Cardinals, who fell two games behind first-place Chicago in the NL Central. St. Louis is also 1 1/2 games behind Milwaukee in the division.

Adam LaRoche added a solo homer and scored twice for the Pirates, who have won two of three in the series, which concludes Thursday afternoon.

Tony Armas (3-5) allowed five hits and two runs over six innings for Pittsburgh.

The Pirates loaded the bases in the first inning on singles by LaRoche, Jason Bay and Paulino, and with one out Wilson doubled to left field to clear the bases.

Ankiel homered with David Eckstein on base in the third, but Paulino's big blast in the fourth extended Pittsburgh's lead. Bay walked before Steven Pearce doubled. Paulino then pounded his 10th homer of the year, a shot to center.

LaRoche homered off Brian Falkenborg with two down in the fifth, and Cesar Izturis singled in Pearce in the sixth for the final margin.

Game Notes

The start of the game was delayed nearly an hour due to rain...The Cardinals have still enjoyed much success over the Pirates, having gone 41-21 against them since the start of the 2004 season. That includes an 8-6 record this season...Ankiel has seven homers this year.

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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.