Betting Odds - Graffiti - Podcast

Thursday, June 14th (All times eastern)

(3-W) San Antonio Spurs (3-0) at (2-E) Cleveland Cavaliers (0-3), 9 p.m. The San Antonio Spurs attempt to sweep the Cleveland Cavaliers and capture their fourth title in nine years, as the teams battle tonight in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena.

San Antonio leads the best-of-seven series 3-0. If necessary, Game 5 is scheduled for Sunday at Quicken Loans Arena.

After winning Games 1 and 2 at the AT&T Center, the Spurs edged Cleveland in the third game of the set to take a commanding lead in the series. On Tuesday, superstar LeBron James missed a potential game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds, as the San Antonio defeated Cleveland, 75-72, at Quicken Loans Arena

There was drama in the final seconds of Game 3, as James made a layup with 6.3 seconds left to get the Cavaliers within 73-72, but Manu Ginobili drained two free throws with 5.5 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds pass, Bruce Bowen, San Antonio’s defensive stopper who had 13 points, got his hands on James, trying for the foul before a three-point try in the closing seconds. No foul was called and James’ shot caromed off the rim. Zydrunas Ilgauskas tried to keep the ball alive for the Cavs, but time expired.

Tony Parker finished with 17 points to lead the Spurs. while Tim Duncan, who was held scoreless in the middle two quarters, ended with 14 points and nine rebounds in the victory.

James had 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the loss. Drew Gooden contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out, and Sasha Pavlovic also had 13 points. Ilgauskas ended with 12 points and 18 boards.

On the injury front for Cleveland, guard Larry Hughes (partial tear in left plantar fascia) is questionable for tonight’s contest. Hughes is averaging 11.3 points in the playoffs.

The Cavaliers are the 12th team to lose the first three games of the NBA Finals. Seven of the previous 11 clubs who were down 3-0 ended up being swept in the series. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series.

Cleveland is 7-2 as the host in this year’s playoffs, while the Spurs, who are 1-2 all-time in Game 4s of the NBA Finals, are 6-2 on the road in the postseason.

The Spurs are 3-1 when they have a chance to knock out their opponent in the NBA Finals. Their one loss came against the Detroit Pistons at home in Game 6 of the 2005 finals.

The last time the Cavaliers were swept in the postseason was in 1996, when they were eliminated by the New York Knicks, 3-0, in the opening round of the playoffs.

San Antonio, which was seeded third in the Western Conference, is playing in the NBA Finals for the fourth time in franchise history and is a perfect 3-0 in this round. The Spurs defeated the Knicks in five in 1999, the New Jersey Nets in six in 2003 and the Pistons in seven in 2005.

Duncan, who is averaging 20.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the finals, was the NBA Finals MVP in all three of San Antonio’s championship victories.

If the Spurs defeat Cleveland, Parker is also a serious candidate for MVP of the finals. The All-Star point guard is averaging 24.7 points, 4.3 boards and 4.0 assists in the series.

The Spurs, who lost in seven to the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s semifinals, knocked out No. 6 Denver in five games in the opening round, survived a tough six-game series with the second-seeded Suns and crushed No. 4 Utah, 4-1, in the conference finals. San Antonio is in the postseason for the 10th straight year.

Cleveland, which lost in seven to Detroit in last year’s East semis, has reached the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. James has stepped up to the next level and has carried the Cavaliers, who were the second seed in the Eastern Conference, throughout the playoffs. They swept No. 7 Washington, 4-0, in the quarterfinals, beat New Jersey in six in the semis and surprised the top-seeded Pistons in six in the conference finals.

Thursday, June 14th (All times eastern)

SAN DIEGO PADRES (37-27) AT TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS (29-34), 12:10 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: San Diego - Justin Germano (4-0, 2.75) Tampa Bay - J.P. Howell (1-0, 4.85)

Right-handed surprise Justin Germano looks for a fifth straight win for the San Diego Padres today when they meet the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the final installment of a three-game interleague series at Tropicana Field.

Germano, who had entered the season with one major-league win in nine career appearances, won four consecutive starts between May 13 and June 2 before getting a no-decision in a June 8 start against Seattle.

In that outing, at Petco Park, Germano allowed eight hits and five runs in five innings.

In three starts away from home in 2007, he is 2-0 with a 2.00 earned run average in 18 innings.

Southpaw J.P. Howell makes his third start of the season for the Devil Rays.

A veteran of 23 big-league outings heading into 2007, Howell defeated the Kansas City Royals, 5-1, on June 3 after allowing five hits and a run in eight innings, striking out seven and walking none.

He got a no-decision on June 8 at Florida, allowing eight hits and six runs against the Marlins in Tampa Bay’s 14-8 loss.

Howell has never faced the Padres.

On Wednesday, Adrian Gonzalez hit a three-run homer and Khalil Greene ripped a three-run double as San Diego crushed Tampa Bay, 9-0. Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a two-run home run and Terrmel Sledge added a solo shot for the Padres, who put the brakes on a four-game skid.

All of the run support was more than enough for Padres ace Jake Peavy (8-1), who pitched seven shutout innings, striking out eight and walking three while giving up just two hits in the fifth inning.

Peavy improved to 5-0 in his last eight starts and hasn’t loss since April 30. The right-hander is also perfect on the road with a 4-0 record in six starts.

Tampa Bay’s struggling starter Edwin Jackson (0-8), meanwhile, surrendered homers to Gonzalez and Kouzmanoff in the first inning and left after recording just one out. Jackson has not recorded a win since the 2005 season with the Dodgers.

The Padres and Devil Rays last met in 2004, when Tampa Bay swept a three-game set in San Diego. The Padres, though, took two out of three in Tampa in 2002.

San Diego is 77-92 all-time in interleague play while Tampa Bay is 70-98.

LA ANGELS OF ANAHEIM (41-25) AT CINCINNATI REDS (26-40), 12:35 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: LA Angels - Bartolo Colon (5-2, 5.70) Cincinnati - Homer Bailey (1-0, 3.60)

Heralded prospect Homer Bailey makes his second big-league start today when the Cincinnati Reds host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the finale of a three-game interleague series at Great American Ballpark.

Bailey, a 21-year-old who was the seventh overall pick in the 2004 draft, won his debut after throwing five innings of five-hit, two-run ball in a 4-3 defeat of Cleveland on June 8. Bailey walked four and struck out three in the victory.

He faces Angels veteran Bartolo Colon, who had won five straight decisions before picking up a pair of losses and a no-decision in his last three outings.

Against St. Louis on June 8, Colon allowed seven hits and four runs over just four innings. Previously, he’d been tagged for 21 hits and 14 earned runs over 10 2/3 innings in losses to Detroit and Seattle.

In two career starts against the Reds, the 34-year-old Dominican is 2-0 with a 0.69 earned run average after allowing nine hits and a run in 13 innings.

On Wednesday, John Lackey became the first pitcher this season to reach 10 wins after tossing six quality innings, as the Angels downed the Reds, 6-3.

Vladimir Guerrero did the heavy lifting offensively, knocking in four runs, and Orlando Cabrera scored three times for the Angels, who had lost two straight coming in.

Lackey (10-4) allowed three runs — one earned — on four hits with four strikeouts and a walk. Scot Shields and Francisco Rodriguez combined to twirl three innings of one-hit ball from there, with Rodriguez picking up his 20th save of the season.

Kyle Lohse (3-8) took the loss after yielding four runs over seven innings for Cincinnati, which had a modest two-game winning streak halted. Scott Hatteberg homered in defeat.

The Angels and the Reds last met in 2002, with LA winning two of three at home.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (37-332) AT NEW YORK YANKEES (32-31), 1:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Arizona - Doug Davis (4-7, 3.48) New York - Andy Pettitte (3-4, 3.11)

The New York Yankees try to extend their season-high winning streak to nine games this afternoon, when they try and complete a three-game sweep against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Yankee Stadium.

In the second game of this set on Wednesday, the Yankees got back above .500 behind Mike Mussina’s longest outing of the season and Alex Rodriguez’s league-leading 25th home run, pounding Arizona, 7-2.

The streaking Yankees won for the ninth time in their last 10 games and moved above the treading water mark for the first time since sitting at 8-7 on April 20, a long road that has substantially trimmed their deficit in the American League East to 8 1/2 games behind first-place Boston.

Mussina (3-3) mixed a cut fastball and sweeping curve with pinpoint control, giving up two runs on six hits without a walk and seven strikeouts over 7 2/3 frames. He threw 74 of his 101 pitches for strikes.

His veteran counterpart Livan Hernandez (5-4) wasn’t as successful, surrendering seven runs on nine hits with five walks and one strikeout in four innings. The right-hander’s earned run average rose from 3.66 to 4.20.

Orlando Hudson had two hits and Conor Jackson hit his fifth home run of the season for the up-and-down Diamondbacks, losers in five of six.

Bobby Abreu extended his hitting streak to 12 games, while scoring two more runs. The right fielder has crossed the plate 17 times during the 12-game streak.

Getting the call for the Yankees today will be left-hander Andy Pettitte, who has just one win in his last five starts. Pettitte, who for the most part, has been plagued by little run support and a shaky bullpen, picked up a no- decision against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, as he allowed four runs and nine hits in eight innings of his team’s 5-4 win.

Pettitte, who is 3-4 this season with a 3.11 earned run average, has faced the Diamondbacks six times (five starts) and is just 1-5 against them with a 5.01 ERA.

Arizona will counter with Doug Davis, who is 4-7 with a 3.48 ERA. Davis fell for the fifth time in his last seven decisions on Friday against Boston after he surrendered five runs and six hits in four innings to drop to 4-7 on the year, while raising his ERA to 3.48.

Davis is 3-1 lifetime against the Yankees, despite a lofty 6.08 ERA.

Arizona topped the Yankees in seven games in the thrilling 2001 World Series. New York, though, has exacted a measure of revenge, winning six of the eight regular season matchups since, including four of the last five in the Bronx.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS (35-30) AT DETROIT TIGERS (37-27), 1:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Milwaukee - Ben Sheets (6-3, 3.21) Detroit - Chad Durbin (5-2, 4.59)

Milwaukee starter Ben Sheets will try to extend his career- high 18-inning scoreless streak this afternoon when the Brewers close out their three-game series with the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.

Sheets, who has turned in eight straight quality starts, threw six shutout frames in a win over Florida on June 3 before blanking Texas over seven innings on Saturday. Sheets hasn’t allowed a run since three first-inning runs against the Braves on May 29. He threw five shutout innings after that versus Atlanta.

The right-hander scattered five hits and two walks with six strikeouts against the Rangers, and is 6-3 on the season with a 3.21 earned run average. Sheets needs just four strikeouts to reach 1,000 in his career.

Sheets’ only other career start against Detroit came back on June 9, 2001 with the righty getting a no-decision after allowing three runs and seven hits over seven frames.

The Brewers were no-hit by Justin Verlander and the Tigers in the series opener on Tuesday, but wasted little time getting into the hit column yesterday en route to a 3-2 victory. J.J. Hardy, the second batter of the game, singled to center field.

The big blow, however, came from Bill Hall, who walked three times on Tuesday against Verlander. Hall blasted the go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning to life Milwaukee to 2-3 on their current nine-game interleague road trip.

Hall had three hits and scored twice, as the NL Central-leading Brewers won for the second time in three contests. Chris Spurling (1-0) recorded two outs to end the seventh inning to get the win and Francisco Cordero tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his major league-leading 23rd save.

Chris Capuano was supposed to start for the Brewers, but he was scratched just before the first pitch due to a strained left groin. Carlos Villanueva started in Capuano’s place and allowed five hits and a run before being lifted after five innings.

Curtis Granderson had two hits, including a run-scoring single, to extend his hitting streak to 13 games for the Tigers, who had a three-game winning streak broken. Fernando Rodney (1-5) gave up Hall’s long ball to take the loss, as the Tigers dropped a game behind Cleveland for the lead in the AL Central.

Starter Mike Maroth scattered nine hits and allowed one run while walking four and striking out two over seven innings for Detroit, which allowed 11 hits, a night after Verlander dominated the Brewers in a 4-0 triumph.

Chad Durbin is set to make his first career start against Milwaukee tonight for the Tigers. Durbin was 5-0 over his previous eight starts before taking the loss against the Mets on Friday. The righty allowed just three runs on six hits over eight frames of the 3-0 loss.

Durbin is 5-2 on the year with a 4.59 ERA.

Detroit and Milwaukee met for the first time since 2001 last year, with the Tigers winning two of three at Miller Park. The Brewers are 67-80 all-time in interleague play, while the Tigers are 92-91.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS (35-29) AT HOUSTON ASTROS (27-38), 2:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Oakland - Chad Gaudin (6-1, 2.43) Houston - Jason Jennings (0-1, 2.70)

Chad Gaudin tries to win his sixth straight decision this afternoon when the Oakland Athletics conclude their three-game series with the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

Gaudin has been a pleasant surprise for the A’s this season, going 6-1 with a respectable 2.43 earned run average. Gaudin, though, did not pick up a decision in his last start on Friday against the San Francisco Giants, despite giving up just two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings.

The 24-year-old right-hander, who has never faced the Astros, has surrendered just six runs over his last five starts, spanning 31 2/3 innings.

Houston will counter with right-hander Jason Jennings, who is still looking for his first win as a member of the Astros. Jennings, who missed nearly two months with elbow tendinitis, received a no-decision in his most recent start on Saturday against the Chicago White Sox, as he allowed a run and six hits in seven innings of his team’s 3-2 win.

Acquired this winter from the Colorado Rockies to help offset the losses of Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens, Jennings is 0-1 on the year with a 2.70 earned run average in five starts.

Jennings defeated the A’s in his only other start against them, giving up just one hit over seven scoreless innings while with the Rockies last season.

In the second game of this set on Wednesday, Mark Ellis’ two-run double highlighted a five-run eighth inning, as Oakland rallied to a 7-3 win. Eric Chavez and Jason Kendall homered for the A’s, who have won nine of 11.

Joe Blanton (6-4) threw seven solid innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, while walking one and striking out three.

Hunter Pence, Carlos Lee and Mark Loretta all had two hits for the Astros, who have lost three of four.

Chris Sampson pitched well, yielding just two runs on three hits, while walking none and striking out two. Dan Wheeler (0-4) suffered the loss after allowing four runs in the eighth.

These clubs have only faced one another one time previously, with the A’s sweeping a three-game set from Houston in Oakland in June, 2002.

The A’s are 6-2 against the National League so far this season and own one of the best all-time marks in interleague competition at 109-74. The Astros are 82-75 overall versus the AL, including a 4-4 mark this year.

SEATTLE MARINERS (35-27) AT CHICAGO CUBS (29-35), 2:20 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Seattle - Jeff Weaver (0-6, 12.46) Chicago - Jason Marquis (5-3, 3.01)

The Seattle Mariners had their season-high five-game winning streak halted in last night’s loss and will try to get back on track when they close out a three-game interleague series this afternoon against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Seattle posted its fifth straight win with a 5-3 win in 13 innings in the series opener on Tuesday, but saw the streak come to an end with Wednesday’s 3-2 setback in the second test. Richie Sexson homered for Seattle, which lost for only the second time in 11 outings.

Mariners starter Miguel Batista suffered the loss, allowing three runs — one earned — on nine hits in seven innings. He struck out three and walked five, suffering his first setback in five decisions.

Seattle, which is four games behind the LA Angels of Anaheim for the top spot in the American League West division, will send Jeff Weaver to the mound in Thursday’s series finale. Weaver is expected to be healthy enough to pitch deep into today’s game, but left his last outing after four innings due to stiffness in his lower back.

Weaver, who is 0-6 with a 12.46 earned run average in seven starts this season, exited his last start on June 9 against San Diego because of the problem. He lasted four innings and allowed two runs before the Mariners squeaked out a 6-5 triumph.

The right-hander was activated off his first career stint on the disabled list prior to last Saturday’s start because of shoulder tendinitis.

In six career appearances (4 starts) against the Cubs, Weaver is 2-0 with a 4.34 earned run average.

Jason Marquis gets the call for the Cubs this afternoon and is 5-3 with a 3.01 ERA in 13 starts this season.

Marquis, though, is just 0-2 in his last six trips to the mound following a personal five-game winning streak. In his previous outing on June 6 against Atlanta, he was dealt the loss after giving up six runs — two earned — in a season-low 1 2/3 innings of a 9-5 loss.

The right-hander will face Seattle for the second time in his career today. In his only appearance against the Mariners on July 3, 2004 while with St. Louis, Marquis earned the win with six strong innings of one-run ball with six K’s and a walk during an 8-1 Cardinals victory.

In last night’s win for the Cubs, Sean Marshall tossed eight strong innings and Mike Fontenot’s two-run single in the fifth inning put Chicago ahead for good. Marshall allowed two runs on seven hits with one strikeout and no walks for his third straight win.

Fontenot ended 2-for-4 and Derrek Lee went 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Cubs, who won for the second time in five games. Koyie Hill also had two hits and Cliff Floyd drove in a run for Chicago.

The Cubs and Mariners met at Safeco Field during the 2002 campaign, with Chicago taking two of the three encounters. Seattle is a strong 103-81 all- time in interleague play, while the Cubs are 73-77 overall when facing the American League.

CLEVELAND INDIANS (38-26) AT FLORIDA MARLINS (32-34), 7:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Cleveland - Jason Stanford (0-0, 0.00) Florida - Dontrelle Willis (7-5, 4.74)

The Cleveland Indians have sole possession of first place in the AL Central again and will try for two straight wins this evening, when they wrap up a three-game interleague series with the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium.

Cleveland entered Wednesday’s game riding a three-game losing streak and tied with the Detroit Tigers atop the AL Central. The Indians, though, ended the skid with a 7-3 victory and now own a one-game lead in the standings after the Tigers dropped a 3-2 decision to the Milwaukee Brewers.

David Dellucci belted a three-run homer during a six-run sixth inning and Victor Martinez added two hits and an RBI for the Indians, who won for only the fourth time in 11 outings. Casey Blake extended his career-high hitting streak to a current major-league best 22 games as Cleveland rebounded from Tuesday’s 3-0 loss to beat the Marlins for only the second time in seven interleague meetings.

Indians starter Cliff Lee got the win, his first in five starts, and gave up three runs on six hits in five innings. The left-hander struck out six batters and walked four for his first win since May 18.

Jason Stanford will make his 2007 debut for the Indians tonight. Stanford, who went 0-1 with a 0.82 ERA in two starts last year, was called up from Triple-A Buffalo, where he recorded a 4-1 record with a 3.41 earned run average in 12 games (11 starts) this season.

The left-hander, who is taking the place of Jeremy Sowers, is 1-4 with a 3.10 earned run average in 15 career games (10 starts) in his major league career with the Indians. Sowers was optioned to the Bisons earlier this week.

Dontrelle Willis will try to get back on the winning track when he toes the rubber for the Marlins tonight.

Willis, who is 7-5 with a 4.74 ERA in 14 starts this season, has dropped back- to-back outings and is 2-4 over his previous eight trips to the mound with a 4.29 earned run average. The left-hander last took the hill on June 9 against Tampa Bay, yielding four runs and eight hits over seven innings in a 7-2 loss to the Devil Rays.

The Oakland native took on Cleveland once in his career on June 8, 2004 and did not factor in the decision. Willis was reached for three runs, one of which was earned, and eight hits through five innings of a 7-5 Florida win.

Florida lost for the third time in four tries on Wednesday night, but is five games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets. Hanley Ramirez had two hits and a pair of RBI with a run scored for the Marlins, who lost two players and manager Fredi Gonzalez to ejections in the decisive sixth inning. Reliever Taylor Tankersley, first baseman Aaron Boone and Gonzalez were all tossed after tempers flared in the sixth.

Byung-Hyun Kim was saddled with the loss, permitting four runs — one earned — and four hits through 5 2/3 innings. Kim started the melee after hitting Victor Martinez in the third inning and Miguel Cabrera was beaned by Lee in the fifth before the sixth-inning fracas ensued.

Cleveland and Florida are meeting for the first time since the Marlins took two of three game against the Tribe at Jacobs Field in 2004. Florida, which is 101-75 in interleague play, also won three straight against the Indians at home in 2002. Cleveland is 97-86 all-time against the Senior Circuit.

In 1997, the Marlins won their first of two World Series titles by defeating the Indians in seven games.

COLORADO ROCKIES (32-33) AT BOSTON RED SOX (41-23), 7:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Colorado - Jeff Francis (5-5, 3.81) Boston - Josh Beckett (9-0, 2.88)

Boston starting pitcher Josh Beckett will try to become the second 10-game winner in the major leagues this season when he leads the Red Sox in the finale of a three-game interleague series tonight against the Colorado Rockies at Fenway Park.

LA Angels of Anaheim starter John Lackey was the first to reach the mark last night in a win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Beckett currently owns an unblemished record of 9-0 with a 2.88 earned run average in 11 starts this season. He is 2-0 over his last four outings and defeated Arizona his last time out on June 8, allowing three runs — two earned — and five hits in eight innings of a 10-3 victory.

The right-hander, who is 5-0 in seven starts at Fenway Park this season, owns a perfect 4-0 record with a 2.81 earned run average in five career starts against Colorado.

The American League East-leading Red Sox will need Beckett’s best stuff since they have dropped two of three and six of the last 10 games, including Wednesday’s 12-2 loss in the second test of this series in Beantown.

Mike Lowell homered, while Kevin Youkilis had a pair of hits and Manny Ramirez added an RBI as the Red Sox saw their lead in the division trimmed to 8 1/2 games over the rival New York Yankees. Red Sox starting pitcher Curt Schilling was handed the loss after giving up nine hits and six runs — five earned — over five innings of work. He was coming off a one-hitter against Oakland.

Colorado will hand the ball to Jeff Francis this evening. Francis is 5-5 with a 3.81 ERA in 13 starts this season and had a string of four straight winning decisions come to an end his last time out. Francis, however, is 4-1 with a 2.12 ERA over his last seven starts.

Francis suffered the loss last Friday against Baltimore, yielding four runs and seven hits over seven innings of a 4-2 setback at Camden Yards.

The left-hander, who toted a 1.63 earned run average in six starts before losing to the Orioles, will face Boston for the first time in his career.

In Wednesday’s 10-run blowout of the BoSox, Todd Helton drove in four runs and Brad Hawpe was 2-for-5 with a three-run homer for the Rockies, who have won three of four. Kaz Matsui, Matt Holliday and Garrett Atkins also drove in runs, while Troy Tulowitzki was 2-for-3 with three runs scored in the win

Josh Fogg started for the Rockies and allowed seven hits and two runs over five innings, fanning four and walking one for the victory.

Boston and Colorado are meeting for the first time since the Rockies won two of three matchups at Coors Field during the 2004 season. The Red Sox are 98-85 in interleague play, while Colorado is 70-83 against the American League.

TEXAS RANGERS (23-42) AT PITTSBURGH PIRATES (28-37), 7:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Texas - Brandon McCarthy (4-4, 5.90) Pittsburgh - Tom Gorzelanny (6-3, 2.76)

The Pittsburgh Pirates will shoot for their first series sweep since late April tonight when they conclude their three-game set with the Texas Rangers at PNC Park.

The Pirates haven’t swept an opponent since besting Houston in three straight games from April 24-26. A win tonight would also be the Pirates’ first sweep of the Rangers in franchise history in what is just the third ever series between the two clubs.

Pittsburgh would love to return the favor to Texas, which swept the club in three games in both 2002 and 2004.

Taking the mound for the Pirates will be Tom Gorzelanny, who pitched to a 1.83 earned run average in May, but has yet to earn a decision in either of his two June starts. He allowed three runs against the Dodgers on June 3 and then didn’t factor into the decision on Friday against the Mets.

At New York, the left-hander, who has never faced the Rangers in his career, yielded four runs on six hits and three walks with five strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.

Brandon McCarthy was slated to start tonight’s game for Texas, but the right- hander is now expected to land on the disabled list today due to a blister on his right finger that he opened up during a throwing session on Tuesday.

Instead, the Rangers will recall Kameron Loe from Triple-A Oklahoma to replace McCarthy. Loe was just optioned to Oklahoma on Saturday after getting pounded for nine runs on nine hits in just 2 2/3 innings of a 11-4 setback to Detroit last Thursday.

The right-hander is only 1-6 on the year with a 7.40 ERA. He has lost his last six decisions and hasn’t posted a win since April 21 against Oakland. Loe has never faced the Pirates before.

The Pirates were clicking on all cylinders in Wednesday’s win over the Rangers. Jose Bautista went 3-for-4, drove in three runs and came up a home run short of hitting for the cycle, while Ian Snell pitched his first career complete game in the 8-1 win.

Snell (6-4) yielded one unearned run on seven hits while walking two and fanning seven for the Pirates, who have won two in a row since being swept by the Yankees over the weekend.

Jose Castillo had two hits and an RBI, Freddy Sanchez knocked in two runs and Chris Duffy donated a pair of hits and an RBI for the Pirates, who are beating up on the Rangers despite having entered the series having lost nine of 12.

Kenny Lofton and Frank Catalanotto had two hits apiece for the Rangers, who have lost five of seven and are a major league-worst 23-42 on the year. Texas starter Robinson Tejeda (5-7) went just four innings, allowing four runs — three earned — on seven hits, while walking three and striking out two.

The Rangers are 86-98 all-time in interleague play while the Pirates are 54-87.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS (28-37) AT BALTIMORE ORIOLES (29-36), 7:05 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Washington - Jason Simontacchi (3-4, 5.44) Baltimore - Jeremy Guthrie (3-1, 2.70)

Former first-round draft pick Jeremy Guthrie looks for another quality outing against the Washington Nationals when the Baltimore Orioles host them in the finale of a three-game interleague series at Camden Yards.

Guthrie, chosen by the Cleveland Indians in 2002, allowed four hits and a run in seven innings against the Nationals on May 19, getting a no-decision in Baltimore’s 3-2 win at RFK Stadium.

The 6-foot-1 right-hander is 1-0 with three no-decisions since, allowing 19 hits and eight earned runs in 30 innings.

He is 1-1 in five home outings — four starts — this season with a 2.48 earned run average.

Journeyman right-hander Jason Simontacchi looks for a second straight win on the heels of a two-start losing streak for the Nationals.

He defeated Minnesota, 8-5, in his last start on June 8, giving up six hits and four runs over 7 2/3 innings.

The former Kansas City Royals draft pick, who entered the season with 20 career wins in 83 outings, dropped a 5-4 decision to Baltimore on May 18 at RFK Stadium.

In that loss, he allowed eight hits and three runs in six innings.

On Wednesday, Felipe Lopez hit a bases-loaded triple in the 11th inning, lifting the Nationals past the Orioles, 9-6.

Austin Kearns went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Ryan Langerhans homered for Washington, which has won four of its last five. Billy Traber (2-0) worked a perfect 10th to pick up the win.

Chris Ray (3-5) was charged with all three deciding runs for the Orioles, who have dropped four in a row. Jay Payton had three RBI in a losing effort, while Melvin Mora belted a home run.

The Nationals and Orioles met in May for three games in Washington with Baltimore winning two of three. The clubs split six games last year.

ATLANTA BRAVES (35-31) AT MINNESOTA TWINS (32-31), 8:10 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: Atlanta - Tim Hudson (6-4, 3.51) Minnesota - Johan Santana (6-6, 3.24)

A terrific pitching matchup is on tap this evening at the Metrodome, as Johan Santana and the Minnesota Twins wrap up their three-game interleague set with Tim Hudson and the Atlanta Braves.

Santana enters this contest riding a personal two-game losing streak and has dropped four of his last six starts. The latest setback for the AL’s reigning Cy Young award winner came on Saturday against the hapless Washington Nationals, as he surrendered three runs (two earned) on seven hits in seven frames to fall to 6-6 on the season with a 3.24 earned run average.

The 28-year-old left-hander lost his only other start to the Braves and in that outing, he gave up a pair of runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Hudson, meanwhile, also enters tonight’s finale on a down note after allowing 11 runs in his last two starts, spanning eight innings. Hudson, who is 6-4 with a 3.51 ERA on the season, picked up a no-decision in his last start on Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, but was bailed out by his team’s offense in that one. He was hammered for five runs and five hits in just two innings.

The 31-year-old righty spent the majority of his nine-year career in the AL with the Oakland Athletics and has faced the Twins 12 times, going 6-2 with a 2.30 ERA against them.

In the second game of this set on Wednesday, Carlos Silva hurled an eight-hit shutout as Minnesota bested Atlanta, 6-0. Torii Hunter was 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI for the Twins, winners of three straight games.

Silva (4-7) needed 108 pitches to record his second career shutout and first complete game of the season. After a Kelly Johnson single in the third, he retired 11 in a row and 12 of the next 13 batters.

Michael Cuddyer was 3-for-4 and scored twice, while Justin Morneau added a two-run blast, his 18th of the season, and Lew Ford hit his first of the year.

Chuck James (5-6) was rocked for nine hits and six runs over 4 1/3 innings, allowing three home runs in the loss.

Chipper Jones finished 3-for-4 for the Braves, who have dropped two in a row and four of six. Johnson added a pair of singles.

Of course these teams met in the thrilling 1991 World Series, which was won by Minnesota in seven games. The Braves, though, took two of three from them in the only other regular season meeting between the teams back in 2002.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (28-34) AT KANSAS CITY ROYALS (25-41), 8:10 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: St. Louis - Kip Wells (2-10, 6.33) Kansas City - Scott Elarton (2-2, 7.34)

Starter Kip Wells will try to stay out of the loss column — something he has had trouble doing this year — tonight when his St. Louis Cardinals wrap their three-game in-state set with the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

Wells led the majors in losses in 2005 with 18 while with the Pirates, and is doing so again this year with a 2-10 mark to go along with a 6.33 earned run average. Wells lost seven straight decisions at one point this year before snapping that skid with a win on May 23 against Pittsburgh. However, he then dropped consecutive starts and earned a no-decision last time out.

On Friday against the Angels, Wells allowed three runs on seven hits and five walks with six strikeouts over five innings of his team’s 10-6 loss. The right-hander has faced the Royals six times in his career, five times as a starter, and is 3-2 against them with a high 8.75 ERA.

Scott Elarton will toe the rubber for the Royals tonight and the right-hander snapped a three-start winless drought (0-2) last time out. Against the Phillies on Friday, Elarton gave up four runs on six hits over five innings, but saw his team cruise to an 8-4 victory.

Elarton is 2-2 on the year with a 7.34 ERA, and is 4-3 with a 4.30 ERA in 14 games (six starts) lifetime against St. Louis.

Kansas City took the opener of this set before St. Louis rebounded on Wednesday. Adam Wainwright flirted with a no-hitter in the 7-3 win, shutting down the Royals until Esteban German’s two-out single in the sixth inning.

Wainwright (5-5) regrouped and picked up the victory with a career-high eight innings of one-hit shutout ball with three strikeouts and two walks. Albert Pujols went 2-for-4 with three RBI, and Juan Encarnacion added two hits and a pair of RBI to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.

David Eckstein, though, left the game early due to a lower back injury for the Cardinals, who have won two of three and are 5 1/2 games behind first-place Milwaukee in the NL Central.

Odalis Perez (3-7) was roughed up to the tune of seven runs — six earned — on 10 hits with a pair of walks in just three-plus innings. His replacement Brandon Duckworth threw just two pitches before leaving tightness in his left rib cage.

Alex Gordon hit a three-run ninth-inning home run for the Royals, who had a two-game winning streak halted. Royals star slugger Mike Sweeney left with lower back tightness and is doubtful for tonight.

The Cardinals took four of six meetings from the Royals last year in this I-70 Series and swept a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium. St. Louis has taken 12 of the last 16 encounters between the teams and has gone 11-2 in Kansas City over that span.

NEW YORK METS (36-27) AT LOS ANGELES DODGERS (37-28), 10:10 P.M.

Probable Starting Pitchers: New York - Jorge Sosa (6-1, 2.64) Los Angeles - Brad Penny (7-1, 2.26)

The Dodgers will try to sweep the New York Mets in Los Angeles for the first time in over 10 years tonight, when the two clubs wrap their three-game series at Dodger Stadium.

The last time Los Angeles swept New York at home was a three-game set from August 23-25, 1996. The Dodgers swept the Mets at Shea Stadium in 2002.

After taking this series opener on Monday, the Dodgers used three consecutive home runs in the second inning en route to a 4-1 victory last night. Wilson Betemit, Matt Kemp, and pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo all went deep on three straight pitches.

Kuo (1-1) also allowed a run on five hits over seven innings on the mound. Kemp finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored as the Dodgers moved to within just a couple percentage points of first-place San Diego in the National League West standings.

The win improved the Dodgers to 3-2 on a nine-game homestand that will next see the LA Angels of Anaheim come to town.

John Maine (6-4) allowed seven hits, four runs, walked two and fanned two in 5 1/3 innings for New York, which has dropped four straight games and eight of its last nine. Their lead in the NL East has slimmed to just two games over second-place Atlanta and three over third-place Philadelphia.

Carlos Delgado knocked in the lone New York run while David Wright went 2- for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 14 games for the Mets, who managed just five hits in the contest and are just 1-4 on their current nine-game road trip. The club next has to travel to the Bronx for a three-game set against the red-hot Yankees.

Brad Penny will start for the Dodgers and has had little success against the Mets in his career. The right-hander is only 3-10 with a 6.16 earned run average in 16 career starts against New York. He made one start versus the Mets last year and was hammered for seven runs in just 5 2/3 innings of a loss.

Penny, though, is undefeated over his last four starts this year. He won two outings in a row to close out May before posting no decisions in each of his last two starts. He last faced Toronto on Friday and didn’t factor into the decision despite allowing only one run on five hits while striking out seven over 7 2/3 innings.

The right-hander is 7-1 on the year with the NL’s second best ERA at 2.26.

Jorge Sosa will try to extend his personal three-start winning streak for the Mets tonight. Sosa is coming off his best outing of the year Friday against Detroit, as he threw eight shutout innings, scattering four hits and two walks while striking out five, to improve to 6-1 with a 2.64 ERA on the year.

Sosa has limited opponents to two runs or fewer in six of his seven starts this year. The right-hander has faced the Dodgers five times in his career, once as a starter, and has a 3.48 ERA against them without a decision.

The righty’s lone start versus the Dodgers came with the Braves in May of 2006 and he allowed three runs on seven hits over seven frames.

New York is facing the Dodgers for the first time since sweeping the best-of- five NLDS last October. The Mets also held a 4-3 edge in their season series with LA last year and won two of three at Dodger Stadium.

NBA 06/14/2007 9:05 PM EDT 707 san antonio spurs -3 -3 / -3 -05 -3 708 cleveland cavaliers 176 176 176.5 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP - Game #4; (ABC); San Antonio leads 3-0; NO SERIES PRICE; CLE (G) Hughes Doubtful

KEY MOVES BY BETTING PUBLIC TODAY!

Time of Play Game Date Game # Team Line 10:00:36am 2007-06-14 905 ARI +220 8:25:29am 2007-06-14 913 CLE +130 8:25:01am 2007-06-14 904 CIN +125 8:03:17am 2007-06-14 911 SEA +135 7:59:15am 2007-06-14 917 TEX +175 7:47:47am 2007-06-14 918 PIT -180 7:41:06am 2007-06-14 912 CUB Over 10-120

~ One Crush Shot release on Wed night following the betting syndicate that is ON FIRE in MLB on the Indians/Lee-133 Final 7-3 Winner vs the Marlins and BH Kim! ~ 10 of the last 13 days in the MONEY!

~ UP +89 Units of profit & 106-33 in the last 57 DAYS!

~ 106-33 in the last 139 Crush Shot Releases

~ Dime Players up 155K and we are only in the second week of JUNE!

~ 19-5 Double Crush Shot & 4-0 Triple Crush Shot Winners in 2007

~ Call our VIP Late Steam Informational Hot-Line on a recorded message at: 1-515-489-4077 from Noon - 6:00p.m.est M-F & from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00p.m. Sat & Sun

~ Call 702-990-0126 for more information on becoming a VIP Partner and get all our our Crush Shots for TONIGHTS NBA & MLB action on our VIP Late Steam Hotline!

~ WARNING ~ Our discount trail price for 1K will end on SUNDAY!

~ Look the PUBLIC IS GETTING KILLED right now in MLB. John Q Pubic you are getting HAMMERED when the first 6 weeks of the season it was so easy playing all those chalk plays and they were all winning. Now you’ve given it all back and you are to the point you are in a panic and pressing or playing smaller and holding your breath. Example: You had Cleveland or the Angles on Tues night and went down in flames and then you didn’t play them last night when they won! And on and on. That’s why we DON’T HANDICAPP GAMES. Look at the KEY MOVES by the betting public that we will publish from time to time as we did here on Graffiti Wall last night. THEY ALL LOST!

~ Call 1-515-489-4077 for more information about how we do it differently and become a VIP partner and WIN the BIG MONEY CONSISTENTLY!

~ VIP Partners UP +155 UNITS for 2007 ~ 35 of last 47 winning days in the money!

~ 80 of the last 102 days all on the PLUS side $$$ Money

~ 248-108-4 big plus $$$ide money in 360 Releases this year + 19-5 Double Crush Shot & 4-0 Triple Crush Shot Winners in 2007

MLB 06/14/2007 12:10 PM EDT 901 los angeles angels (r) germano, j -110 -107/-108/-104/-106 902 cincinnati reds (l) howell, j p 9o15

TAKE THE BET33.COM “EARLY BIRD FOOTBALL CHALLENGE” AND BET GAME 4 OF THE NBA PLAYOFFS & MLB WITH YOUR FREE $50 TONIGHT!

12:35 PM EDT 903 san diego padres (r) colon, b -135 / -129 / -130 -132 904 tampa bay devil rays(r) bailey, h 9o25 / 9.5u20 / 9o25 9o30

1:05 PM EDT 905 arizona diamondbacks(l) davis, d 9.5 9.5 906 new york yankees (l) pettitte, a -260 -250

1:05 PM EDT 907 milwaukee brewers (r) sheets, b 9u15 9u15 908 detroit tigers (r) durbin, c -115 -120/-115/-105/-106

2:05 PM EDT 909 oakland athletics (r) gaudin, c 8u20 8u15 910 houston astros (r) jennings, j -120/-110/-108/-107/-106

2:20 PM EDT 911 seattle mariners (r) weaver, jf 912 chicago cubs (r) marquis, j -160 -150 WGN

7:05 PM EDT 913 cleveland indians undecided 914 florida marlins (l) willis, d

7:05 PM EDT 915 colorado rockies (l) francis, j 9u20 / 9u15 9u20 916 boston red sox (r) beckett, j -200 -200

7:05 PM EDT 917 texas rangers (r) loe, k 9u20 8.5o20 918 pittsburgh pirates (l) gorzelanny, t -160 -160 Please note change of Probable for Texas:; (R) Loe, K for (R) McCarthy, B

7:05 PM EDT 919 washington nationals(r) simontacchi, j 9u15 / 9 9u20 920 baltimore orioles (r) guthrie, j -210 / -195 -189

8:10 PM EDT 921 st. louis cardinals (r) wells, k -115/-112/-109/-111 922 kansas city royals (r) elarton, s 10.5o20 10.5o20

8:10 PM EDT 923 atlanta braves (r) hudson, t 7.5u15 7.5u15 924 minnesota twins (l) santana, j -175 / -170 -175

SAMPLE EARLY LINES AT BET33.COM PUBLISHED LATER TODAY

NASCAR

Nextel Cup

Citizens Bank 400 - Michigan International Speedway - Brooklyn, MI Sometimes, its just “your” year. For Jeff Gordon, 2007 seems as if everything is working out perfectly.

Gordon leads the Nextel Cup points standings by a whopping 242 points over Matt Kenseth and 247 over Denny Hamlin. But it’s the way he has gotten there that indicates it a “special” year.

Not only has the No.24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet been good, but they have gotten every break in the books.

Two examples of their “racing luck” were at Darlington and last week in Pocono.

Jeff Gordon Jeff Gordon already owns four wins. At Darlington, Gordon was running well, but with 35 laps to go his engine was blowing so much steam that he seemed destined to have an engine failure before the checkered flag. Somehow he didn’t and he beat teammate Jimmie Johnson to the finish.

“I thought there is no way we’re going to make it,” said Gordon afterwards. “I’ve never seen gauges look like that and the engine make it to the end, that’s a testament to Hendrick Motorsports and their engine department.”

Last Sunday, Gordon and crew chief Steve Letarte made the right move at the right time. They stayed on the track out when everyone else pitted on lap 66. They pitted out of sequence on lap 83 and had enough fuel to go until lap 114 before they would need to pit again. The rains came on lap 105 and Gordon was a winner for the 79th time in his career.

Things are going so well for Gordon, I expect the birth of his first child, due around the time of the road-course event at Infineon, will be perfectly timed so that he will be able to race on the weekend.

“I have never appreciated things in life and my good fortune more than I am right now,” Gordon said. “When you have that chemistry and positive energy surrounding you, I think good things happen. I don’t think things happen because you’re lucky. You put yourself in position to make things happen.”

Even if Gordon misses one race when Ingrid gives birth, the four-time Nextel Cup champion will still be in control. He already owns four wins putting him in a tie with Johnson when the “Chase” gets underway. And with a 242-point lead he can miss a race and still come back as the points leader (maximum points earned in one race is 195).

With 14 races completed and 12 to go until the “Chase” begins, the race for the final spots in the playoffs couldn’t be much closer.

Mark Martin currently holds down the 12th and final position, but he has consistently said he will not change his part-time schedule to make the “Chase.” That makes Ryan Newman the “de facto” holder of the final spot.

Newman has been on a roll of late, winning three consecutive poles and finishing second at both Dover and Pocono. He is 685 points behind Gordon.

Behind Newman is Dale Earnhardt Jr. (-33) and Jamie McMurray (-77).

Drivers holding the ninth through 11 positions are also not a “lock” and will be points racing over these final dozen races. Kevin Harvick in ninth, is just 117 points ahead of “Junior.” Kyle Busch and the suddenly formidable Martin Truex Jr. have even less of a hold on their “Chase” positions.

So the race for the “Chase” should be great summer fare. It starts this weekend on the high-speed two-mile Michigan International Speedway.

Don’t miss it or you’ll be sorry you did.

Busch

Meijer 300 - Kentucky Speedway - Sparta, KY

How do you build a 662-point lead in just 15 events? Ask Carl Edwards.

The driver of the No.60 Roush Fenway Ford has done it by winning four times and finishing in the top-five an incredible 11 times. It also helps that second-place Kevin Harvick, the defending series champion, has missed three races.

Harvick has competed well in the events he has run, winning once and collecting 10 top-10s, but he has not been the force he was in 2006.

Carl Edwards Carl Edwards has finished in the top-five an incredible 11 times. Behind Edwards and Harvick are full-timers, Dave Blaney, David Reutimann and Regan Smith. But none of them has a win and Smith has the most top-10s of the trio with just five.

Last year’s race in Kentucky saw the arrival of David Gilliland. His win over J.J. Yeley “announced” his arrival and directly led to his getting a full-time Nextel Cup ride with Robert Yates Racing.

Driving an un-sponsored car, Gilliland was fourth with 40 laps remaining. But Yeley was running away and hiding and his lead was 4.783 second with 29 laps to go. Two laps later it was more than five seconds and only the appearance of a caution flag could halt his march towards Victory Lane.

Meanwhile, Gilliland slipped past Denny Hamlin and Mike Wallace and the youngster found himself just one car away from his first Busch Series win. He was putting down the fastest times and slowly cutting into Yeley’s huge five- second margin.

Sixteen laps remaining and the worst news Yeley could hear, a caution flag, came out.

Yeley, Gilliland and the remainder of the top-five stayed out and it was a horse race again. Gilliland made his move underneath Yeley with 10 laps to go, running his fastest lap of the race. Shortly after he completed the pass, a final caution flag left him with just six laps to hold the lead for his first win.

Yeley was faster through turns one and two, but Gilliland was quicker through three and four and he managed to maintain a three-length lead as they took the white flag. The final lap was a nervous one for his crew, but Gilliland had no problems as he took the checkered flag.

“It’s a dream come true, I’ve waited my whole life for this,” said Gilliland after the race.

Gilliland is still living the dream, driving in both the Nextel Cup Series and the Busch Series.

Craftsman

Michigan 200 - Michigan International Speedway - Brooklyn, MI

Last year, Johnny Benson produced in front of his hometown fans, edging Mark Martin by 0.112 seconds. The Grand Rapids, MI native went on to win another race the following week and a total of four times in a nine-week span to challenge Todd Bodine for the 2006 crown.

Benson will need another kick-start in 2007 as he is currently mired in eighth place, 417 points behind leader Mike Skinner.

Johnny Benson Johnny Benson is currently in eighth place. “I am very excited about Michigan. It is my home track on the NASCAR side and it is a great place to race,” Benson said on NASCAR.com. “This is where we turned things around last year and I am hoping to do it again. We have had some unfortunate luck the last few weeks, even though our truck has been incredibly fast.”

Skinner has been on a roll since the season began. The No.5 Toyota Tundra driver has been winning poles and races at an incredible pace.

His streak of five consecutive pole wins was stopped last week when Bodine squeaked past him by just 0.081 seconds on Friday. Skinner owns a record 38 poles in 138 truck series starts, eight more than Jack Sprague. He also holds the series record of eight straight poles which he set in 1995.

But NASCAR doesn’t reward points for poles, only race results and Skinner has been pretty good there too.

In nine events, Skinner’s worst finish is an eighth-place result in Charlotte. He also earned three wins to build his championship lead. Skinner leads the series in points (1,543), winnings ($328,475), laps led (526), top-10s (9), and driver rating (123.9)

The lead is just 82 points because Ron Hornaday Jr. has also been on a roll lately. The driver of Kevin Harvick Inc.’s No.33 Chevrolet has eight top-10s in nine starts and has won two of the last four events.

Defending series champion Bodine grabbed the win last week at Texas and is third in the title chase, but 181 points back. It remains to be seen if he can get back into the race.

The event will mark Terry Cook’s 250th truck start. He ranks No.3 all-time behind Rick Crawford and Sprague, each of whom has appeared in 256 races.

Qualifying is set for Saturday morning and the race will drop the green flag at 4 p.m. that afternoon.

FORMULA ONE

United States Grand Prix - Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Indianapolis, IN

Lewis Carl Hamilton was named after the great track and field athlete Carl Lewis. By the time Hamilton’s career is completed, people will think it was the other way around.

Hamilton, in just his sixth event in the Formula One Series, is breaking records.

The British driver is the first rookie to ever lead the standings. He has done it with the ease, confidence and skill of a driver with many years of experience. In the six races, we have still yet to see the young 22-year-old make a mistake.

Through six events, and his worse finish is a third-place in his maiden voyage in Melbourne. He followed that up with four consecutive runner-up finishes before winning last week in Montreal.

In the Canadian GP he was virtually perfect. He won the pole, beat his McLaren Mercedes teammate Fernando Alonso to the first turn, and never was headed. Twice he built leads of more than 10 seconds and despite four appearances for the Safety Car, he cruised to the first of what likely will be many F1 wins.

Lewis Hamilton “I am just privileged to be in Formula One,” Lewis Hamilton said. His victory was the first for a black driver in Formula One, but he is much more than that. He is a great driver already and yet still humble enough to know he has a lot more to learn. That is a rare combination for an athlete these days.

“I am just privileged to be in Formula One,” said Hamilton. “Ten years ago, I could not have imagined being here and now I am here with the best drivers in the world, it is amazing.

“I’m still a rookie. I am learning every day, every time I arrive at the track. The whole season I will feel like a rookie.”

A rookie who holds an eight-point lead over the two-time World Champion.

Alonso seems stunned at how good his new teammate is and it may be affecting his driving. In Montreal, the normally unflappable Spaniard made a seemingly desperate move on the first turn of the first lap.

Starting alongside Hamilton, Alonso tried to go too deep into the first turn to get ahead of Hamilton. He ran through the turn, slid in front of Hamilton coming out of turn two and after regaining control settled in behind Nick Heidfeld in third place. It was the move a rookie would make, or a driver who feels threatened.

On lap 19 Alonso made another mistake in turn one allowing Felipe Massa to take over the third spot. Later, on lap 29 Alonso was penalized for pitting at the wrong time (he was out of fuel and had no choice) and would finish seventh.

“I think this was a strange race with the Safety Car being deployed so many times which worked to Lewis’ advantage today and my disadvantage,” said Alonso, who also added, “Whilst it was a difficult race for me I’m pleased for the team and Lewis that we were able to secure some important points and Lewis winning his first race.”

It seemed to be a half-hearted congratulations, particularly when combined with these other comments:

“From the first moment, I wasn’t completely comfortable,” said Alonso on Spain’s Cadena Ser radio. “I am in an English team, with an English teammate, who is doing brilliantly. We knew all the support and help would go his way. It is something I understand.”

And these comments came just a couple of weeks after McLaren told Hamilton not to try and overtake Alonso at Monaco.

Now it’s on to Indianapolis. Alonso has never won there while it will be the first try for Hamilton.

Ferrari has won this race five consecutive times and six out of the last seven, but that was all Michael Schumacher. Their lineup this year is Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa. The team was not really competitive in Montreal, Nick Heidfeld and Alex Wurz finished second and third while Raikkonen scored the team’s only points for a fifth-place finish. Massa was disqualified for exiting pit lane during a red light.

But Indy has always been good to Ferrari and they will probably put up a big effort this week. Still, if Hamilton continues to be flawless, look for McLaren’s first victory at Indianapolis since Alain Prost won in 1991.

107th U.S. Open tees off at Oakmont

USGA TOUR

UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION - U.S. OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pennsylvania - The best in the world head to one of the top courses in the United States this weekend for the second major championship of the season, the U.S. Open.

Ernie Els In 1994, Ernie Els won a playoff to take the U.S Open at Oakmont.

Oakmont Country Club, the fifth-ranked course in the U.S. by Golf Digest, will host the open for a record eighth time. Prior to this, Oakmont was tied with Baltusrol for most times hosting an Open with seven.

The last time the Open was played at Oakmont was in 1994. Ernie Els claimed the first of his two U.S. Open titles by fending off Loren Roberts and Colin Montgomerie, who posted the first of his three runner-up finishes in the Open, in a three-way playoff.

The extra session was the first three-man playoff since 1963. In the playoff, Els was four-over through two holes, but steadied himself to post one-under the rest of the way to shoot 74.

Roberts also posted a 74, while Montgomerie struggled to a 78. Els and Roberts continued on to the 20th hole, after they matched fours on the 19th hole.

Els found the putting surface with his approach at the par-four 11th, while Roberts dumped his second into a greenside bunker. Roberts blasted to 30 feet and two-putted for bogey. Els walked away with the title as he two-putted for par and the first of his three major titles.

With that win, Els, who was 24 at the time, became the youngest U.S. Open winner since Jerry Pate in 1975.

How long ago was that Open? World No. 1 Tiger Woods was only one of the top amateurs in the country. He was coming off three straight U.S. Junior Amateur wins and would go on to earn his first U.S. Amateur title later that summer.

Last year, Geoff Ogilvy was handed the title as three players coughed up a chance at the title. Montgomerie stumbled to a double-bogey on the 72nd hole. Jim Furyk missed a short par putt on the final hole that would have gotten him into a playoff.

However, the biggest gaffe belonged to Phil Mickelson, who had won the previous two majors — the 2005 PGA Championship and the 2006 Masters. Mickelson hit his tee shot at 18 off a hospitality tent lining the left side of the fairway, then after a drop, hit a tree with his second. All that led to a double-bogey and gave Ogilvy his first major championship win.

For his part, Ogilvy played solid golf down the stretch. He chipped in for par on 17, then, at the last, he found a sand divot in the fairway, but again saved par to shoot two-over 72 and post five-over 285. That was the highest winning score since Hale Irwin’s seven-over at Winged Foot in 1974.

Oakmont will feature long rough and extremely fast greens as all U.S. Open do. However, since Els won the ‘94 Open here some 3,000 trees have been removed and the course now plays almost like an inland links course.

The course is also much different than it was in 1973 when Johnny Miller shot a U.S. Open record round of eight-under 63. He roared from way back to beat John Schlee by a stroke.

There will be extensive television coverage this week. ESPN and NBC will have coverage from 10:00 a.m. (et) until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. NBC will be on air from 3:00-5:00 p.m., while the remaining seven hours of action will be on ESPN. NBC will be on air from 1:00-7:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The PGA Tour returns next week with the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut. Hometown favorite J.J. Henry won there last year.

EUROPEAN TOUR

OPEN DE SAINT-OMER, Aa Saint Omer Golf Club, Lumbres, France - The European Tour is also in action this week with the eighth playing of the Open de Saint- Omer.

Cesar Monasterio Monasterio, who will not play, was last year’s winner. Originally part of the Challenge Tour, this event became a dual-ranking event in 2003. Each year since, it has been played opposite the U.S. Open.

Last year, Cesar Monasterio closed with a four-under 67 to overcome a five- shot deficit and claim a one-stroke win over Martin Maritz and third-round leader Henrik Nystrom. Maritz managed just an even-par 71 in the final round, while Nystrom stumbled to a two-over 73 to share second at minus-nine.

Monasterio is not in the field this week, but Maritz and Nystrom are expected to tee it up at Aa Saint Omer Golf Club. Jean-Francois Remesy, a three-time winner on the European Tour and playoff loser last week, is the highest-ranked player in the field.

There is no television coverage for this event.

Next week, the tour heads to Germany for the BMW International Open. This event was played during Labor Day weekend last year and Henrik Stenson bested Retief Goosen and Padraig Harrington in a playoff for his second win of the ‘06 season.

NATIONWIDE TOUR

ROCHESTER AREA CHARITIES SHOWDOWN AT SOMERBY, Somerby Golf Club, Byron, Minnesota - The Showdown at Somerby was moved up four weeks on the Nationwide Tour schedule this year. Tom Lehman Tom Lehman co-designed Somerby Golf Club.

It will be the fourth playing of the event. Last year, Brandt Snedeker needed two extra holes to defeat Jeff Quinney.

Both players have been playing well this year on the PGA Tour as Snedeker is 43rd on the money list, while Quinney is 27th. Each has practically secured their PGA Tour card for next year with over a $1 million earned to this point in the season.

None of the first three winners of this tournament — Kevin Stadler, Jason Gore and Snedeker — are in the field this week.

Tom Lehman, captain of the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team, co-designed Somerby Golf Club and the course was ranked by Golf Digest as one of the top-10 new private courses in 2005.

The Golf Channel broadcasts action of all four rounds this week. The Nationwide Tour heads to Tennessee next week for the Knoxville Open, where Hunter Haas was victorious last year.

CANADIAN TOUR

TIMES COLONIST OPEN, Gorge Vale Golf Club, Victoria, British Columbia - After a one-month hiatus, the Canadian Tour returns to action this week with the Times Colonist Open.

Last year, Mike Grob closed with three-under 67 to beat Trevor Dodds and John Lieber by one stroke.

Grob, who is the all-time leading money winner on the Canadian Tour, picked up his fourth Canadian Tour win. However, it was his first title since 2002.

There is no television coverage for this event. The tour remains in British Columbia next week for the Greater Vancouver Charity Classic, where Lee Williamson won last year.

DURAMED FUTURES TOUR

MICHELOB ULTRA DURAMED FUTURES PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, Hickory Point Golf Course, Decatur, Illinois - MICHELOB ULTRA DURAMED FUTURES PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, Hickory Point Golf Course, Decatur, Illinois - The Futures Tour hits the halfway point this week with the 10th of 20 events this season.

The Michelob ULTRA Players Championship features the highest purse of the season — $105,000. Last year, Salimah Mussani claimed the title as she rolled to a five-shot win over Charlotte Mayorkas.

The Futures Tour shifts to Ohio next week for the inaugural Duramed Championship.

(Wednesday, June 13th)

Final Score: Philadelphia 8, Chicago White Sox 4

Philadelphia, PA - In Jim Thome’s return to Philadelphia, it was the player for whom he was traded who stole the show, as Aaron Rowand smacked a grand slam in the seventh inning for the Philadelphia Phillies, who downed the Chicago White Sox, 8-4, in the finale of a three-game interleague series sweep at Citizens Bank Park. Wes Helms also homered for the Phillies, who have won four of five and seven of their last nine games. Chase Utley finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored a run in the win, as the Phillies climbed into a tie with Atlanta for second place in the NL East, two games behind the New York Mets. With veteran Freddy Garcia currently on the disabled list with an injured right shoulder, Kyle Kendrick got sent to the mound for his Major League debut. Kendrick, who was with Philadelphia’s Double-A club in Reading, PA, allowed three runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts over six innings before Ryan Madson (1-2) tossed the seventh for the win. Alex Cintron went 3-for-5 and scored twice for the White Sox, who have dropped eight of nine and 15 of its last 18 games. Thome, who got traded by the Phillies to the White Sox for Rowand in 2005, finished 2-for-3 and scored a run after receiving a standing ovation from the Philly crowd. John Danks gave up two runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings in his first-ever appearance against the Phillies. Matt Thornton (2-2) took the loss.

Final Score: Toronto 7, San Francisco 4

San Francisco, CA - Matt Stairs and Aaron Hill each knocked in a pair of runs and Dustin McGowan pitched six solid innings as Toronto defeated San Francisco, 7-4, to avoid a three-game sweep. McGowan (3-2) gave up two runs on seven hits with six strikeouts and four walks for the Blue Jays, who won for the third time in their last five games. With two outs and a runner on second in the bottom of the ninth, Jeremy Accardo struck out pinch-hitter Barry Bonds to pick up his eighth save of the season. Bonds, who broke a 12-game homerless streak on Monday, remained stuck at 747 home runs, eight shy of Hank Aaron’s all-time record. Guillermo Rodriguez got his first major league hit and knocked in two runs for the Giants, who have lost four of six. Tim Lincecum (2-1) suffered the first loss of his young career after yielding seven runs on seven hits through 3 2/3 innings.

Final Score: Cleveland 7, Florida 3

Miami, FL - David Dellucci’s three-run home run highlighted an eventful six-run sixth inning, as the Cleveland Indians rallied for a 7-3 win over the Florida Marlins. Victor Martinez added two hits and an RBI for the Indians, who ended a three-game losing streak and won for only the fourth time in 11 outings. Casey Blake went 1-for-3 to extend his career-best hitting streak to a current major-league best 22 games for Cleveland, which rebounded from Tuesday’s 3-0 setback to beat the Marlins for only the second time in seven interleague meetings against the club that beat them in seven games in the 1997 World Series. Indians starter Cliff Lee (3-4) got the win, his first in five starts, surrendering three runs on six hits in five innings. The left-hander also struck out six and walked four, picking up his first win since May 18. Hanley Ramirez ended 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored for the Marlins, who have lost three of four while also losing two players and their manager to ejections in the decisive sixth inning. Reggie Abercrombie added two hits and scored a run for Florida, which appeared to wake up the otherwise quiet Indians bats after a heated bottom of the fifth inning. Byung-Hyun Kim (3-3) suffered the loss, getting charged with four runs — two earned — on four hits in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out eight and walked four, suffering his first loss since April 15.

Final Score: Milwaukee 3, Detroit 2

Detroit, MI - Bill Hall smashed the go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning, as the Milwaukee Brewers edged the Tigers, 3-2, a night after Justin Verlander tossed Detroit’s first no-hitter in 23 years. Hall had three hits and scored twice, as the Brewers won for the second time in three contests. Chris Spurling (1-0) recorded two outs to end the seventh inning to get the win and Francisco Cordero tossed a 1-2-3 ninth for his major league-leading 23rd save. Curtis Granderson had two hits, including a run-scoring single, for the Tigers, who failed to gain momentum in the middle contest of the three-game series after Verlander compiled 12 strikeouts on Tuesday. The Tigers had a three-game winning streak broken. Fernando Rodney (1-5) gave up a one-out single to Prince Fielder in the eighth. Kevin Mench was retired on a fly ball. Hall, who came into the game in a 2-for-18 slump, then belted a 3-2 offering over the wall in left for his seventh homer of the year.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 8, Texas 1

Pittsburgh, PA - Jose Bautista went 3-for-4, drove in three runs and came up a home run short of hitting for the cycle, while Ian Snell pitched his first career complete game, as the Pittsburgh Pirates routed the Texas Rangers, 8-1, in the second of a three-game set at PNC Park. Snell (6-4) yielded one unearned run on seven hits while walking two and fanning seven for the Pirates, who have won two in a row since being swept by the Yankees over the weekend. Jose Castillo had two hits and an RBI, Freddy Sanchez knocked in two runs and Chris Duffy donated a pair of hits and an RBI for the Pirates, who are beating up on the Rangers despite having entered the series having lost nine of 12. Kenny Lofton and Frank Catalanotto had two hits apiece for the Rangers, who have lost five of seven. Texas starter Robinson Tejeda (5-7) went just four innings, allowing four runs — three earned — on seven hits, while walking three and striking out two.

Final Score: Colorado 12, Boston 2

Boston, MA - Todd Helton drove in four runs as Colorado blasted Boston, 12-2, in the middle contest of a three-game interleague set at Fenway Park. Brad Hawpe was 2-for-5 with a three-run homer for the Rockies, who have won three of four. Kaz Matsui, Matt Holliday and Garrett Atkins also drove in runs, while Troy Tulowitzki was 2-for-3 with three runs scored, and Yorvit Torrealba doubled and scored twice. Josh Fogg (2-5) allowed seven hits and two runs over five innings, fanning four and walking one to get the win. Mike Lowell homered for the Red Sox, who lost for the second time in their last six outings. Kevin Youkilis had a pair of hits and Manny Ramirez added a run-scoring single, but the Red Sox saw their lead in the AL East trimmed to 8 1/2 games over the hard-charging New York Yankees. Curt Schilling (6-3) was smacked around to the tune of nine hits and six runs — five earned — over five innings, despite striking out five.

Final Score: NY Yankees 7, Arizona 2

Bronx, NY - The New York Yankees completed their long climb back over .500 behind Mike Mussina’s longest outing of the season and Alex Rodriguez’s baseball-best 25th home run, pounding Arizona, 7-2, in the middle installment of a three-game interleague series. Mussina (3-3) mixed a cut fastball and sweeping curve with pinpoint control, giving up two runs on six hits without a walk and seven strikeouts over 7 2/3 frames. He threw 74 of his 101 pitches for strikes. His veteran counterpart Livan Hernandez (5-4) wasn’t as successful, surrendering seven runs on nine hits with five walks and one strikeout in four innings. The right-hander’s earned run average rose from 3.66 to 4.20. Orlando Hudson had two hits and Conor Jackson hit his fifth home run of the season for the up-and-down Diamondbacks, losers in five of six. Bobby Abreu extended his hitting streak to 12 games, while scoring two more runs. The right fielder has crossed the plate 17 times during the 12-game streak.

Final Score: San Diego 9, Tampa Bay 0

St. Petersburg, FL - Adrian Gonzalez hit a three-run homer and Khalil Greene ripped a three-run double as San Diego crushed Tampa Bay, 9-0, in the middle contest of a three-game set. Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a two- run home run and Terrmel Sledge added a solo shot for the Padres, who put the brakes on a four-game skid. All of the run support was more than enough for Padres ace Jake Peavy (8-1), who pitched seven shutout innings, striking out eight and walking three while giving up just two hits in the fifth inning. Peavy improved to 5-0 in his last eight starts and hasn’t loss since April 30. The right-hander is also perfect on the road with a 4-0 record in six starts. Tampa Bay’s struggling starter Edwin Jackson (0-8), meanwhile, surrendered homers to Gonzalez and Kouzmanoff in the first inning and left after recording just one out. Jackson has not recorded a win since the 2005 season with the Dodgers. Carl Crawford went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts for the Devil Rays, who had won three in a row and five of six.

Final Score: LA Angels of Anaheim 6, Cincinnati 3

Cincinnati, OH - John Lackey became the first pitcher this season to reach 10 wins after tossing six quality innings, as the LA Angels of Anaheim downed the Cincinnati Reds, 6-3, in the middle installment of a three- game set. Vladimir Guerrero did the heavy lifting offensively, knocking in four runs, and Orlando Cabrera scored three times for the Angels, who had lost two straight coming in. Lackey (10-4) allowed three runs — one earned — on four hits with four strikeouts and a walk. Scot Shields and Francisco Rodriguez combined to twirl three innings of one- hit ball from there, with Rodriguez picking up his 20th save of the season. Kyle Lohse (3-8) took the loss after yielding four runs over seven innings for Cincinnati, which had a modest two-game winning streak halted. Scott Hatteberg homered in defeat.

Final Score: Washington 9, Baltimore 6 (11 innings)

Baltimore, MD - Felipe Lopez hit a bases-loaded triple in the 11th inning, lifting the Washington Nationals past the Baltimore Orioles, 9-6,in the second of the three-game Battle of the Beltway series at Camden Yards. Austin Kearns went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Ryan Langerhans homered for Washington, which has won four of its last five. Billy Traber (2-0) worked a perfect 10th to pick up the win. Chris Ray (3-5) was charged with all three deciding runs for the Orioles, who have dropped four in a row. Jay Payton had three RBI in a losing effort, while Melvin Mora belted a home run. Saul Rivera tossed a hitless 11th for his third save of the season. Matt Chico started for Washington, allowing three runs — two earned — over 6 2/3 frames. His opponent, Steve Trachsel, gave up four runs in seven innings.

Final Score: Oakland 7, Houston 3

Houston, TX - Mark Ellis’ two-run double highlighted a five- run eighth inning, as the Oakland Athletics rallied to a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros in the second of their three-game interleague series at Minute Maid Park. Eric Chavez and Jason Kendall homered for the A’s, who have won nine of 11. Joe Blanton (6-4) threw seven solid innings, allowing three runs on eight hits, while walking one and striking out three. Hunter Pence, Carlos Lee and Mark Loretta all had two hits for the Astros, who have lost three of four. Chris Sampson pitched well, yielding just two runs on three hits, while walking none and striking out two. Dan Wheeler (0-4) suffered the loss allowing four runs in the eighth.

Final Score: Minnesota 6, Atlanta 0

Minneapolis, MN - Carlos Silva hurled an eight-hit shutout as Minnesota bested Atlanta, 6-0, in the middle contest of a three-game interleague set at the Metrodome. Silva (4-7) needed 108 pitches to record his second career shutout and first complete game of the season. After a Kelly Johnson single in the third, he retired 11 in a row and 12 of the next 13 batters. Torii Hunter was 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI for the Twins, winners of three straight games. Michael Cuddyer was 3-for-4 and scored twice, while Justin Morneau added a two-run blast, his 18th of the season, and Lew Ford hit his first of the year. Chuck James (5-6) was rocked for nine hits and six runs over 4 1/3 innings, allowing three home runs in the loss. Chipper Jones finished 3-for-4 for the Braves, who have dropped two in a row and four of six. Johnson added a pair of singles.

Final Score: St. Louis 7, Kansas City 3

Kansas City, MO - Adam Wainwright was 10 outs from a no- hitter and Albert Pujols drove in three runs, as St. Louis downed Kansas City, 7-3, in the middle game of the I-70 Series at Kauffman Stadium. Esteban German then hooked a single to left in the bottom of the sixth. Wainwright (5-5) regrouped and picked up the victory with eight innings of one-hit shutout ball with three strikeouts and two walks. Odalis Perez (3-7) was roughed up to the tune of seven runs — six earned — on 10 hits with a pair of walks in just three-plus innings. His replacement Brandon Duckworth threw just two pitches before leaving with an undisclosed injury. Final Score: Chicago Cubs 3, Seattle 2

Chicago, IL - Sean Marshall tossed eight strong innings and Mike Fontenot’s two-run single in the fifth inning put Chicago in front as the Cubs went on to defeat the Seattle Mariners, 3-2, at Wrigley Field. Fontenot ended 2-for-4 and Derrek Lee went 2-for-3 with a run scored for the Cubs, who evened this three-game series at a game apiece. Koyie Hill also had two hits and Cliff Floyd drove in a run for Chicago, which rebounded from Tuesday’s 13-inning loss to win for the second time in five outings. Marshall (3-2) allowed two runs on seven hits, striking out one without a walk to win his third straight start. Over his current win streak, the left-hander has allowed just four runs on 17 hits over 20 2/3 innings. Ryan Dempster worked the ninth for his 14th save. Richie Sexson homered, ending 2-for-3, for Seattle, which had a season-best five-game win streak halted and lost for only the second time in 11 outings. Miguel Batista (7-5) suffered the tough- luck loss, allowing three runs — one earned — on nine hits in seven innings. He struck out three and walked five, suffering his first setback in five decisions.

Final Score: Los Angeles 9, New York 1

Los Angeles, CA - Brad Penny pitched seven strong innings to guide the Dodgers to a 9-1 win over the Mets, handing New York its season-high fifth straight loss. Wilson Betemit homered and drove in two runs, and James Loney belted a two-run homer for Los Angeles, which had lost five of six coming into this series, but swept the Mets in a three-game set at Dodger Stadium for the first time since August 23-25, 1996. Rafael Furcal had a pair of triples with an RBI and scored twice, while Matt Kemp had three hits and scored three times. Penny (8-1) won his third straight decision, striking out seven and allowing a run and a no walks. The right-hander improved to 4-10 lifetime against the Mets. David Wright went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in the first inning, extending his hitting streak to 15 games, but the Mets lost for the ninth time in 10 contests. Their lead in the National League East has dwindled to two games over Atlanta and Philadelphia. Jorge Sosa (6-2) had a three-start winning streak broken by surrendering eight hits and six runs over 5 2/3 innings.