Back in the saddle: Kim returns to Arizona to face Pirates

Baseball Betting Lines

08/08/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Byung-Hyun Kim begins his second stint in an Arizona uniform as the National League West-leading Diamondbacks play the middle test of a three-game series versus the Pittsburgh Pirates this evening at Chase Field.

Kim began his major-league career with the Diamondbacks in 1999 and saved a club-record 36 games for Arizona in 2002. The Korean right-hander was traded to Boston the following season and has bounced around the majors ever since, including stops in both Colorado and Florida this year prior to being claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks last week.

The sidearmer had been pitching well for the Marlins lately, having recorded a 2-0 record with a 2.60 earned run average over his final three starts with the club. In his most recent appearance, Kim racked up a career-high 10 strikeouts and allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings to defeat Colorado on August 1.

For the year Kim has posted a 6-5 mark with a 4.63 ERA in 14 games, 13 of which have been starts. The 28-year-old takes the place of Yusmeiro Petit, who was recently optioned to the minors, in the Arizona rotation. Petit was subbing for the injured Randy Johnson.

Kim has faced Pittsburgh 12 times previously, three of which have been starts, and is 1-2 with three saves and a 3.86 ERA in those games.

Arizona has won 13 of its last 16 contests and owns a one-game edge over second-place San Diego in the National League West standings. The Diamondbacks had that advantage trimmed, however, following Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Pirates and the Padres' victory over St. Louis last night.

Ronny Paulino knocked in two runs for Pittsburgh while Nate McLouth, Jose Bautista and Jack Wilson all finished 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Bucs starter Tom Gorzelanny (10-6) was strong on the mound, limiting Arizona to two runs and four hits while striking out a career-high nine batters over seven innings.

The loss spoiled an impressive home debut for 19-year-old Justin Upton, who hit his first major league homer and finished a single shy of the cycle for the Diamondbacks. Orlando Hudson also homered in the loss.

Arizona's Micah Owings (5-6) worked the first 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts.

Pittsburgh has now won three of five since dropping 14 of its first 16 games following the All-Star break. One bright spot for the club during the second half has been the pitching of Paul Maholm, who seeks his third victory in four starts this evening.

Maholm is 2-2 with a solid 3.28 ERA in four starts since the break and posted back-to-back wins over the Astros and Mets before being handed a tough-luck loss by St. Louis on July 31. He allowed three runs -- two earned -- on six hits over six innings in Pittsburgh's 6-4 setback.

The left-hander has one loss and two no decisions in three previous starts against Arizona, while amassing a 4.58 ERA over 17 2/3 innings of work. That defeat came in Pittsburgh back in May, when Maholm was touched for five runs (four earned) on eight hits over five frames.

The Diamondbacks took two of three games from the Pirates at PNC Park earlier this season and are 7-3 against Pittsburgh since the start of the 2006 campaign. The Bucs were swept in a three-game set in Arizona last year.

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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.