First-place Reds to begin interleague set with Royals

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06/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hitting with runners in scoring position has been one of the main ingredients to the success of the Cincinnati Reds. The National League Central leaders will try to cook up some more wins at home when they welcome the Kansas City Royals to town Friday for the first of three straight interleague games at Great American Ball Park.

The Reds opened the homestand by splitting a four-game series with San Francisco and entered Thursday's contest with a major league-best .294 average with runners in scoring position. They racked up seven runs in a 7-6 victory over the Giants yesterday afternoon, as Brandon Phillips stroked a two-RBI triple and Joey Votto added an RBI single during a decisive three-run eighth inning. Phillips had four hits and two runs scored in his first leadoff performance since 2007.

"We just believe in ourselves," said Phillips, who began the day ranked among the league leaders in runs and hits and is riding a 13-game hitting streak. "It was a great game. We really needed it."

Jonny Gomes and Jay Bruce both had two hits and an RBI for Cincinnati, while Scott Rolen's nine-game hitting streak came to an end with an 0-for-4 showing at the plate. Rolen did lift a sacrifice fly to right field in the third inning to score Phillips.

Reds rookie starting pitcher Mike Leake did not record a decision and was roughed up for five runs and 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings. Arthur Rhodes recorded the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief and Francisco Cordero closed the door in the ninth for his 17th save. Cordero is tied with San Diego's Heath Bell for second in the bigs in saves, three behind Washington's Matt Capps.

The Reds have won four of their last six games and sit 1 1/2 games ahead of rival St. Louis in the NL Central standings. They will also host the Los Angeles Dodgers for three games on this homestand and own a 21-13 record in the Queen City.

Since winning five starts in his previous six outings, Reds starter Bronson Arroyo is 0-1 with a 6.57 earned run average in his last two trips to the hill and hopes to get back on track Friday against the Royals. Arroyo started the slide in a 12-4 rout at St. Louis on May 31, when he was pounded for seven runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings. He last toed the rubber on Sunday in 5-4 Reds' win in Washington, but did not figure into the outcome despite holding the Nationals to a pair of runs over eight innings.

The right-hander, who is 2-1 in five home starts in 2010, is still in search of his first career win against the Royals. Arroyo is 0-2 with a 5.52 ERA in four career appearances, two of which have been starts, versus Kansas City. Overall this season, he's 5-3 with a 4.65 ERA in 12 starts.

Kansas City was able to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the American League Central-rival Minnesota Twins with a 9-8 victory on Thursday. Wilson Betemit homered twice and Mitch Maier clubbed a two-run shot for the Royals, who won for just the third time in eight tries and got a big lift from the veteran Betemit.

"He's a kid that's been around awhile," Royals manager Ned Yost said of Betemit. "He knows how to prepare himself and take advantage of an opportunity when it's given to him."

Royals starter Bruce Chen lasted 6 1/3 innings and yielded five runs on 10 hits to record the win. He also fanned a season-best seven batters and walked one. Joakim Soria recorded his 14th save of the year despite giving up two runs in the ninth inning.

Kansas City is 1-2 on a six-game road trip and owns a 13-18 record away from Kauffman Stadium this season.

Luke Hochevar is slated to pitch tonight's series opener for the Royals and has lost two straight starts and four of his last seven decisions. Hochevar was on the losing end of a solid performance his last time out in a 4-2 verdict versus Detroit on Saturday, when he hurled seven innings of one-run ball and struck out a season-high 10 batters.

Hochevar, who is 5-4 with a 4,74 earned run average in 12 starts this season, has enjoyed pitching on the road to the tune of a 4-1 mark in six trips to the visitor's mound. The right-hander and former No. 1 draft pick faced Cincinnati for the first time on June 12 of last year and recorded his first career complete game in a 4-1 win. Hochevar scattered three hits, allowed one run and struck out three batters that day.

Cincinnati is 7-7 all-time versus Kansas City and 85-105 overall in interleague play, while the Royals swept the Reds in three games at home from June 12-14 of last season. Kansas City sports a 108-124 ledger against the National League.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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