Season From Games Carpenter

Baseball Betting Lines

Franklin's earned run average has skyrocketed to 8.46 this season as opposed to a 3.46 ERA and a 6-2 record last season.

 

Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs activated infielder Darwin Barney from the 15-day disabled list and granted pitcher Doug Davis his unconditional release Wednesday. Barney was placed on the disabled list with a left knee sprain he suffered June 13 against Milwaukee.

 

His lone win came on June 17 against the New York Yankees when he allowed one run in 7 1/3 innings, snapping a six-game personal losing streak.

 

To fill the roster spot, Houston has recalled Brian Bogusevic from Triple-A Oklahoma City. In 25 games for the Astros this season, Bogusevic has a .222 average with three runs scored and a stolen base.

 

The Astros also recalled pitcher David Carpenter from Oklahoma City and claimed outfielder Luis Durango off waivers.

 

Durango has been placed on the 40-man roster and optioned to Oklahoma City.

 

Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It took nearly two months, but Derek Lowe has once again found the win column. The veteran right-hander tossed six effective innings, and the Atlanta Braves completed a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners with a 5-3 victory at Safeco Field.

 

Freddie Freeman drove in two runs as part of a three-hit performance for the Braves, who have won eight of their last 10 games.

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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.

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