Rasmus, Cardinals dominate Braves

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09/09/2010 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colby Rasmus went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBI as St. Louis dominated Atlanta, 11-4, in the opener of a four-game set.

Skip Schumaker went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and two runs scored while Brendan Ryan added two hits, two RBI and two runs scored for the Cardinals, who had dropped their previous two.

Adam Wainwright (18-10) bounced back from a rough first inning to get the win as he was charged with three runs and seven hits with seven strikeouts over eight innings. He snapped a four-start losing streak.

With the win and Cincinnati's loss to Colorado on Thursday, the Cardinals trimmed their deficit in the NL Central to five games.

Derrek Lee clubbed a two-run home run while Jason Heyward and Eric Hinske each drove in a run for the Braves, who have dropped six of their last eight. Jair Jurrjens (7-5) was tagged for seven runs on 10 hits with a walk and two strikeouts over just 3 2/3 innings.

The loss moved Atlanta to a game back of Philadelphia for first place in the NL East. Also, it trimmed Atlanta's wild card lead to 1 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco, which plays San Diego later on Thursday.

Atlanta plated three runs in the first inning to take an early lead. Omar Infante led off with a single that saw him move to third base on a pair of throwing errors. Heyward followed with a single to score Infante and Lee later added a shot over the right field wall, his 17th home run of the season.

St. Louis, though, answered to the tune of five runs in the second. Back-to- back one-out singles were followed by an RBI single from Pedro Feliz. Ryan later added a two-run single and Schumaker then hit the first pitch he saw over the right field wall for his fifth home run of the season.

The Cardinals made it a 7-3 game in the fourth as Randy Winn's sacrifice fly was followed by a solo shot from Albert Pujols.

Rasmus led off the fifth with a shot over the right field wall to give St. Louis an 8-3 lead.

A two-run single off the bat of Rasmus in the sixth extended the Cardinals' lead to 10-3.

Atlanta, meanwhile, struggled to get baserunners as over the next six innings Wainwright faced the minimum. The only batter to get on base was Nate McLouth, who led off the fifth with a single but was then forced out when Infante followed with a double play.

In the eighth, McLouth led off with a single, but Infante again grounded into a double play and Freddie Freeman struck out.

Rasmus' solo blast in the ninth made it an 11-3 game while Hinske added an RBI groundout in the Braves' portion of the ninth to account for the final score.

Game Notes

St. Louis left fielder Matt Holliday was ejected in the fourth inning by home plate umpire Mike DiMuro for slamming his helmet on the ground after being called out on strikes...St. Louis has won all five matchups with Atlanta this season...Wainwright improved to 6-0 in nine games against the Braves...Jurrjens fell to 1-4 against St. Louis in five career starts and lost for the first time at home this season. He was 6-0 at Turner Field coming into the game...It was the second multi-HR game of Rasmus' career.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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