Heads up: Penny goes for 12th win as Dodgers take on Mets

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07/21/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Penny will try for his 12th win of the season this afternoon when the Los Angeles Dodgers continue their four-game series with the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium.

Penny has been outstanding so far this year, posting an 11-1 mark, and is tied with Oakland's Dan Haren for the third best earned run average in the majors at 2.33.

The right-hander is 6-0 over 10 starts since his lone loss of the season on May 18 against the Angels. He has allowed one run or fewer in eight of those outings, including Monday against the Phillies in which Penny posted a win behind seven frames of four-hit, one-run ball with eight strikeouts.

It was a good sign for Penny, who was hammered for six runs in four innings of a no-decision on July 5 against Atlanta.

Penny, who is just 4-10 with a 5.82 ERA in 17 career starts against New York, is trying to avoid a second-half letdown that ruined his season last year. He went 10-2 before the All-Star break in 2006, but went just 6-7 in the second half with a 6.25 ERA.

Jorge Sosa will start this afternoon for the Mets coming off a tough-luck loss at San Diego. Against the Padres on Monday, Sosa allowed only two runs on five hits over six innings, but got little run support in New York's 5-1 loss. The defeat dropped Sosa to 7-4 on the year with a 3.84 ERA.

The right-hander, who is 1-3 over his last five outings, has made six lifetime appearances against the Dodgers, with two of those being starts. In that span, he is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA after allowing 10 runs over 16 total innings. Sosa started against the Dodgers on June 13 and took the loss after yielding six runs over 5 2/3 frames.

Sosa will try to secure a series win for the Mets, who captured the second game of this set on Friday, 4-1, after outslugging the Dodgers 13-9 on Thursday.

Carlos Beltran homered for the second straight game and David Wright had an RBI for the Mets, who have won five of seven and have stretched their lead over the Braves to 3 1/2 games for the top spot in the National League East.

Oliver Perez (9-6) threw 7 1/3 strong innings, allowing six hits and a run with eight strikeouts. Billy Wagner threw the final inning for his 21st save.

New York, though, lost the reliable Jose Valentin, as the second baseman fractured his right tibia after fouling a ball off his leg in the fourth innings.

Nomar Garciaparra homered for the Dodgers, just his third long ball of the season, while Juan Pierre extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a single in the first inning. He also stole his 40th base of the season.

Brett Tomko gave up five hits and an unearned run over six innings in the start. Roberto Hernandez (0-1) allowed two hits and three runs -- two earned -- in the eighth inning, as the Dodgers lost for the third time in four games and still trail the first-place Padres by just a percentage point in the NL West.

The Dodgers swept a three-game series against New York this season from June 11-13 at Chavez Ravine. The Mets went 4-3 against LA in the 2006 series and swept Los Angeles in three games during last October's NL playoffs.

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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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