Holliday's hit in ninth lifts Cardinals over Blue Jays

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06/23/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Holliday continued his strong play with the decisive base hit in the ninth to score the game's lone run and secure a 1-0 Cardinals win against Toronto.

Chris Carpenter (9-1) made the late-inning heroics possible by controlling the Blue Jay bats for eight innings in his second career start versus his former club. The right-hander yielded only three hits, walked four and struck out seven.

Albert Pujols went 4-for-5 while Randy Winn collected three hits and scored the lone run as St. Louis won for the fourth time in five games in a continuation of this three-game set. Ryan Franklin got a key double-play ball in the bottom of the ninth, on the way to his 14th save.

Toronto's Ricky Romero matched Carpenter over eight scoreless frames. The left-hander worked around eight hits and struck out five with one walk.

Kevin Gregg (0-3) allowed a trio of hits in the ninth to take the loss, the Jays' third straight.

Winn singled to left with one out in the ninth and Felipe Lopez moved him into scoring position with a base hit to center two batters later. Holliday then ripped a two-out hit between third and short with runners at the corners to plate the deciding run.

Franklin erased a leadoff hit from Vernon Wells with a 5-4-3 double play from Alex Gonzalez. Jose Bautista drew a walk to keep hope alive, but Lyle Overbay's grounder to first ended any hopes of a comeback.

The Cardinals missed a chance to break the game open in their first at-bat after loading the bases with nobody out. Romero buckled down and induced a weak grounder that turned into a force play at home before fanning the final two batters.

Toronto's lineup didn't have many chances against Carpenter, who allowed a runner to reach as far as second only once on Jarrett Hoffpauir's third-inning double.

Game Notes

Carpenter has won five straight decisions over eight starts, having not lost since May 13. He pitched his first six years in the majors for Toronto before signing with St. Louis for the 2004 season...Holliday had two hits Wednesday and had homered in each of the last four games, swatting five over the impressive span. He is 13-for-22 at the plate over his last five games with 11 RBI...Wells had two of the four Blue Jay hits...These two clubs are meeting for the first time since the Blue Jays took two of three at home over the Cardinals from June 13-15, 2005...The Cardinals will aim for a three- game sweep on Thursday behind 10-game winner Adam Wainwright...Right-hander Brandon Morrow will go for Toronto.

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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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