Diamondbacks kick off road trip in Milwaukee

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06/02/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National League West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks begin a 10-game road trip tonight, starting with the first of three consecutive games against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

Arizona is 11-13 away from the desert this season and will also visit Pittsburgh for four games and the New York Mets for three on the trek. It just went 2-4 on a six-game homestand, winning the last two installments of a three-game series versus the Washington Nationals at Chase Field.

After ending a five-game slide with a 4-0 victory over the Nationals on Saturday, the D'Backs registered a 5-0 win in Sunday's series finale. Dan Haren was solid through seven innings and scattered four hits, walked three and had five strikeouts to snap a two-start losing streak. Chad Qualls and Tony Pena each hurled a perfect inning of relief to preserve the win.

Orlando Hudson hit a three-run homer for Arizona, while Chad Tracy also went deep in the winning cause. Arizona has recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time since May 26-27, 2006 at Cincinnati. Brandon Webb tossed a shutout in Saturday's victory.

Trying to keep the Arizona rotation rolling on Monday will be Doug Davis, who is 2-2 with a 4.57 ERA in four starts this season. Davis made his second start, first at home, since returning from surgery to remove his cancerous thyroid gland on May 28 versus the division-rival San Francisco Giants. He was rocked for six runs and nine hits over five frames of an 11-3 setback, and watched his two-start winning streak come to an end.

The left-hander is 0-1 with a 9.00 earned run average in two career starts against the Brewers. Davis played parts of 2003 and 2004-2006 with Milwaukee.

Milwaukee has won three straight, six of seven and nine of its last 13 games. It improved to 5-1 on a nine-game homestand following Sunday's 10-1 pounding of the Houston Astros in the finale of a three-game set at Miller Park. Starter Dave Bush pitched seven decent innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

Russell Branyan and Ryan Braun each hit two-run homers, while Craig Counsell was 2-for-4 with a two-run double for Milwaukee, which is 16-10 as the host this season.

Brewers starting pitcher Jeff Suppan is coming off his best outing of the season in which he tossed eight shutout innings in a 1-0 home win over Atlanta on May 28. He ended a two-start losing streak with the effort and improved to 3-4 with a 3.93 earned run average through 11 starts in 2008.

The righty is 2-3 with a 3.86 ERA in six career appearances, all starts, against the Diamondbacks.

Arizona and Milwaukee are meeting for the first time since the Brewers won five of seven meetings in 2007, with a 3-1 record at Miller Park.

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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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