Ramirez quiet in return but Dodgers still double-up Padres

Baseball Betting Lines

07/04/2009 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manny Ramirez returned from a 50-game suspension and played only 5 1/2 innings, going 0-for-3 with a walk, two groundouts and a pop out, but the rest of his Dodger teammates picked up the slack and used a five-run first inning to defeat the Padres, 6-3, in front of a partisan crowd at Petco Park.

Ramirez came to bat as the third hitter in the first inning, and the 42,217 partisan fans erupted into a mixture of jeers and applause and stood for the entire plate appearance, which ended in a seven-pitch walk. The 12-time All- Star was suspended on May 7 after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance and was subsequently banished from Major League Baseball until Friday.

"It was great, it was the best," Ramirez said after the game. "The fans in LA drove (to San Diego) to watch me, it was unbelievable."

Ramirez was lifted in the middle of the sixth for the speedy Juan Pierre, who made sure the Dodgers didn't miss a beat in the absence of their star outfielder. Pierre started all 50 games during the suspension, batting .318 with 14 doubles, 21 runs batted in, 31 runs scored, 15 walks and 20 steals.

"I don't think theres any question he's rusty," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said of Ramirez. "He really hasn't had a lot of practice, but I thought that first at-bat was pretty amazing. It shows how good of a hitter he is and how he knows the strike zone.

"I thought it would help the defense with (Pierre) out there (in the field) because he's been playing, and that's how I made the decision (to take Ramirez out)," Torre added.

During the suspension, LA went a respectable 29-21, maintaining their healthy lead atop the NL West standings. Although the record without him was solid in a weak National League, the team moved to 21-7 this season with him in the starting lineup.

"Everyone in the clubhouse is a professional hitter, and they can do a lot of great things without me," Ramirez said. "I'm there just to follow and bring my presence and make everyone feel comfortable."

Prior to the game, Ramirez offered a public apology for his actions, although he didn't delve into the details of his drug usage. He was suspended for reportedly taking the banned substance human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), a female fertility drug that can also be used as an antidote to reduce testosterone levels at the end of a cycle of steroid treatments.

Following the 0-for-3 outing, Ramirez's average dropped to .337 to go along with six homers and 20 RBI so far in 2009.

As far as his other teammates were concerned, Russell Martin and Matt Kemp each drove in a pair of runs, as LA won for the third time in its last four games. Rafael Furcal went 4-for-5 with a run scored out of the leadoff spot, and Hiroki Kuroda (3-4) earned his second win this season against San Diego after yielding three runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

Jonathan Broxton earned his 20th save of the season in the win.

Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run double, while Scott Hairston blasted a solo homer for San Diego, which has lost seven of 10. Chad Gaudin (4-7), who hurled eight one-hit, scoreless innings in Texas his last time out, was touched for six runs on seven hits, with four walks and four strikeouts, in five frames.

The Dodgers took a huge lead in the first thanks to a couple bad throws by the Padres. Furcal singled to start and moved to second on a groundout by Orlando Hudson. Ramirez, in his first plate appearance, drew a seven-pitch walk, and Ethier followed with a grounder to first.

Gonzalez was able to make the throw for the force out at second, but the throw back to first for the double play sailed wide and off the Padres' dugout. Gaudin quickly grabbed it and fired home, except that the throw was wide of the plate, allowing Furcal to score for an early lead.

Casey Blake followed with a walk, and James Loney hit an RBI single to make it 2-0. A bloop RBI single to shallow right-center by Martin gave the Dodgers a three-run edge.

LA didn't stop the offense there, as Kemp drilled a two-run double to the gap in right-center to cap the opening frame.

Martin added an RBI groundout in the third to give the Dodgers a 6-0 lead.

Hairston put the Padres on the board in the fourth on a one-out solo homer.

San Diego cut into its deficit with two runs in the sixth, knocking Kuroda out of the game. Tony Gwynn Jr. worked a leadoff walk and moved to second on David Eckstein's single. Two batters later, Gonzalez ripped a double past Kemp in center field to score both runners and make it a 6-3 game.

Guillermo Mota came in to replace Kuroda and got out of the inning without any further damage. Mota stayed in to also pitch a scoreless seventh.

Ramon Troncoso retired two of the three hitters he faced in the eighth, and Brent Leach came in to face Gonzalez, who hit a long fly ball to deep left that Juan Pierre was able to track down to maintain the 6-3 lead.

Broxton came in and set down the Padres in order to polish off the win.

Game Notes

Gwynn has hit safely in 21 of his last 25 games and is batting .301 on the season...LA began a nine-game road trip Friday against San Diego, New York and Milwaukee...Kuroda moved to 4-1 in six career starts against the Padres...LA leads the season series, 8-3.

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Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds

Will he or won't he?  Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.

Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.

"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."

Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.

Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.

But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.

Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback.  It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.

Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1


Atlanta Falcons 50-1


Baltimore Ravens 15-1


Buffalo Bills 50-1


Carolina Panthers 18-1


Chicago Bears 10-1


Cincinnati Bengals 15-1


Cleveland Browns 100-1


Dallas Cowboys 15-1


Denver Broncos 15-1


Detroit Lions 100-1


Green Bay Packers 50-1


Houston Texans 100-1


Indianapolis Colts 6-1


Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1


Kansas City Chiefs 30-1


Miami Dolphins 40-1


Minnesota Vikings 75-1


New England Patriots 10-1


New Orleans Saints 18-1


New York Giants 20-1


New York Jets 30-1


Oakland Raiders 100-1


Philadelphia Eagles 18-1


Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1


Saint Louis Rams 60-1


San Diego Chargers 6-1


San Francisco 49ers 75-1


Seattle Seahawks 20-1


Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1


Tennessee Titans 40-1


Washington Redskins 50-1

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