Braves top Cubs; Lilly ejected in first inning

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06/11/2007 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ted Lilly was tossed in the first inning for plunking Edgar Renteria and, though the Chicago bullpen pitched well for the first seven innings, everything fell apart for Ryan Dempster in the eighth, as the Atlanta Braves came back to top the Cubs, 5-4, and earn a split in their four-game set.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia went 3-for-4 with a double and a run, and Kelly Johnson homered for the Braves, who have won two in a row, but have lost six of their last nine games. Chad Paronto (3-1) tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, and Bob Wickman picked up his 11th save.

Atlanta starter Buddy Carlyle gave up seven hits and four runs in 6 1/3 innings, fanning four for the Braves.

Michael Barrett and Mike Fontenot homered for the Cubs, who have dropped two straight after winning five of six. Dempster (1-3) gave up three hits, three runs, and walked three in an inning, and also had a wild pitch.

Dempster was brought on in the eighth, up 4-2, for a two-inning save, but couldn't even get out of the first inning with the lead. Saltalamacchia doubled off the wall in right, and scored on Scott Thorman's double. Pinch- hitter Willie Harris singled and stole second, and Johnson was intentionally walked, loading the bases. Yunel Escobar grounded into a double play, but the tying run came across, and Dempster's wild pitch allowed Harris to come home with the go-ahead run.

Tempers flared on both sides in the first inning, but only Lilly was sent packing. After striking out the first two batters of the inning, Lilly threw two balls to Renteria before firing the third pitch high and tight, hitting Renteria's left hand. Homeplate umpire Jim Wolf issued warnings to Lilly and both teams as Renteria started towards the mound, and the benches and bullpens cleared. No punches were thrown on either side, but Wolf apparently changed his mind about merely warning Lilly, and ejected the lefty, much to the surprise of both Lilly and manager Lou Piniella.

The seeds for the incident were planted on Saturday, when Atlanta pitcher Tim Hudson plunked Chicago outfielder Alfonso Soriano in the first inning, an obvious message after Soriano blasted three homers in Friday's game. Hudson, however, was not ejected for his actions.

Renteria appeared to exact his own revenge for the plunking later in the inning, as he followed through on his slide into second on a steal attempt and, though he was tagged out by Fontenot, Renteria clocked the Cubs second baseman with his left arm.

Johnson got the Braves on the board with his eighth longball of the season, a one-out solo blast in the third. Later in the inning, with two outs and runners at first and second, Jeff Francoeur poked a clutch single to left, plating another run.

Fontenot's RBI triple in the fifth got the Cubs one run, and Soriano tied things at 2-2 with a sacrifice fly later in the inning.

Barrett gave the Cubs the lead with his ninth homer of the season, a one-out solo shot in the sixth. Fontenot led off the seventh with a long fly ball to left that fell just over the fence and out of the reach of Matt Diaz, for the rookie's first career homer, handing Chicago a two-run lead.

Game Notes

This was Piniella's 3,000th career game as a manager. He is one of 17 major league managers to reach 3,000, and one of four active managers, including Atlanta's Bobby Cox (3,923)...Renteria remained in the game after being hit, but left in the fourth. X-Rays on Renteria's left hand were negative...Atlanta won the season series, 5-4.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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