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McGwire confident Cardinals' offense will take offBaseball Betting Lines07/15/2010 - ST. LOUIS (AP) -Mark McGwire needs no reminders that the St. Louis Cardinals' offense sputtered into the All-Star break in his first season as hitting coach. While waiting for the hitters to take off under his tutelage, the one-time home run king is leaning on a mantra from his playing days. ``The season's six months long, that's the whole thing,'' McGwire said Wednesday during a lightly attended optional workout at Busch Stadium in near triple-digit heat. ``It's not April, May, June. It's what you do over six months, that's why they call it an average.'' Injuries to two regulars haven't helped an inconsistent lineup heading into a four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers starting Thursday. Outfielder Ryan Ludwick could return this weekend from an injury he jokingly referred to as a ``never-ending calf strain,'' while rookie third baseman David Freese (ankle) might not return until late in the month. ``That's the first time I've really tested it and it's feeling better, no doubt about it,'' Ludwick said after participating in agility drills Wednesday. ``We'll see how it reacts tomorrow and maybe step it up a little.'' The pitching staff has done a lot better job overcoming setbacks, losing two starters for an extended period while leaning on All-Stars Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. Left-hander Jaime Garcia has also stepped up as one of the majors' top rookies. Right-hander Kyle Lohse, out since late May following forearm surgery, is scheduled for a bullpen session Saturday but still has no clear timetable for a return. Right-hander Brad Penny has also missed more than a month because of an upper back injury. ``I don't make a big thing of it because everybody has adversity,'' manager Tony La Russa said. ``We did a good job of surviving. We had some tough games, but we had some good wins that kept us alive, and we're in position to have an exciting second half.'' The good news for the Cardinals? They're just one game behind Cincinnati in the NL Central. La Russa said his team can be successful with or without trade deadline additions. ``I think the key is you know the front office and ownership's going to try to help,'' he said. ``If they can't come up with anything, we've got to win with what we have. ``I think we can win with what we have.'' McGwire said he's still growing into the job, his first stint as a coach at any level and first time in a major league uniform since 2001. The uproar over his return to the majors following admissions of steroid use died down long ago, and Big Mac has reached a comfort level, even though many hitters have underachieved. Matt Holliday picked it up the last few weeks before the break after early struggles, although he was good enough to make the All-Star team without the surge that's pulled him from sixth on the team in RBIs to second with 51. Defense helped catcher Yadier Molina, batting only .223, make his second straight All-Star start. Table setters Skip Schumaker (.255) and Brendan Ryan (.194) also have been off much of the year. ``Really, Yaddy has just run into a bunch of hard luck,'' McGwire said. ``If you look at a lot of his outs, they have him positioned absolutely perfectly. His stroke looks good.'' Pujols' first half wasn't up to his standards, either, though he has 20 homers, 64 RBIs and a .309 average. McGwire said the three-time NL MVP doesn't need any coaching. ``He's the best in the game, he knows what he's doing,'' McGwire said. ``He and I talk very little about hitting, it's pretty much the mental part of it.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence Work left to do: Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8. Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday. DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ... West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule. Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games. For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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