Beckett earns 14th win as BoSox rout Mariners

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08/06/2007 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manny Ramirez homered and knocked in a pair of runs and Josh Beckett pitched into the seventh inning for his 14th win of the season, as the Boston Red Sox crushed the Seattle Mariners, 9-2, in the finale of a three-game set at Safeco Field.

Beckett (14-5), who had lost back-to-back starts for the first time this season coming in, gave up just one run on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts and two walks for the Red Sox, who have won four of five.

"I thought his stuff was real good," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "When he got into counts where it wasn't a hitters count, there were a lot of fastballs today that were down (in the zone)."

J.D. Drew added an RBI triple for Boston, while David Ortiz walked three times, scored twice and stole his second base of the season.

Jose Guillen collected three hits for the Mariners, who have dropped two straight after winning six of seven.

Miguel Batista (11-8) was saddled with the loss after yielding three runs -- two earned -- on five hits through six innings. The right-hander struck out three and walked five.

Boston struck for a pair of runs in the first inning as Coco Crisp led off the game with a double and then went to third on Kevin Youkilis' fly ball to center. After an Ortiz walk, Seattle's rookie center fielder Adam Jones dropped Ramirez's fly ball, allowing Crisp to score from third.

Batista then intentionally walked Drew to load the bases before walking Jason Varitek with two outs to force in a run.

Ramirez's 19th home run of the year in the fifth inning made it 3-0, but Seattle got on the board in the sixth inning on Jamie Burke's two-out RBI single.

The Red Sox, however, answered with six straight runs to win going away.

Drew roped an RBI triple in the seventh before scoring on Mike Lowell's subsequent single to make it 5-1.

Alex Cora led off the eighth with a double and Julio Lugo's bunt single put runners on the corners. Crisp's sac fly brought in a run and Youkilis' double made it 7-1 Boston. Ortiz followed with an RBI single for a seven-run Red Sox advantage.

Dustin Pedroia's pinch-hit, two-out RBI double in the ninth made it 9-1.

Jose Vidro's run-scoring single in the home half of the ninth for Seattle completed the scoring.

In the middle of the fifth inning, a quad driven by the Mariners' mascot knocked over Crisp. The Red Sox centerfielder avoided injury.

"I didn't see it live," said Francona."I heard it looked like Naked Gun. Just to be honest, about two minutes later, we got a very kind message from (Seattle general manager) Bill Bavasi. It wasn't done on purpose. It obviously would have been a horrible accident. But, it was a very thoughtful message."

Game Notes

Beckett joins the Angels' Jon Lackey, Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia and the Cubs' Carlos Zambrano as the only 14-game winners in the majors...Batista was facing Boston for the first time in his career...Varitek was the only starter for the Red Sox not to record a hit.

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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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