Rangers seeking to extend lead on second-place A's

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07/28/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cliff Lee sure is one tough act to follow.

Colby Lewis will have to do just that tonight as he aims to pitch the Texas Rangers to a fourth straight victory over the Oakland Athletics in the middle contest of a three-game series at Rangers Ballpark.

In his fourth start with the Rangers since being acquired from Seattle by way of a trade, Lee hurled nine innings and gave up just one unearned run while striking out a career-high 13 batters last night, but did not get a decision in a 3-1 extra-inning victory over the Athletics.

It marked the third time with Texas that Lee has gone at least nine innings and seventh time in his last 10 starts overall.

"I don't go into a game trying to strike out a bunch of hitters, but when I am locating my fastball well and mixing in some off-speed pitches, I'm going to get a bunch of strikeouts," said Lee.

Lee's outstanding outing was nearly wasted, but Nelson Cruz belted a walk-off two-run homer in the 10th inning to give Texas a 4-1 mark so far on a seven- game homestand and its seventh win in its last nine games overall.

"I hit it pretty well," said Cruz. "It was one of those hits when you make good contact -- I was just looking for a pitch to drive and I got one."

The American League West-leading Rangers own an 8 1/2-game lead over the Athletics and Angels in the division and have won three straight and four of seven versus Oakland this season.

Lewis will try to extend that series win streak this evening, though the right-hander had a two-start winning run end Wednesday versus Detroit. Lewis allowed four runs on nine hits over seven innings, falling to 9-6 with a 3.52 earned run average on the season and 2-2 with a 4.97 ERA over his last five starts.

The 30-year-old is 5-1 with a 3.40 ERA in eight home starts in 2010 and 2-1 with a 3.65 ERA in eight games, six of those starts, lifetime versus the A's. He has faced them twice this year, going 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA.

Trevor Cahill counters for Oakland and is 9-4 with a 3.15 ERA on the season. The 22-year-old was drilled for five runs over 6 2/3 innings of a no-decision versus Kansas City on July 17 and is coming off Friday's loss to the Chicago White Sox. Cahill was better in that game, yielding three runs -- two earned -- on four hits and two walks in seven innings of work.

The righty is 4-1 with a 2.23 ERA in six lifetime starts against Texas, including 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in two this season.

Cahill will hope for better support tonight after Kurt Suzuki drove in Oakland's lone run on Tuesday. The Athletics came into the game having won nine of their last 11 and scored 28 runs in their previous five contests.

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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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