They later added two more runs after the Cubs scored one in the bottom of the

They later added two more runs after the Cubs scored one in the bottom of the fourth on a Kosuke Fukudome home run. The Orioles’ first run in the fifth inning came in on a NickMarkakis double that scored Brian Roberts. Their second run came in on a Kevin Millar single that scored Markakis. The Orioles then added three in the sixth, as Alex Cintron doubled to score Luke Scott, Brian Roberts tripled, which drove in Cintron, and the final run came in on a Markakis single that scored Roberts to make the score 7-1.The Cubs did come up with three runs in the seventh inning when Jim Edmonds hit a three-run blast to make the score 7-4.They later added another run in the eighth when Aramis Ramirez drove in Fukudome on a single to make the score 7-5, but that was as close as the Cubs got. They did have a golden opportunity to either tie the game up or even take the lead in the bottom of the ninth when they had the bases loaded, but Ronny Cedeno and Fukudome struck out, and Henry Blanco was called out on strikes for the final out.Sean Marshall, who got the start for Chicago, only put in 4 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits while striking out seven.

He did suffer the lost and dropped to 0-1 on the season. Jeremy Guthrie pitched six innings allowing four earned runs on seven hits while striking out two. Guthrie got the win and moved to 4-7 on the season. George Sherrill, who worked the ninth, picked up his 26th save of the season which is second best in the league. Wednesday the Cubs will send Ted Lilly to mound, who is 7-5 with a 4.71 ERA as Brian Burres, who is 6-5 with a 5.24 ERA, will go for the Orioles.. In the most outrageous transaction of the offseason, the Denver Nuggets have traded away the 20th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft to the Charlotte Bobcats for a protected future first round draft pick.You can thank Vice President of Basketball Operations Mark Wankentien for this.As a Nuggets fan, I am at a loss of words.Denver had a variety of choices to make even after Ty Lawson’s decision to return to the University of North Carolina; here is a list: JaVale McGee – An outstanding young prospect who has star potential and has shown flashes of dominance on both ends of the floor. Chris Douglas-Roberts – One of the nation’s best players. He was instrumental in the Memphis Tigers’ impressive run to the National Championship, averaging over 22 PPG and 5 RPG. Jason Thompson – These numbers speak for themselves 20.4 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 2.7 BPG, 1.1 SPG, 32.4% 3pt FG shooting. Mario Chalmers – Led the Kansas Jayhawks charge past Memphis in their unforgettable comeback to become National Champions. Chalmers hit the game-tying three pointer that sent the game to overtime. He also is a good defender and a good floor general. Nicolas Batum – A slender scorer who can score the basketball in a variety of ways, and plays the game similar to Manu Ginobili. Mareese Speights – A low-post banger who used his weight to overpower defenders during his freshman season at Florida.

Mareese also dropped weight for the NBA in attempts to gain more explosiveness and become more agile. However, there are two sides to look at the deal. So maybe, just maybe this swap is bittersweet. Because of the trade, this means they can do a variety of things:1. With the addition of the pick, the Nuggets will now have two draft picks in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft and one in the second round. This gives them a total of three picks to further bolster their roster.2. This now means Hasheem Thabeet, James Harden, Darren Collison, Sam Young, Jeremy Pargo, Stephen Curry, or perhaps Ty Lawson again, are now all candidates to be chosen with the Nuggets’ new found wealth.3.

The Nuggets can decide to blow the team up that offseason, as Marcus Camby, Linas Kleiza, and Allen Iverson will all be free agents. Chances are Camby won’t be returning because of age and decrease in skill.  Kleiza will be demanding big money to remain the team’s small forward, the position currently held by superstar Carmelo Anthony, and Denver will possibly be looking in a new direction after A.I.’s reign.4. Shawn Marion, Ron Artest, Jermaine O’Neal, Mike Conley, Rudy Gay, Lamar Odom, and Josh Howard are either free agents or have the option of opting out of their contracts. So Denver certainly will be in the running for several of these players.Not to mention a possibility of several first round draft picks in the 2008 Draft becoming free agents.My guess is Mike Conley, Josh Howard, and Rudy Gay will be the most sought after. After much thought and thinking about the bigger picture, this trade is actually good for the Denver Nuggets.And another thing. Just because the Denver Nuggets traded away all of their picks, it does not mean they can’t acquire drafted players.They have valuable assets including Marcus Camby, Linas Kleiza, Allen Iverson, and J.R. Smith (if he agrees to sign-trade deal), that can net a player drafted around the mid 15’s down to the bottom of the first round.If they are able to snag a player out of the draft, they will walk away big winners early on in the offseason.Perhaps Wankentien isn’t an idiot after all but rather a developing mastermind.Now, they only need a coach: Avery Johnson anyone?As I predicted, this is only the first step of major changes for the Nuggets’ organization.  . Chico Harlan, who has the unenviable task of following this joke of a team around all season, wrote this in his recap of the Nats humiliating 8-3 loss to the Angels last night:By the time Hill walked from the mound in the first inning against the Angels, showered by jeers, he had allowed five hits and six runs on 35 pitches Seven of the first eight batters he faced reached base.

Left fielder Paul Lo Duca and first baseman Dmitri Young both committed errors behind him. The succession of hits from Erick Aybar, from Vladimir Guerrero, from Torii Hunter, just to name a few blackened the scorecards. When the inning ended, the Nationals, a team that hadn’t scored six runs in more than a week, trailed 6-0.So, six runs by the opposition isn’t only too much for the Nats to overcome in a single nine-inning game, that’s more than they can come back from in an entire week. No pressure, pitching staff.And, yes, you read that right: King of the Dicks Lo Duca was playing behind Hill. He started in left field and, because he’s only good at injecting ‘roids into his body and his penis into college girls, proceeded to make a throwing error within the first five minutes of the game.