>>Cards Crush Houston
(St. Louis, MO) -- David Freese ripped a three-run homer and had four RBI as the Cardinals crushed the Astros, 13-4. Matt Holliday drove in four and Allen Craig added three RBI for St. Louis, which swept the three-game set from Houston. Jake Westbrook gave up five runs in as many innings but hung around to improve to 13-and-9. The Cards head to Cincinnati for a big three-game weekend series against the Reds. Lance Lynn gets the start tonight against Mat Latos.
>>Cubs Start Set With Rockies
(Chicago, IL) -- The Chicago Cubs open up a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies this afternoon at Wrigley Field. Jeff Samardzija [[ suh-MARD-juh ]] gets the nod opposite Drew Pomeranz in the opener. The Northsiders have dropped four straight and were swept in a three-game series in their last set at Milwaukee.
>>White Sox Host M's
(Chicago, IL) -- The Chicago White Sox are back on the diamond this evening as they kick off a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at The Cell. Jake Peavy will toe the rubber against Jason Vargas in the opener. The Southsiders are coming off a three-game sweep over the New York Yankees to improve to 68-and-55 on the season.
>>Bears In Big Apple
(East Rutherford, NJ) -- The Chicago Bears continue their preseason schedule this evening against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. The Bears are coming off a 33-31 win over the Washington Redskins last Saturday in their second exhibition contest. They lost their opener versus Denver. Chicago wraps up its preseason slate next Thursday at Cleveland.
>>Rams Set To Face Dallas Tomorrow
(Arlington, TX) -- The Rams head to Texas tomorrow to face the Cowboys in their third preseason matchup. St. Louis defeated the Chiefs last week to win the Governor's Cup and improve to 1-and-1 this preseason. The Rams close out the preseason next Thursday when they host Baltimore. The regular season gets underway September 9th when St. Louis heads to Detroit to face the Lions.
>>NHLPA, League Break Off Talks Till Next Week
(Toronto, Ontario) -- The league and NHLPA have ended Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations in Toronto until next week. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the two sides remain far apart on key financial elements. The union on Thursday made a proposal regarding contract issues. Among the topics discussed were waiver rules, the college draft, items related to buyouts and bringing the postseason player's pool back to the level it was before the last lockout in 2004-05. The current CBA expires September 15th, and Bettman has publicly stated the NHL will lock out the players if a new deal is not struck by then.
