Rockies hoping to gain further ground on sliding Padres

Baseball Betting Lines

07/10/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With their lead atop the National League's West Division beginning to shrink, the San Diego Padres will be attempting to fend off the hard-charging Colorado Rockies in tonight's middle test of a critical three- game series between the rivals from Coors Field.

Colorado has closed the gap on the first-place Padres by ripping off five consecutive victories, including a wild 10-8 triumph last night that moved the Rockies within two games in the division standings. San Diego, on the other hand, fell for the third time in four contests with Friday's verdict.

The red-hot Rockies are now 7-1 thus far on a 10-game homestand and have shown they're never out of a game during this current surge. The team rallied for nine runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to post a 12-9 win over St. Louis on Tuesday overcame a late three-run deficit to defeat the Cardinals the following night. In Friday's matchup, Colorado scored five times in the seventh inning after being down by a 8-5 count entering the frame.

Jason Giambi's RBI single off Joe Thatcher in the seventh brought the Rockies within 8-6, and Ian Stewart later belted a grand slam off reliever Luke Gregerson (2-5) to put Colorado in front.

"I didn't think I had enough," Stewart said of his opposite-field slam. "When I hit the ball the other way, I'm not always sure if I hit one out."

Stewart had a two-run homer earlier in the night for Colorado, which improved to 30-15 at Coors Field for the season, while Carlos Gonzalez added a two-run blast of his own as part of a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. Relievers Rafael Betancourt and Joe Beimel combined to protect the two-run lead in the eighth before closer Huston Street worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his fourth save.

Jorge De La Rosa, making his first start following a 2 1/2-month stint on the disabled list, lasted just 4 1/3 innings for the Rockies and was tagged for seven runs (five earned) on six hits.

Padres starter Kevin Correia didn't fare much better, although he did record eight strikeouts over the first five frames. The right-hander surrendered five runs -- all in the third inning -- and homers to Stewart and Gonzalez.

"You have to throw all your pitches and hope you execute," a disappointed Correia said afterward. "What else can you do, especially when you're facing a good offensive team?"

San Diego received a two-run homer from All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez in a losing cause and three hits and two RBI from Aaron Cunningham.

The Rockies have now won seven of the 10 meetings between these teams so far in 2010 and took two of three from the Padres at Coors Field back in April.

Jason Hammel will attempt to continue the Rockies' home success, as well as improve upon his own outstanding numbers at Coors Field, when he takes the mound this evening. The right-hander has been tough to beat in Denver this season, having amassed a 5-1 record and a 3.21 earned run average in nine starts at the usually hitter-friendly venue.

Hammel didn't get a win in his most recent home assignment, but pitched well enough to do so in Sunday's matchup with fellow NL West member San Francisco. He yielded just two runs -- both coming on back-to-back homers to start the eighth inning -- and struck out eight over seven-plus frames in a no-decision against the Giants. The effort ran his unbeaten streak to eight straight starts, with Hammel's last loss coming on May 21.

The 27-year-old also owns a recent win over the Padres, having bested them on the road on June 29 by tossing six innings of three-run ball. Hammel is 1-0 over seven career appearances (six starts) against San Diego, despite a mediocre 5.17 ERA over the course of those games.

Wade LeBlanc opposed Hammel in that June 29 clash and will do so again for the Padres tonight. The left-hander was saddled with the loss that night after permitting three runs in 6 1/3 innings, although he gave up only two hits and matched a career best with eight strikeouts.

LeBlanc also performed well in his latest start, one which also failed to result in a victory. The 25-year-old held Houston to a run and three hits through 6 1/3 innings this past Sunday, leaving the contest with a 2-1 lead that his team's bullpen failed to hold.

The University of Alabama product has had his share of hard-luck outcomes during the course of the season, having compiled a 4-6 record that doesn't reflect a solid 3.10 ERA. LeBlanc will be trying to end a four-start winless streak this evening, with his last triumph having taken place on June 12.

LeBlanc is 1-1 with a 4.42 ERA in three lifetime starts against the Rockies, with the lone win coming at Coors Field in September of 2008.

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Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .

''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''

Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.

He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.

''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''

Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.

With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.

Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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