Red-hot Rockies attempt to draw even with sliding Padres

Baseball Betting Lines

07/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies appear to be putting together one of those long winning stretches they've become known for during the past few seasons, much to the chagrin of the rest of the National League West.

The resurgent Rockies will try to extend their season-best win streak to seven consecutive games and forge a first-place tie with the San Diego Padres in the division standings when the two NL West foes conclude a three-game series from Coors Field this afternoon.

Colorado has gained ground on the Padres in the division chase by going 8-1 thus far on its current 10-game homestand, and is on its longest tear since ripping off eight straight wins from September 4-11 of last season to help secure the NL's Wild Card. The Rockies have also gone 15-3 at Coors Field since June 11 and now boast an outstanding 31-15 record as the host this year.

The Rockies maintained their winning ways and closed within a game of the slumping Padres with Saturday's 4-2 triumph behind 6 1/3 solid innings from starting pitcher Jason Hammel and a trio of home runs.

Brad Eldred had a two-run homer and both Carlos Gonzalez and Melvin Mora added solo shots for Colorado, with Eldred and Mora each finishing 2-for-4 at the plate.

Eldred's homer was his first in the majors since 2007, and the big first baseman has gone 5-for-9 in three games since being called up from the minors to fill the roster spot of the injured Todd Helton.

"It feels great to be up here and contribute," said Eldred. "To see how hard these guys work and be in a pennant chase really means a lot to me and hopefully I can continue to be a part of it."

Gonzalez, meanwhile, has now went deep in seven of his last 12 contests and is batting .469 (15-for-32) with four homers and 10 RBI over the course of a seven-game hitting streak.

Saturday's power surge provided more than enough support for Hammel (7-3), who held the Padres to two runs on five hits to post his sixth straight winning decision.

Wade LeBlanc (4-7) wasn't able to match his counterpart, as the San Diego lefty served up all three homers and was touched for four runs on nine hits before exiting after 5 2/3 innings.

The loss was the fourth in five games for the Padres, who have now dropped eight of 11 meetings with Colorado thus far in 2010. San Diego is 1-4 at Coors Field this season.

"We still have a long way to go here," said LeBlanc after the game. "We're not even at the All-Star break, we have three months to go here and we'll get back on track."

While the Rockies have been rolling as of late, Jeff Francis has had trouble getting himself untracked in recent starts. The one-time 17-game winner takes the ball this afternoon off back-to-back rough showings in which he's been battered for 13 runs and 13 hits in only seven innings of work. One of those outings came against the Padres in San Diego, where Francis was rocked for eight runs in three innings of a 13-3 Colorado setback on June 30.

The oft-injured left-hander was ineffective as well this past Tuesday against St. Louis, surrendering five runs on six hits before exiting after four innings. He was spared a potential loss, however, when the Rockies scored nine times in the ninth inning to rally for a thrilling 12-9 victory.

Since yielding only one run in a 13 1/3-inning span over his first two assignments of 2010, Francis has gone 1-3 with a subpar 6.45 earned run average in eight starts and allowed five runs or more five times during that span. The native Canadian has also historically struggled when facing the Padres, as his 5-11 record and 5.66 ERA in 19 career appearances will attest.

San Diego's Clayton Richard will also be trying to atone for a disappointing last start, in addition to getting his team back in the win column, when he toes the rubber today for the visitors. The young southpaw was reached for five runs on nine hits and issued four walks over six shaky innings Tuesday at Washington, registering a no-decision in an eventual 6-5 Padres' loss.

Richard was outstanding his previous time out, which came in a matchup with Francis and the Rockies on June 30. He established a career best with 10 strikeouts and limited Colorado to two runs and five hits over seven sharp innings to notch his sixth win of the campaign.

The 26-year-old was handed a loss at Coors Field on April 9 after permitting three runs in seven innings, but has compiled a solid 3-1 record with a 2.98 ERA in seven road starts so far this season. For his career, Richard is 1-1 with a 3.90 ERA in five lifetime encounters with the Rockies.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.

"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."

Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.