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08/31/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies are up to their old tricks again.
Known for late-season surges, the Rockies appear to be headed in that direction and will try to stay hot Tuesday in the second installment of a three-game series against the NL West-rival San Francisco Giants.
Colorado took the baseball world by storm in 2007, when it made an improbable run to the World Series with a September to remember. The Rockies, who did it again last season before bowing out in the NLDS, came alive in the ninth inning of last night's game at AT&T Park to rally for a 2-1 win.
With the Giants clinging to a 1-0 lead in the top of the ninth, Dexter Fowler walked to start the frame and came home on MVP candidate Carlos Gonzalez's ensuing triple. Gonzalez then crossed the plate with the go-ahead run on Freddy Sanchez's throwing error.
Huston Street set San Francisco down in order in the bottom half for his 13th save as the Rockies posted their third straight victory and won for the seventh time in eight tries.
Jorge De La Rosa started for the Rockies and pitched seven innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts, while Rafael Betancourt earned the win with two K's in the eighth inning.
"I don't think you can understate that win right there," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said on the club's website after the game.
Even with a lack of offense, the Rockies were able to gain ground in the Wild Card standings, pulling within 3 1/2 games of Philadelphia after the Phillies lost to Los Angeles Monday night. Colorado is also seven games out of first place in the National League West Division.
The team may not have shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in the lineup tonight, however. He missed Monday's win with a sore left groin and is day-to-day.
Taking on the Giants tonight will be young right-hander Esmil Rogers. He is 2-2 with a 5.66 earned run average in 17 games (6 starts) this season and hasn't recorded a decision in three straight appearances. Rogers was hammered in his most recent appearance, a 12-10 Colorado win over Atlanta last Wednesday, as he allowed seven runs and eight hits in 1 2/3 innings.
Rogers is still in search of his first career win over San Francisco, having gone 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in two previous games (1 start).
The Giants, meanwhile, missed out on a chance to move closer to the Phillies in the race for the final postseason spot in the NL. They could have also gained ground on the Padres in the NL West, but the rough ninth inning sealed their fate.
Buster Posey seemed to be recovered from a recent arm injury and gave San Francisco the lead with an RBI single in the fourth inning. The lead would hold until the ninth, when Brian Wilson gave up Gonzalez's RBI triple and Sanchez's relay throw ended up in the crowd.
"It's a tough loss to take," Sanchez said. "I didn't have a good grip on that throw. If I would have had a good grip and made a better throw, we'd probably still be playing."
San Francisco starter Jonathan Sanchez was solid through eight-plus innings and yielded just one run and five hits with six strikeouts. He also walked a pair of batters for the Giants, who are 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies in the Wild Card standings and five games in back of division-leading San Diego.
The Giants are in the midst of 19 straight games against NL West foes.
Young pitching prospect Madison Bumgarner will handle pitching duties Tuesday and is 5-4 with a 3.95 earned run average in 12 starts. Bumgarner is only 1-2 in his last six starts and did not record a decision in last Wednesday's 12-11 loss to Cincinnati. He lasted only 2 2/3 innings and was touched for eight runs -- seven earned -- and seven hits.
The lefty lost at Colorado on August 4 of this season, as he allowed four runs on nine hits in just four innings. He is 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA in two career starts in this series.
The Rockies have won eight of 13 meetings with San Francisco this season.
<< Ho hum. It's business as usual for No. 1 Tide
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -Nick Saban didn't so much as raise his voice. The trademark scowl never made even a cameo appearance.Sure seems as if No. 1 Alabama's top ranking and elephant-sized expectations are becoming the status quo around here, judging
<< ECU's McNeill embraces challenge of 1st game week
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) -The smoke will billow near East Carolina's locker room, the pyrotechnics will sparkle and they'll blast Jimi Hendrix's ``Purple Haze'' over the speakers.Then, for the first time, Ruffin McNeill will lead the Pirates onto the f
<< Nine carries in preseason plenty for Jackson
ST. LOUIS (AP) - St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson says nine carries in the preseason is enough to get ready for the season.The Pro Bowler said he didn't want to play Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens. Then came the long, rumbling
<< Foster emerges as top back for Texans
HOUSTON (AP) - Houston running back Arian Foster wants to get one of his offensive linemen into the Pro Bowl. He certainly wouldn't turn down an invitation for himself.Foster has emerged as Houston's top running back at training camp. That's a hopef
Chiefs release Long >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs have released wide
receiver Lance Long.
Long appeared in seven games, starting one, for the Chiefs last season. He
caught 20 passes for 178 yards.
Steelers waive Frazier, release four others >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Steelers have waived
linebacker Andre Frazier, who was part of the club's past two Super Bowl
teams.
Frazier re-signed with Pittsburgh in March, but reported to camp with a knee
injury. He wa
Giants place Sorgi, Moss on IR >>
East Rutherford, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants have placed
quarterback Jim Sorgi and wide receiver Sinorice Moss on injured reserve.
Sorgi, who was signed in March to back up Eli Manning, suffered a shoulder
injury in the preseas
Stuttgart signs Italian midfielder Camoranesi >>
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stuttgart acquired Italian midfielder
Mauro Camoranesi from Juventus on Tuesday and signed him to a one-year deal.
Camoranesi helped Italy win the 2006 World Cup and has played 54 times for his
countr
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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