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07/19/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Imagine the San Diego Padres trying to stay atop the NL West standings without Adrian Gonzalez, Chase Headley and Yorvit Torrealba.
The Los Angeles Dodgers would certainly enjoy seeing that happen, but they're the ones trying to stay healthy for a gigantic stretch run in the second half. The Dodgers, currently 5 1/2 games behind the division-leading Padres, are dealing with injuries to Manny Ramirez, Russell Martin and James Loney.
Ramirez hasn't played since Friday because of a tight calf muscle. That was the last time Martin saw action because of a thumb ailment and Loney recently tweaked a hamstring, forcing manager Joe Torre to make a late scratch before Sunday's 5-4 loss at St. Louis. All three are questionable for Monday's series opener versus rival San Francisco.
The Cardinals completed the four-game sweep of Los Angeles (49-43) with two runs in the bottom of the ninth and erased a 4-0 lead.
"It's tough. Very tough," Torre said on the team's site. "It looked like what should have been a good enough lead, we let get away, and we have nobody to blame but ourselves."
Torre was "celebrating" his 70th birthday and the loss may have added a few years. He is still mum on his future with the club, and has more to worry about with injuries and breakdowns in pitching. It's not as if the Dodgers can go out and make a big trade or sign someone since moving money around is not a subject the franchise wants to discuss at this point. What you see is what you get from this current group of Dodgers, and it's going to be tough making ground in the NL West for the remainder of the season.
PADRES PAINT FUTURE BLACK
It's safe to say San Diego Padres manager Bud Black has performed a mini miracle with the ballclub this season.
Upper management seems to feel the same way and handed him a three-year contract extension through 2013 with club options for 2014 and 2015. Black, whose deal was extended through 2010 with a club option for 2011 last August, has the confidence of his players and general manager Jed Hoyer.
"I am really happy to announce that the Padres have reached an agreement on a well-deserved contract extension for Bud Black," said Hoyer. "This news comes at time when the team is playing well, but my faith in Bud goes far beyond wins and losses. He and his staff are exceptionally well prepared, he embraces the challenge of teaching young players and, most importantly, the players compete for him every night."
During his three-plus seasons at the helm, Black has led San Diego to an overall mark of 281-297.
Many pegged the Padres to finish near the basement in the NL West this season and that they would probably trade All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Instead, San Diego has spent numerous weeks atop the division standings and owns the best record in the National League at 54-37. Atlanta is right behind with a 54-38 ledger.
Gonzalez isn't going anywhere as of now, and the Padres would be foolish to let their best left-handed bat go. The team locked up Black, so why not Gonzalez too?
San Diego has won four straight and will visit the Braves for three games starting with Tuesday's series opener.
GIANTS MUST PLAY BETTER IN NL WEST
With the Los Angeles Dodgers ailing and the Arizona Diamondbacks struggling, the San Francisco Giants' upcoming schedule should get a bit easier.
The Giants (50-42) will open a seven-game road trip in Hollywood and Arizona tonight, but have the worst division mark in the NL West. At 9-20 in division play, it's no wonder the Giants are 4 1/3 games out first place.
On a sour note, San Francisco has won only three of 14 road games against teams from the NL West this season.
"I think as much as anything it's the focus these guys came in with, knowing this is part of the schedule and how important it is to play on the road, especially when you have a long stretch, and that can determine your season," noted Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "That's how you have to look at it, how important it is, and come out every day and be ready to go."
On a more uplifting note, the Giants have won nine of their last 11 games and almost completed a rare four-game sweep of the visiting New York Mets before the bullpen imploded Sunday afternoon. Bochy has a strong trio of pitchers for the upcoming set with LA, as young prospect Madison Bumgarner, two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum and 2002 AL Cy Young honoree Barry Zito are scheduled to pitch in Hollywood.
HIT STREAKS END FOR COLORADO'S GONZALEZ, HERRERA
Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and infielder Jonathan Herrera both had lengthy hitting streaks come to an end in Sunday's win at Cincinnati.
They are probably more relieved that the ballclub was able to halt a three- game losing streak despite combining to go 0-for-8 in the 1-0 win.
Herrera was riding a 13-game hitting streak and batted .396 with seven runs and seven RBI before an 0-for-4 showing yesterday. He had a 10-game streak going earlier this season and the longest streak by a Rockie this season was Clint Barmes' 14-game run from the end of June to the beginning of July.
Gonzalez had a hit in 10 consecutive contests before his 0-for-4 performance on Sunday. He hit .442 with 13 runs bated in over the stretch.
In other team news, All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is expected to join the team in south Florida this week. The injured infielder, who is hampered by a broken left wrist, could begin a Minor League rehab assignment in the next few days. First baseman Todd Helton is still on the disabled list with a back problem, but has been taking swings in the batting cage.
The Rockies (50-41) are four games off the NL West lead and have won seven of their last 10 games. They are 1-2 on an 11-game trek through Cincinnati, Florida and Philadelphia.
IF ONLY VASQUEZ COULD START FOR D'BACKS
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been through turmoil this season.
A lack of hits in the clutch and poor pitching has led the Diamondbacks to an abysmal 34-58 record this season, a manager change and a new GM. Arizona has the worst overall earned run average this season at 5.40, while its relievers own an MLB-low 6.78 ERA.
Relief pitcher Esmerling Vasquez has been able to put all of that aside and has worked 8 1/3 straight scoreless innings. Interim manager Kirk Gibson could use just about anything right now on the mound. Heck, he could test and see if the batboy has a good arm.
But it's been nice for Vasquez and his scoreless streak because there hasn't been much to talk about in the desert these days.
Arizona may even make some moves at the upcoming trade deadline, but don't expect them to break the bank or dump salary for the fun of it. Perhaps starting pitcher Dan Haren will be on the trade block or some other veteran who could bring in a package of prospects.
"I don't think anybody is really in a deal-making mode yet. We've been very open in discussing with teams what we'd be interested in doing," D'Backs GM Jerry Dipoto said on the team's site.
The Diamondbacks have lost four in a row and are last in the NL West standings, 20 1/2 games behind frontrunning San Diego. Meanwhile, infielder Kelly Johnson has ripped off four straight multi-hit games and has hit safely in 12 of his last 14 games, recording two triples, two homers and 10 RBI.
<< Wrong year for Life At Ten to be so good
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This is the situation that confronts fi
<< Celtics re-sign Nate Robinson
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics have re-signed guard Nate
Robinson.
Terms of the deal were not released, but the Boston Herald reported last week
that the diminutive guard agreed to a two-year, $8 million pact.
Bosto
<< Padres extend manager Black's contract
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres announced Monday that
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club options for the 2014 and 2015 campaigns.
"I am really happy to announce that
<< Liverpool wins race to sign Joe Cole
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole has
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The 28-year-old Cole left the Blues last month after he was not offered a
Cho named new Blazers general manager >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers have named Rich Cho
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No financial terms of the deal were announced.
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Arena fills out MLS All-Star roster >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - MLS commissioner Don Garber and MLS All-Star
Team head coach Bruce Arena of the Los Angeles Galaxy made their selections to
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Miyazato replaces Kerr as women's No. 1 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ai Miyazato has replaced Cristie Kerr atop
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Kerr snatched t
Rays sign OF Baldelli to minor league deal >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays signed veteran
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NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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