08/20/2008 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ian Stewart hit a three-run homer and finished with a career-high five RBI while Brad Hawpe continued his recent strong offensive play with a two-run homer, as the Colorado Rockies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-3, in the opener of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.
Hawpe, who finished 1-for-3 with three runs scored, is batting .478 with four home runs and nine RBI during his current six-game hit streak for the Rockies, who have won four straight games. Matt Holliday was 4-for-5 with a solo home run in the win.
"Things have been good for us the last four games." said Hawpe. "We got our hits at the right time with runners on base."
Ubaldo Jimenez (9-11) earned the win after he tossed five innings and allowed three runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts.
"I could've done better," said Jimenez. "I'd like to throw more than five innings, but it's great to have a bullpen like ours."
Jeff Kent finished 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI for Los Angeles, which has dropped two of three following a five-game win streak and fell one game back of the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks. Matt Kemp registered an RBI and a run scored in the loss.
Hiroki Kuroda (7-9), who started and yielded four runs on six hits over six innings, suffered the loss.
Earlier Tuesday, the Dodgers acquired future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Greg Maddux from the San Diego Padres for two minor leaguers to be named later or cash considerations. Maddux pitched for the Dodgers in a portion of the 2006 season and will in essence replace Brad Penny in the starting rotation. Penny was placed on the disabled list on August 14 with right shoulder inflammation.
After the Rockies grabbed an early lead on a two-run single by Stewart in the top of the first, the Dodgers cut their deficit in half in the bottom of the frame on a pair of doubles by Kemp and Kent.
In the top of the third, Hawpe crushed a low fastball over the wall in center field. Holliday, who reached on a one-out single, also scored on Hawpe's 22nd home run of the season for a 4-1 Colorado lead.
A two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth inning brought the Dodgers within 4-3. Nomar Garciaparra's single preceded a double by Casey Blake and with runners on second and third and two outs, a passed ball allowed Garciaparra to cross the plate. Kemp's second double of the game followed and Blake scored, but Andre Ethier fanned to end the frame.
Blake doubled with two outs in the sixth, but Luis Vizcaino induced a groundout off the bat of pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney.
Manny Corpas escaped a big jam in the seventh. Kent and Manny Ramirez both hit two-out singles and Corpas issued a walk to James Loney, but Russell Martin flied out to deep right field.
The Rockies put the game out of reach with a four-run eighth inning. Holliday led off the frame with his 24th homer of the year, a blast which brought Hong- Chih Kuo to the mound from the LA bullpen. Consecutive walks to Hawpe and Garrett Atkins preceded a three-run blast by Stewart, who belted a low fastball over the right-field wall.
"Our bullpen couldn't keep it close," said LA manager Joe Torre.
Game Notes
The scheduled pitching matchup for Wednesday's game is Colorado left-hander Jeff Francis versus Chad Billingsley...The Rockies have won 10 of their last 14 on the road...Jimenez is now 4-0 lifetime against LA...With his double in the game, Kent moved into a tie with Eddie Murray for 20th place on the all-time doubles list with 560...Attendance was 46,687.
<< Nolasco's near no-no allow Marlins to spear Giants
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ricky Nolasco was dominant, fanning 11 in
a two-hit shutout as the Marlins cruised to a 6-0 win over the San Francisco
Giants in the opener of a three-game set.
Nolasco (12-7) walked one in his first
<< This Week in Auto Racing August 20 - 24
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR roars into "Thunder Valley" as all
three of its national touring series race under the lights at Bristol Motor
Speedway in Tennessee this week. The IndyCar Series heads to Northern
Califor
<< Bartoli, Mauresmo, Szavay post wins in New Haven
New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Third-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli,
fourth-seeded Hungarian Agnes Szavay and former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo of
France were all winners Tuesday at the $600,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event, a
final h
<< Padres activate Tomko from DL
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres activated pitcher
Brett Tomko off the 15-day disabled list Tuesday.
Tomko had been sidelined with a strained right elbow since July 1.
The journeyman right-hander made two
Red Wings re-sign Downey >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings re-signed forward Aaron
Downey to a one-year, two-way undisclosed contract Wednesday.
Downey signed with Detroit last season following a training camp tryout and
appeared in 56 game
Royals, Indians resume three-game series in Cleveland >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Zach Jackson makes his second appearance in a
Cleveland uniform tonight when the Indians take on the visiting Kansas City
Royals in the second of three midweek games at Progressive Field.
Jackson, a supplemental 2004
Lilly goes for Cubs against Reds >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Ted Lilly can reverse the result of his lone loss in
10 starts when the Chicago Cubs host the Cincinnati Reds in the middle test of
a three-game series tonight at Wrigley Field.
A 32-year-old Californian, Lilly is 5-
Pirates wrap up short set in St. Louis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Todd Wellemeyer goes for an eighth start
without a loss tonight when the St. Louis Cardinals host the Pittsburgh
Pirates in the second and final game of an abbreviated two-game set at Busch
Stadium.
Wellemeye
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting