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08/25/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Only a monumental collapse or some gypsy curse over the next few weeks can derail the San Diego Padres in their quest for a third division title since 2005.
The Padres won the NL West five years ago and shared the title with Los Angeles the following season. The 2006 campaign was also the last time they reached the playoffs.
Great pitching can be attributed to San Diego's surprising success this year. A little help too from All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has the division leaders sitting 5 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco.
Will Venable became the latest star at the plate on Tuesday and clubbed a two- run homer in a 5-0 win over rival Arizona.
"[Heading into the] end of August and coming into September, it's time to grind it out and there can't be any letdowns," Venable told MLB.com after San Diego matched last season's win total at 75.
San Diego (75-49) clinched a seventh straight month of winning baseball with last night's win. Including this current series with the Diamondbacks, the Padres will face division opponents eight times until the end of the regular season.
On a bullpen note, Padres closer Heath Bell has converted each of his last 24 save chances and is first in the National League with 37 on the season. San Diego's bullpen has the best ERA in the majors at 2.82.
WILL MANNY STAY OR WILL HE GO?
Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Manny Ramirez has played two games since returning from the disabled list, but are his days in Dodger blue over?
Ramirez is rumored to be placed on waivers sometime this week, and both the White Sox and Rays are allegedly interested in his services.
"I don't think it's anything different than [what] goes on in July with all the rumors that fly around in July about trade possibilities," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said on the team's site. "I don't see any concern."
Ramirez hasn't been much of a contributor this season as evidenced by his eight homers and 39 runs batted in. He is, however, batting .306, but it hasn't been enough to keep the ballclub within striking distance of a playoff spot. Los Angeles is 6 1/2 games off the wild card lead and 12 games behind San Diego in the NL West.
LA (64-62) has alternated wins and losses over its last eight games and will face a tough stretch after this current series in Milwaukee. Torre's club will visit Colorado before hosting the Phillies and Giants, while the Padres are scheduled to welcome the Dodgers to Petco Park from Sept. 6-8.
In other team news for Los Angeles, starting pitcher Chad Billingsley has been pushed back until Saturday at the Rockies because of a mild calf injury. According to Torre on the club's website, the right-hander probably could take the hill on Thursday in Milwaukee, but needs the extra rest.
SLUG LINE: GIANTS HOPE BATS STAY HOT BY THE BAY
The additions of Pat Burrell and Jose Guillen were excellent, but they didn't come into focus in San Francisco's 16-5 win over Cincinnati last night.
Instead rookie Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Juan Uribe and Freddy Sanchez each played longball for a club that has outscored the Reds, 27-7, so far over the first two portions of a three-game series. Sandoval has hit safely in 12 of the last 17 games, batting .313 with five homers and 12 RBI in that span.
"Panda's back," Giants outfielder Andres Torres said of his teammate. "You've seen how his swing is, and that's the Panda that I know. He's amazing. He hits the ball really hard, that's how he hits the ball. And not just him, the team, it's been everybody. It's been fun."
The power display enabled the Giants to pull even with Philadelphia atop the National League Wild Card standings, while St. Louis is a game behind. San Diego won as well last night and still leads the NL West by 5 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco, which is embroiled in an easy homestand versus the Reds, Diamondbacks and Rockies.
San Francisco (71-56) must not overlook its opponents on this residency because it will hit the road for 10 games against the Dodgers, D'Backs and Padres. Meanwhile, Cody Ross earned his first start as a Giant Tuesday, finishing with two hits, a pair of runs scored and an RBI. Ross was acquired from Florida and joins a jumbled, but talented, outfield by the Bay.
"They're all going to play and if they're not starting they're probably going to be in there," Giants skipper Bruce Bochy said of the outfielders.
ROCKIES' PLAYOFF HOPES ON LIFE SUPPORT
The playoff fate of the Colorado Rockies could be decided within the next week in matchups against the Dodgers, Giants, Phillies and Padres.
At five games off the final postseason berth in the National League, Colorado (65-60) must get solid pitching out of its starters, most notably Cy Young candidate Ubaldo Jimenez. Jimenez has lost two of his last three starts and is only 2-3 with a 4.04 earned run average in his last seven outings.
Jimenez is tied with CC Sabathia (Yankees) and Adam Wainwright (Cardinals) for the league lead in wins with 17, and was denied his 18th victory of the season last Saturday in a 3-1 loss to the lowly Diamondbacks.
"I made a lot of mistakes in the whole game and they just made me pay in those two pitches," said Jimenez, who is trying to become the first Rockies pitcher in team history with 18 wins in a season. "I was trying to be there for my team, throw strikes and get hitters out. I wish every time I go out there I can throw a shutout but it's not like that."
The hard-throwing right-hander isn't scheduled to pitch again until August 27 against the Dodgers. Jason Hammel is next on the team in wins with an 8-7 mark, while NL MVP candidate Carlos Gonzalez just became the seventh player in team history with 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in a season.
Colorado has won three in a row and will shoot for a three-game sweep of the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves Wednesday at Coors Field.
D'BACKS READY TO END DISAPPOINTING CAMPAIGN
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been in existence since 1998 and suffered through their worst season in 2004, when the club ended 51-111.
Arizona is headed for another downtrodden season in 2010 and currently sports a dismal 49-77 record. It has lost two straight and six of its last eight games, including the opener of a three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday from Petco Park.
Young prospect Ryan Roberts was recalled from Triple-A Reno this week and did not impress last night, going 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts.
"He went down to Reno and did a good job. It's his time. It's his job to go out and prove he belongs on the 2011 roster," Arizona interim general manager Jerry Dipoto said on the team's site before Roberts went hitless in San Diego.
Justin Upton had a hit and three walks for Arizona last night and has reached base via a hit or walk in six straight games, batting .381 over that stretch. Adam LaRoche struck out three times in four at-bats, however, after entering the game batting .304 over his last 12 contests.
Arizona will visit rival San Francisco over the weekend.
<< Kroenke becomes majority owner of Rams
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Rams announced on Wednesday
that E. Stanley Kroenke has become the majority owner of the club.
The decision was made via a vote by the rest of the league's owners at a
meeting in Atlanta.
"St
<< FIBA World Basketball Championship Preview - Group D
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Country: Canada
FIBA Ranking: 19
Head Coach: Leo Rautins
Key Players: Joel Anthony, Andy Rautins
Overview: It's been sometime since Canada has made an impact on the world
stage and since the de
<< FCD producing positive results under Hyndman
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suddenly FC Dallas is looking like a legitimate contender
in Major League Soccer under head coach Schellas Hyndman.
That hasn't always been the case since the long-time Southern Methodist
University coach took ove
<< FIBA World Basketball Championship Preview - Group C
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Country: China
FIBA Ranking: 9
Head Coach: Bob Donewald
Key Players: Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhizhi, Sun Yue
Overview: China will be without the services of superstar Yao Ming as he
continues to battl
Jaguars ink RB Kolby Smith >>
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Jacksonville Jaguars signed running
back Kolby Smith, the club announced on Wednesday.
Smith, 25, joins the Jaguars following a brief stint with Denver. The 5-
foot-11, 219-pounder was signe
Could be a wide-open Open >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2010 U.S. Open will get underway in
less than a week, and this year's fields appear to be a bit more wide open
than usual.
We already know we'll have a new men's champion next month, as 2009 winner
Ju
Vikings acquire WR Camarillo from Dolphins >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly
acquired wide receiver Greg Camarillo from the Miami Dolphins.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the Dolphins got cornerback Benny
Sapp in return.
M
Carlos Eduardo leaves Hoffenheim for Rubin Kazan >>
Sinsheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoffenheim midfielder Carlos Eduardo
completed a move to Russian champions Rubin Kazan on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old Brazilian has spent the past three seasons with Hoffenheim,
scoring 13 goals i
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.
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