Rockies send flailing Padres to ninth straight loss

Baseball Betting Lines

09/04/2010 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Helton and Carlos Gonzalez both knocked in two runs to help the Colorado Rockies send the spiraling San Diego Padres to a ninth straight loss with a 6-2 win at PETCO Park.

Troy Tulowitzki had two hits and scored two runs for the Rockies, who have won five of their last eight games. Jason Hammel (10-7) gave up two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Adrian Gonzalez and Nick Hundley both doubled home a run for San Diego, while Jon Garland (13-10) allowed three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings.

The Padres are now just 2 1/2 games ahead of second-place San Francisco in the National League West. The Giants play in Los Angeles later Saturday.

Colorado climbed to within 5 1/2 games of San Diego in the division standings.

Down 3-1, the Padres picked up a run in the seventh. Chase Headley singled to open the inning, took second on a groundout and scored on Hundley's double to right field.

Hammel was lifted in favor of Joe Beimel after pinch-hitter Oscar Salazar drew a two-out walk. Beimel walked the only batter he faced in pinch-hitter Yorvit Torrealba to load the bases. Esmil Rogers came on and struck out David Eckstein to preserve the one-run lead.

The Rockies put the game away with a three-spot against San Diego reliever Luke Gregerson in the eighth. Gregerson retired two of the first three batters, but the third out proved to be elusive.

Clint Barmes walked to put runners on the corners, then Dexter Fowler reached on an infield single to plate Ryan Spilborghs. Carlos Gonzalez followed with a two-run double to right to give Colorado a 6-2 lead.

Adrian Gonzalez staked San Diego to an early lead with an RBI double in the first, but the Rockies moved ahead in the third.

Carlos Gonzalez drew a two-out walk and Tulowitzki doubled before Helton plated both runners with a base hit to right.

Colorado loaded the bases with two outs in fifth, and increased its lead to 3-1 when Spilborghs reached on a fielding error by shortstop Everth Cabrera.

Game Notes

The Padres' losing streak is the longest since the club also dropped nine straight from May 14-23, 2003...Carlos Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 12 games...Adrian Gonzalez has hit safely in 15 of his last 16 games...Garland struck out seven batters...The Rockies are now 10-4 against San Diego this season.

Wwgator Baseball Betting News


<< Dolphins release QB White, TE Martin on cut day
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quarterback Pat White and tight end David Martin were among the prominent players released by the Miami Dolphins on Saturday, as the team pared its roster to the 53-player minimum. White was selected in the secon

<< Titans include Simms, Gado, Rolle in roster cuts
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tennessee Titans narrowed their roster to the NFL maximum of 53 players on Saturday, releasing 20 as part of their "cut- down day" maneuvers. Released were defensive end Eric Bakhtiari, defensive end Rahe

<< Notre Dame tops Purdue in Kelly's debut with Irish
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dayne Crist passed for 205 yards and a touchdown, as Notre Dame topped the Purdue Boilermakers, 23-12, in Brian Kelly's Fighting Irish debut. Kelly, a proven winner that resurrected both th

<< England's Dawson ruled out of Swiss match
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England defender Michael Dawson was injured against Bulgaria on Friday in Euro 2012 qualifying and will be sidelined six to eight weeks. Dawson sprained the medial ligament in his left knee and one of his

<< Trade-happy Eagles also list Demps, Harris among cuts
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defensive backs Quintin Demps and Macho Harris, both of whom were contributing members of the Philadelphia Eagles last season, were among the players released as the team pared its roster to the 53- player ma

WR Hardy among Bills' cuts >>
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former second-round pick James Hardy was among the players released by the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, as the team reduced its roster to the 53-player maximum. Hardy, the No. 41 overall pick out of Indiana

TE Havner chopped as Packers reach 53-man limit >>
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tight end Spencer Havner was among the players released by the Green Bay Packers on Saturday, as the team reduced its roster to the 53-player maximum. Havner, who appeared in every game for Green Bay last yea

Bengals acquire safety Nelson from Jaguars >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - On NFL cut-down day, the Cincinnati Bengals made a move to bolster their defensive backfield by acquiring safety Reggie Nelson from Jacksonville. The Bengals sent cornerback David Jones to the Jaguars in

Thrashers sign veteran F Modin >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers appear to have signed veteran forward Fredrik Modin. TSN of Canada on Saturday quoted the Swedish paper Aftonbladet as saying it's a one-year deal, but no terms of the deal were discl

Bears Release 21, including two '09 third-rounders >>
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias and defensive lineman Jarron Gilbert, a pair of third-round draft choices of the Chicago Bears in 2009, were released by the team as part of their Saturday "cut-down day" maneuve

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.

NFL Football Betting


BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES

It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.

BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES

All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.

COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES

Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.

TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES

Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.

RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.

PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.

JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.

SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.

VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES

Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.

DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES

Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.

SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES

I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.

BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES

Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.

BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES

Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.

RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES

A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.

PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers

Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.