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08/19/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies still have playoff aspirations, but right now the club would settle for a long-overdue series win over the rival Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Rockies will try to accomplish that feat in tonight's rubber match of a three-game series between the National League West foes from Dodger Stadium, where Los Angeles will send the red-hot Ted Lilly to the mound.
Colorado has lost nine consecutive series to Los Angeles since taking two of three bouts at Dodger Stadium from August 19-21, 2008. The Rockies are an unwanted 8-21 against their fellow division member over that span and have been dealt defeats in 11 of their last 15 visits to Chavez Ravine.
The Rockies were blanked by a 6-0 count in Tuesday's opener of this set, but rebounded for a hard-earned extra-inning decision last night to even things up. Colorado came through with a 3-2 triumph, with Melvin Mora scoring the eventual winning run on a wild pitch in the top of the 10th.
Mora drew a walk against Octavio Dotel (2-3) with one out in the 10th and stole second before taking third on a wild pitch from the Los Angeles reliever. With Jason Giambi at the plate two batters later, Dotel uncorked another throw that eluded catcher A.J. Ellis and allowed Mora to score.
The Dodgers threatened against Colorado closer Huston Street in the bottom of the inning, but Reed Johnson was gunned down at the plate for the game's final out while attempting to score on Scott Podsednik's single.
"We really had to grind tonight," said Rockies manager Jim Tracy afterward. "There wasn't a lot going on offensively. We took advantage of a couple of walks and wild pitches to scratch out a run. It was a great game to win."
Miguel Olivo knocked in a pair of runs on the night for Colorado, which presently trails Philadelphia by six games for the lead in the NL Wild Card standings. Starting pitcher Jason Hammel allowed two runs and just four hits in a six-inning no-decision.
Hiroki Kuroda also pitched well for Los Angeles despite not factoring in the final outcome, with the Japanese native holding the Rockies to two runs and striking out seven batters over the first seven innings.
For Colorado to finally break through and take a series from the Dodgers, the team will have to solve the resurgent Lilly, who's been outstanding since coming over in a trade with the Chicago Cubs on July 31. The veteran lefty has won all three starts following the swap and yielded a total of four runs and just 10 hits over 19 innings during that impressive stretch.
Lilly extended his terrific run by firing six shutout innings to best NL East leader Atlanta this past Saturday at Turner Field. He's now 3-0 with an excellent 1.85 earned run average in six starts with the Dodgers and Cubs since the All-Star break.
The 34-year-old has also had success when facing the Rockies over his career, having amassed a 3-1 record with a 5.40 ERA through five all-time meetings with Colorado. In his lone encounter with Colorado last season, Lilly gave up only a single hit and struck out eight over 6 2/3 frames while still with Chicago.
Jorge De La Rosa gets the call for Colorado tonight and will be hoping to end his career struggles against the Dodgers. The left-hander is 0-5 with a 6.58 ERA over 11 overall appearances (seven starts) versus LA, although he does sport a strong 1.86 ERA in six lifetime outings (three starts) at Dodger Stadium.
The 2009 16-game winner enters tonight's clash off back-to-back no-decisions against Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. In Friday's start against the Brewers, De La Rosa allowed three runs over 5 1/3 innings.
De La Rosa is 4-3 with a 4.99 ERA in 11 starts during an injury-plagued 2010 campaign, with the 29-year-old having missed more than two months with a torn tendon in his left finger.
<< Next-best thing to Rachel and Zenyatta
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Since it doesn't appear that Rachel
Alexandra and Zenyatta will race against each other before the Breeders' Cup
in November, Saturday's meeting between leading three-year-old fillies Devil
May Care and Blind
<< Can Brett Favre do it again?
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) -Even Brett Favre was amazed by what he did last season as a 40-year-old quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.In his 19th season, Favre threw for 4,202 yards and 33 touchdowns while setting career bests for completion rate
<< Rockies win 10-inning thriller at Dodger Stadium
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Melvin Mora scored the go-ahead run on
Octavio Dotel's wild pitch in the 10th inning, and the Dodgers had the tying
run thrown out at the plate to end the game, as the Rockies took a wild 3-2
decisio
<< Reds rally late, escape Arizona with win
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pinch-hitter Chris Heisey's squeeze bunt single
in the ninth inning put the Reds in front and the Reds scored eight times over
the final two frames to steal an 11-7 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Laynce Ni
Red Sox go for season sweep of Halos at Fenway >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox try to complete a season sweep of the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this evening when they wrap up their three-game
series at Fenway Park.
Boston, which was swept by the Angels in last year's Americ
Marlins close road trip with finale of four-game set in Pittsburgh >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins will close out what's been an up-and-
down 10-game road trip tonight with the last of four straight meetings with
the downtrodden Pittsburgh Pirates from PNC Park.
Florida began its three-city tour in
Braves have brooms ready for visiting Nats >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves won't have newly-acquired first baseman
Derrek Lee in the lineup this afternoon, but will still try to complete a
three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals at Turner Field.
Lee, who was hitting
Surging Twins try to further bury struggling ChiSox >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After posting 70 wins for the 10th straight year, the
Minnesota Twins have their sights set on reaching the playoffs in consecutive
seasons. The AL Central leaders are on the right path and will shoot for a
three-game sweep o
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The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
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