Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
06/04/2008 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Cook pitched eight dominant innings, and the Colorado Rockies edged the Dodgers, 2-1, to take two of three from Los Angeles, in the process winning their first road series in more than a month.
Cook (8-3) scattered six hits and fanned six, allowing one run with one walk on 118 pitches.
Jeff Baker's two-run homer in the second was all the offense needed for the Rockies, who won two straight in LA to break both an eight-game losing streak and 13-game road skid. Brian Fuentes threw a perfect ninth for his eighth save.
The Rockies hadn't won a series away from home since taking two of three in Houston from April 18-20. The series win was the first overall for the Rockies since taking two of three from the Mets in Colorado from May 23-25.
Rookie prospect Clayton Kershaw (0-1) gave up five hits and two runs over five frames, fanning five and walking four to take his first career loss in his third start.
"I was a little too wild, I was a little too inconsistent," said Kershaw. "I made one bad pitch to Baker, and he put it out of the ballpark. That's what happens."
Matt Kemp's RBI infield single in the sixth was the only offense for the struggling Dodgers, who have dropped eight of 10.
Chris Iannetta legged out an infield single to lead off the second for the Rockies, and Baker brought him in with his first homer of the season, a drive into the stands just left of dead center that gave the Rockies the early 2-0 lead.
The Dodgers cut the deficit in half with some small ball in the sixth. Chin- Lung Hu reached base on an infield single, and Chan Ho Park bunted him over to second. Hu headed to third on a Juan Pierre groundout, and Kemp was able to leg out an infield single of his own as Hu crossed home.
That was all for the Dodgers' offense however. Cook and Fuentes combined to toss three scoreless frames, with a two-out single by Delwyn Young in the eighth the only blemish.
"I was hoping it would," said Cook when asked if he thought Baker's home run would hold up. "I was able to make good pitches today, and guys were playing great defense behind me."
Russell Martin hit a hard-line drive to center with two outs in the ninth, but it held up for Willy Taveras to make the game-ending catch.
Game Notes
Todd Helton reached base on an infield single in the first, his only hit of the day, to extend his hitting streak to 11 games...The Rockies improved to 4-19 in their last 23 road games. Their 13-game road losing streak, which ended on Tuesday, was the longest road skid in the majors since the Kansas City Royals lost 13 straight road games spanning two seasons, from October 2, 2005 to May 3, 2006.
<< Rays put Pena on DL with fractured finger
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays placed first baseman Carlos
Pena on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, with a fractured left index
finger.
Pena was struck by a Justin Masterson pitch in the first inning of Tuesda
<< Bayern secures services of veteran keeper Butt
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran goalkeeper Hans-Jorg Butt has
completed his free transfer from Benfica to Bayern Munich.
The 34-year-old former Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen shot-stopper moved to
Lisbon last summer but
<< Hughes takes charge of City on three-year deal
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City have named Mark Hughes
as their new manager with the former Wales and Blackburn boss penning a three-
year contract at Eastlands.
The 44-year-old replaces Sven-Goran Eriksson who was re
<< U.S. falls to Spain, 1-0
Santander, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Xavi Hernandez scored the lone goal as the
U.S. men's national team lost its second straight international friendly on
Wednesday, the latest at Spain, 1-0.
Xavi's goal came in the 79th minute when t
Rangers make four roster moves >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers placed pitcher A.J.
Murray on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday, with a left rotator cuff
strain and recalled pitcher Kameron Loe from Triple-A Oklahoma.
Murray left in th
Pujols out of lineup with calf injury >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert
Pujols was out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against Washington
due to tightness in his left calf.
Pujols, who left Tuesday's game, is hitting .
Goats aim to extend winning streak at New York >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chivas USA will travel across the
country from its home in the Los Angeles area to face the New York Red
Bulls on Thursday night at Giants Stadium in Major League Soccer action.
All the a
Reyes, Mets take series from Giants >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Reyes had three hits, including a
two-run home run, in the New York Mets' 5-3 victory over the San Francisco
Giants in the rubber game of the series.
Reyes finished with two RBI, two runs
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.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting