Rockies continue late playoff push against Reds

Baseball Betting Lines

09/08/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the Colorado Rockies making a belated push for a playoff spot, Carlos Gonzalez has been enhancing his credentials for a possible National League MVP Award with his performance over the past few weeks.

Gonzalez puts a career-best 15-game hitting streak on the line and the resurgent Rockies set their sights on a sixth consecutive win when they continue a four-game series with the suddenly-slumping Cincinnati Reds tonight at Coors Field.

Colorado has vaulted itself back into the NL postseason picture by winning 11 of its last 16 contests, including the first two tests of this set. The Rockies, who returned home off a critical three-game sweep at NL West-leading San Diego over the weekend, are currently 4 1/2 games back the Padres in the division standings and trail Atlanta by the same amount for the lead in the league's Wild Card race.

Gonzalez has certainly played a big part in Colorado's recent roll. The standout outfielder is batting a scorching .525 (31-for-59) with seven home runs and 21 RBI during his tear and belted a three-run homer in the first inning that helped the Rockies to a 4-3 triumph over the reeling Reds last night.

"I feel good. I think I'm seeing the ball really well," Gonzalez said afterward. "I'm just trying to take advantage of every situation so I can help the ball club win."

Gonzalez has made himself a serious threat for the NL's Triple Crown in the process. The 24-year-old tops the Senior Circuit in both batting average (.340) and RBI (100) and trails St. Louis' Albert Pujols by three homers for the lead in that category.

Miguel Olivo added three hits, including an RBI double, to Tuesday's triumph, while rookie pitcher Jhoulys Chacin (8-9) held Cincinnati's potent offense to two runs over the first six innings.

The Reds closed within 4-3 on Jonny Gomes' solo homer off reliever Rafael Betancourt in the eighth, but Colorado closer Huston Street pitched a scoreless ninth to nail down the Rockies' eighth straight win over Cincinnati at Coors Field. The Reds haven't prevailed in Denver since August 22, 2008.

Although Cincinnati did take two of three matchups from the Rockies in Ohio back in July, Colorado is now 17-3 over its last 20 tilts against the Reds following yesterday's result.

The loss was the third in a row and fourth in five outings for the NL Central- leading Reds, who were still able to maintain a six-game advantage on second- place St. Louis after the Cardinals fell to Milwaukee on Tuesday. Drew Stubbs paced Cincinnati with two hits and a pair of RBI in last night's setback.

"We had a few opportunities with runners on base," said Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker. "Fortunately for us, we didn't lose any ground (to the Cardinals)."

Baker will hand the ball to the usually-reliable Bronson Arroyo in hopes of bouncing back tonight. The long-haired veteran is in a bit of rut of his own, having lost two straight starts after besting the Dodgers on August 22 to claim his 14th victory of the season.

Arroyo didn't pitch badly in either defeat, yielding three runs and just five hits over seven innings against the Chicago Cubs on August 28 and allowing three runs in six frames at St. Louis this past Friday. The Reds lost both games by 3-2 scores.

The 33-year-old did beat the Rockies in Cincinnati on July 16 by tossing seven innings of two-run ball, improving his lifetime record to 2-2 with a 3.78 earned run average in nine games (seven starts) against Colorado.

Gonzalez has had success against the Reds right-hander, however, having collected four hits in eight lifetime at-bats off Arroyo.

Aaron Cook takes the mound for Colorado for his second start upon returning from a month-long stint on the disabled list due to a sprained right toe. The right-hander pitched very well in his comeback effort, limiting San Diego to two runs and just four hits over 6 1/3 innings to pick up a win at Petco Park on Friday.

The victory was Cook's first since he fired seven shutout innings to best the Reds on July 18. The sinker specialist is 3-0 with a 4.34 ERA in nine career meetings with Cincinnati, eight of which have been starts.

Cook has struggled in each of his past two Coors Field assignments, however, having surrendered a total of 10 runs and 14 hits in just 5 1/3 innings in back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh (July 28) and San Francisco (Aug. 3).

Wshockwave Baseball Betting News

<< Twins close out homestand with Royals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins will close out another successful home stand this evening, when the American League Central leaders take aim at a series sweep of the Kansas City Royals at Target Field. The Twins have gone 7-1 thus far

<< Rangers hope to lasso win over Jays up north
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers are doing their best to give away the lead in the American League West. Luckily for them, though, nobody else seems to want it. Tonight, the Rangers try to snap a five-game losing streak when they co

<< Astros, Cubs wrap set at Wrigley Field
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros have to be thinking about returning home for an extended period of time. But first they have to take care of business in the Windy City, as the Astros shoot for a series win over the Chicago Cubs tonight in

<< Angels try to avoid rare sweep at hands of Indians
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Angels haven't been swept by Cleveland at home in more than a decade. They'll try to avoid that distinction tonight in the finale of a three-game series from the Big A. Anaheim was previously swept in this series from

<< Injury-riddled White Sox resume set in Detroit
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Injuries are starting to pile up for the Chicago White Sox. Today, the short-handed White Sox will continue their push towards the postseason, as they play the third installment of a four-game series against the

Padres go for sweep of LA >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres were in serious danger of falling out of first place in the National League's West Division, but a couple of games against the fading Los Angeles Dodgers seems to have gotten the surprising squad back on

FCS championship game tickets to go on sale >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tickets to 2010 Football Championship Subdivision title game will go on sale at 10 a.m. CT on Monday, Sept. 13. The championship game will be played Jan. 7, 2011 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco. Tickets will be av

First-place Phils close out hard-fought set with Marlins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It wasn't easy, but the Philadelphia Phillies now lead the National League East for the first time since late May. Cole Hamels will try to keep his squad there as he aims for a third straight victory in the finale of a fou

Struggling Braves turn to Lowe in finale with Pirates >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates sure have been enjoying their role of spoiler in this series and are now in position to sweep the Atlanta Braves for the first time in over 16 years. To do that they will have to solve Derek Lowe, wh

Tigers battle Bulldogs in SEC action >>
Starkville, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - SEC action begins on Thursday in Starkville as the Mississippi State Bulldogs welcome the 21st-ranked Auburn Tigers to town. Auburn opened its season last weekend with a 52-26 victory over Arkansas State.

Football Betting Lines

The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.

Bet NFL Sports Lines

Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.

Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.

A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.

Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.

Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.

And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.

2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win

Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1

Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1

Donald Brown (IND) 5/1

Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1

Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1

Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1

Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1

Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1

Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1

Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1

Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1

Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1

Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1

Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1

Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1

Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1

Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1

LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1

Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1

Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1

Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1

Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1

Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1

Jason Smith (STL) 40/1

Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1

Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1

Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1

Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2

Pat White (MIA) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 9/1

Betting Line

To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.

For sports betting with credit cards site go to BettingExpress.com as well.

FOOTBALL TRASH TALK

NFL Football Trash Talk

Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).

Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.

Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).

Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.

Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.

The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.

What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.

Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.

But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.

In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.