08/20/2008 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ian Stewart hit a three-run homer and finished with a career-high five RBI while Brad Hawpe continued his recent strong offensive play with a two-run homer, as the Colorado Rockies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-3, in the opener of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium.
Hawpe, who finished 1-for-3 with three runs scored, is batting .478 with four home runs and nine RBI during his current six-game hit streak for the Rockies, who have won four straight games. Matt Holliday was 4-for-5 with a solo home run in the win.
"Things have been good for us the last four games." said Hawpe. "We got our hits at the right time with runners on base."
Ubaldo Jimenez (9-11) earned the win after he tossed five innings and allowed three runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts.
"I could've done better," said Jimenez. "I'd like to throw more than five innings, but it's great to have a bullpen like ours."
Jeff Kent finished 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI for Los Angeles, which has dropped two of three following a five-game win streak and fell one game back of the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks. Matt Kemp registered an RBI and a run scored in the loss.
Hiroki Kuroda (7-9), who started and yielded four runs on six hits over six innings, suffered the loss.
Earlier Tuesday, the Dodgers acquired future Hall-of-Fame pitcher Greg Maddux from the San Diego Padres for two minor leaguers to be named later or cash considerations. Maddux pitched for the Dodgers in a portion of the 2006 season and will in essence replace Brad Penny in the starting rotation. Penny was placed on the disabled list on August 14 with right shoulder inflammation.
After the Rockies grabbed an early lead on a two-run single by Stewart in the top of the first, the Dodgers cut their deficit in half in the bottom of the frame on a pair of doubles by Kemp and Kent.
In the top of the third, Hawpe crushed a low fastball over the wall in center field. Holliday, who reached on a one-out single, also scored on Hawpe's 22nd home run of the season for a 4-1 Colorado lead.
A two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth inning brought the Dodgers within 4-3. Nomar Garciaparra's single preceded a double by Casey Blake and with runners on second and third and two outs, a passed ball allowed Garciaparra to cross the plate. Kemp's second double of the game followed and Blake scored, but Andre Ethier fanned to end the frame.
Blake doubled with two outs in the sixth, but Luis Vizcaino induced a groundout off the bat of pinch-hitter Mark Sweeney.
Manny Corpas escaped a big jam in the seventh. Kent and Manny Ramirez both hit two-out singles and Corpas issued a walk to James Loney, but Russell Martin flied out to deep right field.
The Rockies put the game out of reach with a four-run eighth inning. Holliday led off the frame with his 24th homer of the year, a blast which brought Hong- Chih Kuo to the mound from the LA bullpen. Consecutive walks to Hawpe and Garrett Atkins preceded a three-run blast by Stewart, who belted a low fastball over the right-field wall.
"Our bullpen couldn't keep it close," said LA manager Joe Torre.
Game Notes
The scheduled pitching matchup for Wednesday's game is Colorado left-hander Jeff Francis versus Chad Billingsley...The Rockies have won 10 of their last 14 on the road...Jimenez is now 4-0 lifetime against LA...With his double in the game, Kent moved into a tie with Eddie Murray for 20th place on the all-time doubles list with 560...Attendance was 46,687.
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Todd Wellemeyer goes for an eighth start
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Wellemeye
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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