Dodgers try to avoid seventh straight loss in finale with Giants

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07/21/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time the Los Angeles Dodgers won their division after being at least six games back this late in the season was 1983, when the club battled back from a 6 1/2-game deficit to win the NL West.

Los Angeles is currently six games off the pace in the division standings and will try to put the brakes on a season high-tying six-game losing streak Wednesday in the finale of a three-game series versus the rival San Francisco Giants from Chavez Ravine.

The Dodgers were swept in four games at St. Louis before returning home to drop the first two portions of this series with San Francisco. It dropped its sixth straight game with last night's 7-5 setback, as the Dodgers blew a 5-1 lead and allowed six unanswered runs over the last four innings. Clayton Kershaw started for LA and allowed four runs -- two earned -- in six innings for the no-decision.

Closer Jonathan Broxton allowed three runs in one-third of an inning to absorb the loss and erase a one-run edge for the Dodgers, who have lost six in a row for the first time since June. Broxton was forced to leave the game after the umpires ruled acting manager Don Mattingly made two trips to the mound when the former Yankees legend took one step off the hill before turning back. The Dodgers were then forced to bring in George Sherrill and he immediately surrendered a two-run double by Andres Torres.

"Don thought he was still on the mound when he went back to talk to Broxton. But replays showed he was on the grass when he went back," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said.

A total of three batters were hit by pitches last night, and many others were almost hit. That led to the ejections of Torre, Kershaw and Dodgers bench coach Bob Schaefer. Andre Ethier hit a two-run homer and Xavier Paul finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in defeat. Blake DeWitt and Casey Blake each had two hits and an RBI for Los Angeles.

Los Angeles will host the New York Mets for four games after this set.

Chad Billingsley has fallen on hard times since winning four straight starts and will take the mound Wednesday for Torre's club. Billingsley won four starts in a row from May 10-May 26, but is just 1-3 with a 5.91 ERA in his last seven outings.

Billingsley last pitched in Friday's 8-4 loss at St. Louis and suffered the defeat for giving up seven runs and 10 hits in four innings of work. The loss dropped him to 7-5 in 17 starts to go along with a 4.61 ERA.

The right-hander, who is also 3-3 in eight home starts this season, squared off with San Francisco in a 4-2 win by the Bay and did not figure into the decision. Billingsley held the Giants to two runs in six innings and is 4-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 16 games (11 starts) this season.

San Francisco pulled within three games of the NL West-leading San Diego Padres with Tuesday's win, as Torres sparked a three-run ninth inning with his big hit off Sherrill in the ninth. Pablo Sandoval also knocked in two runs and Buster Posey ended with two hits and an RBI for the Giants, who have won 11 of their last 13 games and haven't swept the Dodgers in LA since April 24-26, 2007.

Tim Lincecum started for the Giants and the two-time defending NL Cy Young Award winner was reached for five runs and seven hits over 4 2/3 innings for the no-decision. Santiago Casilla got the win with two scoreless innings of relief and Jeremy Affeldt posted his third save with two K's in the ninth.

"I didn't bring my game to the table. I found myself battling every inning," Lincecum said. "A come back win in general was good for us."

Giants starter Barry Zito will take the ball Wednesday and hasn't put together back-to-back wins since opening the 2010 campaign 5-0 in his initial six trips to the hill. He was 0-2 with a 5.79 earned run average in five starts before beating the New York Mets last Thursday in a 1-0 victory. Zito tossed eight shutout innings that day and matched a season high with 10 strikeouts.

It was Zito's stingiest outing since throwing eight scoreless frames in a win over Colorado back on April 30. Zito improved to 8-4 in 19 starts and lowered his ERA from 3.76 to 3.51. The left-hander and 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner, who is 2-3 in nine away starts, will face the Dodgers for a third time this season. He is 0-0 with a 2.03 ERA in those starts, both San Francisco losses.

Zito is 6-5 with a 4.13 ERA in 15 career starts against the Dodgers.

Los Angeles has won five of eight matchups with San Francisco this season. The Dodgers swept the Giants in three games by the Bay from June 28-30 and have won 11 of the past 17 meetings between the ballclubs.

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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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LaDainian Tomlinson Favorite to be 2007 NFL MVP

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This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone after his all out assault on the record books last season. For those suffering from amnesia or were under a rock last football season, all L.T. did last season was set the NFL record for rushing touchdowns (28), total touchdowns (31) and total points scored (186) to go along with his 1815 rushing yards and 508 receiving yards. At 6-1, Tom Brady is next in line which isn’t surprising considering all of the firepower the Pats added over the off-season. With the addition of Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker; it would be quite difficult for Brady’s numbers not to improve from last years 3529 yards and 24 touchdowns. There appears to be some decent value in Drew Bees at 10-1 considering he probably would have won the award last year if it wasn’t for L.T.’s record breaking season.

There is no reason to think the Saints will come back to earth this season and playing in a weak NFC, they should have as good a shot as any to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. At 15-1, Donovan McNabb could also be worth a look. Remember, many felt he was the MVP of the first half of the season before going down with a season ending injury. Reportedly, he is in great shape and well ahead of schedule to return to form. Also, he could have some added motivation to put up big numbers this season with the Eagles using their first pick in the draft on McNabb’s future successor Kevin Kolb.

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