Rockies falling fast after promising start

Baseball Betting Lines

04/23/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After starting the season with a suprising 3-1 mark, it has been all downhill for Colorado Rockies fans. In fact, the club has lost three of its last four games, and now sits in the cellar of the NL West at 8-11.

After winning back-to-back games against the Giants and Dodgers on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Rockies were trounced, 8-1, by LA on Thursday night. Aaron Cook (0-1) was directly responsible for the Dodgers explosion, as he allowed them to cash in five runs on six hits, while working just six innings.

Things didn't get much better on Friday, as the thin air blew the Padres into town for a weekend series at Coors Field. Josh Fogg (0-1) was on the bump for Colorado in the opener, but wouldn't stay there for long, as he allowed eight runs on 11 hits, while working just three innings in the 11-1 setback.

Jeff Francis (1-2) was in charge of stopping the bleeding on Saturday, but failed to do so, surrendering six runs on 13 hits in just six innings of action. Francis' inconsistency spoiled a solid afternoon from Garrett Atkins, who hit three doubles and drove in two runs in the 7-3 loss.

It was Matt Holliday who was all over the base paths for the Rockies on Sunday, however, as he singled, doubled, and tripled for the club. Holliday sparked the 4-2 victory, which snapped a three-game losing streak for Colorado, while also allowing the Rockies to salvage a game against division- rival San Diego.

HIRSCH DEFEATS MADDUX AGAIN

For the second time in this young season, 25-year-old Rockies' pitcher Jason Hirsh has out pitched a legend. But ironically enough, it has been Padres' pitcher Greg Maddux on the losing end of both occurrences.

Hirsh fed off of the competition on the opposing side, and pitched an absolute gem for the fans at Coors Field on Sunday. The right hander struck out seven batters, while scattering just four hits in seven innings of work.

"I didn't want to be the same pitcher I was when I faced them last time. I think if I give them a fresh look, they're always going to be off balance," said Hirsch who improved his record to 2-1 on the campaign.

HITTING THE ROAD

As Colorado prepares to travel to New York for a three-game set with the Mets this week, one Rockies player has packed his bags for good. Right-hander Brian Lawrence, who pitched well for the Rockies in spring training, has left the team to work out in San Diego.

Lawrence opened the season on the disabled list, and despite being roughed up in three Triple-A starts, expected to be called up on Monday after becoming eligible to join the club.

When Colorado decided that Lawrence would benefit from a few more weeks in Triple-A, however, the veteran pitcher decided to test other options.

"I am going back home to work out and wait and see what happens," Lawrence said.

WHO'S HOT

Todd Helton is the one name that has seemed to go hand in hand with Colorado Rockies baseball in the past few years and what should come as no surprise he is once again starting to hit the cover off of the ball.

The Rockies' first baseman has drove in runs in three of his last four outings, and has boosted his average to a healthy .339 on the season. With Holliday hitting .382 behind him, pitchers will need to face Helton.

WHO'S NOT

After a long and successful career, it seems as if Rockies' outfielder Steve Finley may be coming to the end of the line. The 42-year-old Finley is hitless in his last three games, and has just four hits all season.

Finley is hitting a pitiful .121 in 33 at bats this season and will need to pick up the slack if he anticipates hanging around Colorado.

ON DECK

The Rockies will look to climb out of the NL West cellar this week, when they square off against the Mets in a three-game series beginning Monday.

Taylor Buchholz (1-0, 5.68) will try to set the pace for Colorado, as he takes on John Maine (2-0, 1.93) in the opener. Aaron Cook (0-1, 4.00) and Orlando Hernandez (2-1, 3.24) will then do battle on Tuesday, while Josh Fogg (0-1, 6.61) and Mike Pelfrey (0-1, 5.06) will await their Wednesday night clash at Shea Stadium.

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.


MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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