Amid chaos, Mets try for series win against Rockies
Baseball Betting Lines
08/12/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While Colorado is hoping to make a late charge for a postseason spot, things just keep getting worse for New York, especially closer Francisco Rodriguez.
The Rockies, looking to win in Queens for just the fifth time in 27 games, go for their first series win there since 2002 this afternoon over the fading Mets at Citi Field.
Colorado was shut down in Tuesday's opener, losing a 1-0 decision to extend its miseries in New York. Things weren't going much better last night as the Rockies managed just one run off of Mets starter Jon Niese over seven innings.
However, the Rockies got to the Mets' bullpen on the way to a 6-2 victory. Melvin Mora hit a two-out, go-ahead grand slam off Manny Acosta in the eighth frame, the fourth of his career, and Clint Barmes added an insurance run in the inning with an RBI single.
Colorado's pitching staff did their part in retiring the final 15 batters they faced, improving the Rockies to 3-3 on a seven-game road trip while keeping them five games behind the wild-card leading Giants.
"To shut them down and not allow any other commotion to get created after we hit the grand slam, job well done," Colorado manager Jim Tracy said.
The Mets, meanwhile, managed just Angel Pagan's two-run homer in the first inning as they lost for the sixth time in nine games and are eight contests back in the wild-card race.
All-Star David Wright went 0-for-4 at the plate with four strikeouts and is just 2-for-33 at the plate over his last nine games.
"The offense is struggling, we're scuffling as a team," Wright said. "I'm not having much fun right now. It takes a pitch or two, you feel comfortable in there and all of a sudden you get going ... hopefully that's soon."
To make matters worse, Rodriguez's status is up in the air after he was taken into police custody at Citi Field following the game. According to multiple reports, Rodriguez, who did not pitch last night, was charged with assault after punching his father-in-law, who was taken to the hospital, in the face in the family room at the stadium.
Johan Santana will try to calm the waters this afternoon and has won four of his last five decisions. The left-hander had allowed 11 runs over his previous two starts before limiting the Phillies to just five hits and three walks over 7 1/3 scoreless innings on Saturday to win a tight 1-0 contest.
Santana, 31, improved to 9-6 on the season with a 3.06 earned run average.
The Rockies counter with Jason Hammel, who snapped a four-game winless drought (0-3) with a victory over the Pirates on Friday. The 27-year-old righty was charged with just three hits over six innings, one a three-run homer, and is 8-6 on the year with a 4.38 ERA.
Santana and Hammel have both faced their respective opponent just once before, with the two squaring off on July 30 of last year. Santana got the win with seven shutout innings of four-hit ball with eight strikeouts, while Hammel was hit with the loss for yielding five runs and seven hits over just 1 1/3 innings of work.
Despite Colorado's struggles in New York, the club has won six of the last nine overall meetings between the clubs. The Rockies haven't won a series in Queens since May 10-12, 2002.
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING
NCAA Football BettingMany fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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