08/20/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The pitcher who has emerged into the unlikely ace of the Los Angeles Dodgers' staff will be asked to play the role of spoiler when the National League West contenders resume a three-game series against the visiting Colorado Rockies this evening.
On a team that contains former All-Star hurlers Brad Penny and Derek Lowe and just recently added future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, Chad Billingsley has been the Dodgers' best and most consistent pitcher this season. The talented 24-year-old leads Los Angeles with 12 victories and a 3.10 earned run average, while his 162 strikeouts trails only San Francisco's Tim Lincecum for tops in the NL.
Billingsley also enters tonight's matchup on a roll. The stocky right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.34 ERA over his last five starts and allowed just one home run over that strong stretch.
He maintained his strong recent form with a home win over Milwaukee on Friday, holding the Brewers to three runs on five hits in seven innings. The triumph improved Billingsley to 8-4 in 14 games at Dodger Stadium this year, and he owns a 3.28 ERA on the home mound in 2008.
Billingsley will be facing a Colorado squad he has never beaten in his three- year major league career, although he's yet to pitch against the Rockies during his breakthrough 2008 campaign. In six games (4 starts) versus Colorado, the former first-round pick is 0-2 with a 6.46 ERA.
He'll be attempting to draw the Dodgers even in this series after the club dropped Tuesday's opener to the Rockies by an 8-3 score. Ian Stewart belted one of three homers for Colorado and knocked in a career-high five runs to lead the way.
Matt Holliday and the red-hot Brad Hawpe also went deep for the Rockies, with Holliday collecting four hits on the evening to help his team to its fourth straight win.
Hawpe homered for a second straight day and is batting .478 (11-for-23) with four long balls and nine RBI over the course of a six-game hit streak.
Ubaldo Jimenez (9-11) benefited from Colorado's power surge, with the young pitcher picking up the win after allowing three runs and striking out seven over the first five innings.
Hiroki Kuroda (7-9) was saddled with the loss after giving up four runs in six innings of work.
Jeff Kent finished 3-for-5 with an RBI double for Los Angeles, which had won six of seven coming in. Matt Kemp also doubled in a run and ended with a pair of hits.
The loss dropped the Dodgers out of a first-place tie with Arizona in the NL West standings. The Diamondbacks posted a 7-6 win over San Diego on Tuesday.
Jeff Francis gets the starting assignment for the Rockies tonight. The left- hander, who won a career-high 17 games during Colorado's pennant-winning 2007 season, is a disappointing 3-8 with a 5.74 ERA in 19 starts this year. However, one of those victories came at the expense of the Dodgers.
Francis twirled seven shutout innings to beat Los Angeles at Coors Field on June 3 in one of his sharpest outings of the year. He is 1-1 with a 2.79 ERA in three 2008 starts against the Dodgers and 5-2 with an excellent 2.69 ERA over 12 lifetime encounters with tonight's opponent.
The 27-year-old has made two starts since returning from a near six-week stint on the disabled list. After giving up five runs over 5 1/3 innings in an August 7 loss to Washington, Francis permitted three in a six-inning no- decision against Arizona last Wednesday. He hasn't notched a victory since June 18.
Los Angeles holds a 7-6 edge in this year's season series with Colorado and has taken four of seven tests between the clubs at Dodger Stadium in 2008. However, the Rockies have won five of the last six meetings.
<< Blue Jays try to catch Yankees in standings
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directions continue a three-game set tonight at Toronto's Rogers Centre, where
the surging Blue Jays shoot for a second consecutive win over the reeling New
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A showdown between two of the top pitchers in the National
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's too bad CC Sabathia can't pitch every night for the
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Manny Parra will try to begin a streak of his own when he handles pitching
duties f
<< Rolling Red Sox shoot for another win in Baltimore
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox try for their fourth straight road win
this evening, when they attempt to complete a three-game sweep of the
Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
Boston continued to thrive without Manny Ramirez
NASCAR hands out stiff penalties to Gibbs Racing >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR came down hard on Joe Gibbs Racing
Wednesday for cheating during Saturday's Nationwide Series race.
Drivers Tony Stewart and Joey Logano were each stripped of 150 points and
their respective
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47-45 overtime triumph over Fresno State, had the Aggies feeling pretty good
about the prospect of making some serious noise in th
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There have been some significant moves in the Western
Conference during the offseason which should impact the way the West will be
won during the 2008-09 campaign.
Houston traded for Ron Artest, New Orleans inked swingman
Second opinion confirms knee injury for Sixers' Smith >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia 76ers center Jason Smith
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Dr. David Altchek, the attending orthopaedic surgeon in the Sports Medicin
2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds
The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.
Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”
“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”
MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:
Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:
Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1
Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17
Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1
Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1
Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1
Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1
Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5
Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1
Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1
Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1
Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50
Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1
Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1
Best Animated Feature Film:
"Cars": 1/3
"Happy Feet": 2/1
"Monster House": 20/1
Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:
"Water" – Canada: 22/1
"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2
"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1
"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1
"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10
Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:
"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5
"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2
"Helmer & Son": 5/2
"The Saviour": 6/1
"West Bank Story": 7/2
Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:
"Babel": 7/4
"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1
"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20
"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4
"The Queen": 5/4
Best Motion Picture of the Year:
"Babel": 11/4
"The Departed": 1/2
"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2
"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10
"The Queen": 20/1
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10
Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1
Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1
Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5
Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1
Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1
Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1
Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8
Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1
Film To Win Most Oscars:
Dreamgirls: 2/3
Pans Labyrinth: 6/5
The Departed: 6/1
The Queen: 11/1
Babel: 15/1
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1
Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1
Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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