Jimenez goes for win No. 16 in south Florida

Baseball Betting Lines

07/19/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Both the Rockies and Marlins have struggled on offense in the second half. Given Tuesday's pitching matchup, neither team is likely to break out at the plate on Monday night.

National League All-Star starter Ubaldo Jimenez, who seeks a career-high 16th victory tonight, resumes his season for Colorado in the opener of a four-game series versus Anibal Sanchez and the Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium.

The Rockies and Marlins are both coming off 1-0 victories on Sunday and neither team has scored more than two runs in a game since the All-Star break.

Florida took two of three from Washington despite scoring just three runs in the series, kicking off a 10-game homestand. Emilio Bonifacio doubled in the fifth inning and scored the game's lone run when Gaby Sanchez hit a two-base hit of his own.

That was enough to give the Marlins their fourth win in six games and hand Alex Sanabia his first major league victory. The 21-year-old rookie hurled 5 1/3 scoreless innings, working around four hits and two walks while striking out five. Leo Nunez recorded his 22nd save of the year to cap the victory.

"It's exciting," Sanabia said about winning his first big league game. "Today was real special; got a win and the team a win. It worked out perfectly."

Colorado, meanwhile, posted just four runs over the weekend versus Cincinnati and avoided a three-game sweep with Sunday's triumph. Chris Iannetta hit a solo homer in the sixth inning to back seven scoreless innings from Aaron Cook, who gave up six hits en route to winning his first road start of the season.

"It was definitely an important game. For us, we get out of here with at least one win and go to Florida and hope we can get on a roll from here," said Cook, who retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced.

Huston Street notched his sixth save of the season to help the Rockies snap a three-game slide and remain four games back of the first-place Padres in the NL West. Colorado's set in Ohio kicked of an 11-game road trip.

The Rockies should feel great about their chances tonight with Jimenez set to take the mound. The right-hander won his final start before the break, besting the Cardinals on July 8 with eight innings of one-run, three-hit ball to carry a 15-1 record and 2.20 earned run average into the hiatus. It was an important victory for Jimenez, who had allowed 17 runs over his previous three outings. Still, he leads the majors in victories and is the first NL pitcher to notch 15 wins before the All-Star break since Greg Maddux in 1988.

The 26-year-old, who hasn't lost since May 9, then started last Tuesday's All- Star Game in Anaheim and hurled two scoreless innings, working around two hits and a walk while throwing 15 of his 25 pitches for strikes.

"I was trying to slow down, trying to relax," Jimenez told MLB.com. "It was a challenge. I like to throw hard, especially in a game like this, with so many people in the stands, but I was able to control myself."

Jimenez is 9-1 with a 1.23 ERA in 10 road starts this season and 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA in two career starts versus the Marlins. He has given up just two earned runs in 10 innings against them, striking out 15.

Sanchez, meanwhile, will make his career-high 18th start of the season tonight, surpassing the 17 he made as a rookie in 2006 during a solid 10-3 campaign. He is 7-6 with a 3.66 ERA this year, but lost his final two starts before the break while allowing nine earned runs over 10 innings.

The 26-year-old righty lasted just four innings versus the Diamondbacks on July 8, getting charged with six runs (five earned) on nine hits.

Sanchez has been tough at home, where he is 3-2 with a solid 2.50 ERA in eight starts. He has also beaten the Rockies in his only other start against them, holding the club to two runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings of a 12-2 triumph on July 31, 2008.

The Rockies took two of three from the Marlins at home from April 24-25.

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Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds

Will he or won't he?  Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.

Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.

"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."

Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.

Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.

But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.

Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback.  It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.

Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1


Atlanta Falcons 50-1


Baltimore Ravens 15-1


Buffalo Bills 50-1


Carolina Panthers 18-1


Chicago Bears 10-1


Cincinnati Bengals 15-1


Cleveland Browns 100-1


Dallas Cowboys 15-1


Denver Broncos 15-1


Detroit Lions 100-1


Green Bay Packers 50-1


Houston Texans 100-1


Indianapolis Colts 6-1


Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1


Kansas City Chiefs 30-1


Miami Dolphins 40-1


Minnesota Vikings 75-1


New England Patriots 10-1


New Orleans Saints 18-1


New York Giants 20-1


New York Jets 30-1


Oakland Raiders 100-1


Philadelphia Eagles 18-1


Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1


Saint Louis Rams 60-1


San Diego Chargers 6-1


San Francisco 49ers 75-1


Seattle Seahawks 20-1


Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1


Tennessee Titans 40-1


Washington Redskins 50-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook credit cards needs.

FOOTBALL BETTING

Sportsbook Betting

After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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