Rockies hope to break out bats against vs. Cubs

Baseball Betting Lines

07/31/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The host Colorado Rockies can make it three straight in suddenly potent offensive style tonight when the Chicago Cubs head to Coors Field for the second of three games.

Colorado, which had lost eight straight before Thursday, made it two in a row in Friday's opener when Carlos Gonzalez went 4-for-6 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI and the Rockies scored 12 times with two outs in the eighth inning to pull away from Chicago, 17-2.

The Rockies batted around twice in an eighth that saw them set club marks for runs (12) and hits (13) and the MLB record for consecutive hits (11), all while stranding the bases loaded.

"I've never seen an inning like that. We had two outs and two strikes on a hitter and they scored 12 runs. I've never seen anything like that," Chicago manager Lou Piniella said. "I feel bad for my pitchers."

Dexter Fowler had three hits, a home run and two RBI, while Ian Stewart homered and drove in three for the Rockies.

Jeff Francis (4-3) was efficient in a six-inning start, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five to pick up the win.

Ryan Dempster (8-8) lasted only four-plus frames for the Cubs, surrendering five runs on seven hits and five walks in the club's third straight loss.

Towering right-hander Jason Hammel, who stands 6-foot-6, takes the mound for the hosts with an aim to end a three-start skid.

The former 10th-round pick of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays was 7-3 on the season after a 4-2 win over San Diego on July 10, but has since dropped road decisions at Cincinnati, at Florida and at Philadelphia.

He returns home to Coors Field, where he is 6-1 this season in 10 starts with a 3.18 earned run average in 62 1/3 innings.

Hammel has made one career start against the Cubs and earned a win with five innings of three-run ball with no walks and four strikeouts.

Chicago goes with lefty Tom Gorzelanny, who's won four straight starts.

The 28-year-old Illinois native recorded a save in a bullpen stint on June 24 and went 3 1/3 innings in a relief role a day later, then transitioned back to starting with five scoreless innings against Pittsburgh on June 30.

He's started and won four times since, defeating Arizona, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia and St. Louis while allowing 23 hits and 11 runs in 23 2/3 innings.

Gorzelanny, who is 3-2 away from home in 2010, is 1-2 in three lifetime starts against the Rockies with a 10.80 ERA.

Chicago swept a two-game set from the Rockies at Wrigley Field from May 17-18, but lost three of four games between the teams held at Coors Field last season.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.