Rockies try to pin 10th straight loss on reeling Padres

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09/05/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres try to avoid their worst losing streak in more than 16 years this afternoon when they play the finale of their three- game series with the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park.

San Diego has been baseball's best story this season, but is mired in its worst losing streak since May of 2003 and has seen its lead atop the National League West trimmed to just two games over the San Francisco Giants.

"We have to get the confidence back," manager Bud Black said. "We have to get that swagger back."

The skid continued on Saturday, as Todd Helton and Carlos Gonzalez both knocked in two runs to help Colorado to a 6-2 win. Another loss today would give the Padres their first 10-game slide since a franchise-worst 13-game skid from May 8-21, 1994.

Troy Tulowitzki had two hits and scored two runs for the Rockies, who have won five of their last eight games to pull within 5 1/2 games of the Padres in the division.

Jason Hammel (10-7) gave up two runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Adrian Gonzalez and Nick Hundley both doubled home a run for San Diego, while Jon Garland (13-10) allowed three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings.

"We need to turn (things) around," Hundley said. "We're a play away every single game or a hit away or a defensive play away from winning games. We're finding ways to lose instead of finding ways to win. Until we figure out how to make that one play, get that one big hit, we're going to continue to struggle."

Only two teams in baseball history have endured losing streaks of at least 10 games and still reached the postseason. The 1951 New York Giants lost 11 in a row but still won the NL pennant and the 1982 Atlanta Braves dropped 11 straight but won the NL West.

Over the course of the streak the Padres are hitting .216 with 21 runs scored, while the pitching staff has posted a 5.29 ERA. The team has also been outscored, 51-21, during the current drought.

Hoping to get the Padres back on track this afternoon will be lefty Clayton Richard, who has just one loss in his last six decisions. However, that one loss came in his last trip to the hill last Sunday against Philadelphia, which reached him for four runs (two earned) and four hits in 7 2/3 innings to drop him to 12-6 on the year to go along with a 3.50 ERA.

Richard did not get a decision the last time he faced the Rockies and is 1-1 in six starts against them with a 4.79 ERA.

Colorado, meanwhile, will pin its hopes on lefty Jorge De La Rosa, who is 5-4 with a 4.26 ERA. De La Rosa did not get a decision on Monday in San Francisco, but pitched well, surrendering a run and four hits in seven innings of his team's 2-1 win. He also struck out nine in that effort, but also walked four.

De La Rosa has faced the Padres 12 times (eight starts) and is 1-2 against them with a 5.48 ERA.

Colorado has won 10 of its 14 meetings with the Padres in 2010, including wins in six of the eight matchups in San Diego.

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MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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