Dodgers aim to stay on track against Rockies

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08/28/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers still have their sights set on a postseason berth and will try to continue the charge tonight against the NL West-rival Colorado Rockies in the second installment of a three-game series at Coors Field.

The Dodgers are tied with Colorado at 4 1/2 games off the wild card lead in the National League and posted their fourth straight win with Friday's 6-2 triumph in the series opener. Casey Blake clubbed a grand slam during a five- run eighth inning and Andre Ethier added an RBI double in the frame for LA.

"I knew it was deep enough to score a run, and then I figured it was going to get over [Rockies center fielder Dexter Fowler's] head and it just kept going," recalled Blake of the game-winner.

Los Angeles got six innings of one-run ball and six K's out of starter Clayton Kershaw in the no-decision. Jonathan Broxton was in the set-up role and earned the win even though he allowed one run on two hits in 1 2/3 innings. Hong-Chih Kuo has been getting more comfortable with his new closer position and posted his sixth save with 1 1/3 shutout innings and two strikeouts.

Chad Billingsley will take the hill tonight and had a start pushed back because of a calf injury. He last took the mound in an 8-5 win over Cincinnati last Saturday and was reached for three runs in 5 2/3 innings to improve to 10-7 with a 3.70 earned run average in 24 starts.

The right-hander has won at least 10 starts in four straight seasons, but is only 2-3 in 10 career appearances (8 starts) against the Rockies.

Colorado had a four-game winning streak come to an end with Friday's loss, as NL Cy Young candidate Ubaldo Jimenez was dealt the defeat for allowing three runs and nine hits through seven innings. Jimenez is winless in his last four starts (0-3) and has yielded at least three runs in each of the past three. He is still trying to become the first Rockies hurler with 18 wins in a season.

"I don't think about No. 18. I just try to go out there and keep the score close to give my team a chance to win," he said on the club's site. "I don't worry about No. 18. I want to win, but I don't put any number in my head."

Todd Helton homered and Melvin Mora ended with two hits and an RBI for the Rockies, who will send Jhoulys Chacin to the mound Saturday. Chacin won his last start on Sunday at Arizona, tossing 7 2/3 shutout innings with nine strikeouts to end a lengthy winless drought. He was 0-2 in his last seven appearances and won for the first time since July 2.

Chacin, a right-hander, is 1-2 in four career games, three of which have been starts, against the Dodgers. He just lost to them on August 17 at Chavez Ravine, where he permitted five runs and five hits in five innings.

Los Angeles has won seven of 10 meetings with Colorado this season and 21 of the last 28 contests in this series.

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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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