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09/06/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- Mat Latos' quick emergence into a frontline pitcher is a big reason why the San Diego Padres have stood atop the National League West for the majority of the 2010 campaign. With his team mired in by far their worst stretch of the season, the talented youngster will try to play the role of stopper when the slumping Padres begin an important three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight at Petco Park.
San Diego had owned a seemingly-comfortable 6 1/2-game lead on second-place San Francisco in the division standings as of August 25, but the margin has dwindled down to a single game due to an untimely 10-game losing streak that was extended with Sunday's 4-2 setback to Colorado. It's the club's longest skid since it dropped a franchise-worst 13 in a row from May 8-21, 1994.
"We've got to turn this around cause there is a lot of baseball yet to be played," said San Diego manager Bud Black after yesterday's game. "I've said it before, it's in us cause I've seen it, but we haven't done it the last 10 games."
While the Padres are still in good position for making the playoffs, history isn't on their side. Only two teams -- the 1951 New York Giants and 1982 Atlanta Braves -- have advanced to the postseason after losing 10 straight contests or more that year.
San Diego had tied Sunday's tilt at 2-2 on Miguel Tejada's two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Rockies went back in front on Melvin Mora's two-RBI single off reliever Tim Stauffer (3-3) in the top of the seventh.
Stauffer recorded just one out after taking over for starter Clayton Richard, who limited Colorado to two runs -- one earned -- while throwing 100 pitches over the first six innings.
Tejada finished 3-for-4 for San Diego, which mustered only seven hits as a team and has totaled a mere 23 runs over the course of its losing streak. The Padres have scored two times or less in seven of those defeats.
Latos hasn't needed a whole lot of support as of late, however, as the right- hander has yielded two runs or fewer in each of his 14 starts and has amassed an 8-1 record with a stellar 1.51 earned run average over that span. He's struck out an impressive 104 batters in 89 1/3 innings during that time period as well.
The 22-year-old hasn't won in either of his past two starts, but was able to keep the Padres in both games before they eventually lost. He held Philadelphia to one run in a seven-inning no-decision on August 27, then permitted one run and four hits while fanning 10 Arizona hitters in just six innings against the Diamondbacks this past Wednesday.
Latos, whose 2.25 ERA for the season is tops in the NL at the moment, hasn't had much luck in past matchups with the Dodgers as well. He's 0-2 in three lifetime starts against Los Angeles despite an overall ERA of 3.21, and was handed a tough 2-1 loss at Dodger Stadium on August 3 after surrendering a pair of runs in six innings.
Los Angeles is in a bit of a rut of its own as well, having lost six of its last eight tilts to all but kill the team's postseason hopes. The Dodgers also had trouble generating offense in their last game, managing only three hits off Jonathan Sanchez and two San Francisco relievers in Sunday's 3-0 defeat to the Giants.
The Dodgers struck out a total of 13 times on the evening, with Sanchez racking out nine punchouts over the game's initial seven innings.
"Sanchez was electric and threw a lot of strikes," said Los Angeles manager Joe Torre. "We've put pressure on our starters because we've given them nothing to work with."
Hiroki Kuroda (10-12) did pitch well for the Dodgers in a losing cause, lasting eight innings and permitting three runs on six hits while registering eight strikeouts. The Japanese righty had allowed just one run over his first six frames before giving up a two-run homer to Juan Uribe in the seventh.
The Padres will have a good chance of ending their slide if Dodgers scheduled starter Vicente Padilla repeats his most recent performance. Against NL East- leading Atlanta on August 15, the veteran was tagged for eight runs and eight hits before exiting after 4 1/3 innings of his team's 13-1 loss. Padilla was placed on the 15-day disabled list the following day due to a bulging disc in his neck.
The right-hander acquitted himself awfully well in an August 4 clash against the Padres, though, with Padilla striking out nine San Diego batters while firing a two-hit shutout at Dodger Stadium that night. The effort improved him to 3-1 with a 2.88 ERA in 18 lifetime appearances against the Padres, nine of which have been starts.
Los Angeles has won seven of its 12 meetings with the Padres this season and are 4-2 in games played at Petco Park between the teams in 2010.
<< Rockies hope to extend charge as they battle Reds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- Don't look now, but the Colorado Rockies may about to be
putting together one of those strong September runs that has propelled them
into the postseason in years past.
After climbing back into the National League West rac
<< Villanova loses starting defensive end
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending FCS national champion Villanova
has lost sophomore Marlon Johnson, its only returning starter on the defensive
line, to a season-ending ACL injury.
Johnson, a defensive end, suffered the injury d
<< Phillies bring up Robertson, Worley to start Monday
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies bolstered their
bullpen Monday with two additions, bringing up lefties Nate Robertson and Mike
Zagurski, and recalling Vance Worley from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start
Monday
<< Rays, Red Sox start series at Fenway
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays can deal the final blow to the Boston
Red Sox' playoff hopes this week, as the American League East rivals open a
three-game set at Fenway Park.
The Rays come into tonight's opener trailing the New York
Division rivals collide as Mariners visit A's >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-year lefty Brett Anderson can pitch the Oakland
Athletics a game closer to .500 and keep them an outside contender in the
American League playoff race today, when the team hosts the Seattle Mariners
for the first of th
Cardinals to begin critical road trip with clash vs. Brewers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off a much-needed series win, the playoff-hopeful
St. Louis Cardinals know they still have a lot of work to do.
St. Louis continues that uphill battle this afternoon with the opener of a
three-game series at Miller
Santana scratched from Tuesday start >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets ace Johan Santana will miss
his next scheduled start Tuesday versus Washington with a strained pectoral
muscle.
Santana was forced to leave his last assignment against the Braves Thurs
Underwhelming Madrid need special touch >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When Jose Mourinho left Inter Milan this
summer for the bright lights of the Bernabeu, he took a calculated risk. After
all, Inter had just come off a season where they won both the domestic league
and cu
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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