Jimenez hopes to bring Rockies' skid to a close in finale with Pirates

Baseball Betting Lines

07/29/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suddenly slumping right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez has a few positives going for him today when he gets the call for the Colorado Rockies in the third and final game of their series with the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates at Coors Field.

First, the 26-year-old is unbeaten in eight starts this season on home turf in Denver, going 6-0 with a 3.52 earned run average across 53 2/3 innings of work. Second, he's never lost to the Pirates in four career starts, going 2-0 while holding Pittsburgh batters to just 18 hits while striking out 21 in 28 innings.

Still, the season's dominant first-half phenom has struggled along with his team of late, going winless in two post All-Star Game starts while lasting just 7 1/3 combined innings and allowing nine hits and 12 runs with nine walks.

He retired only six batters in a 10-2 loss at Philadelphia in his last start five days ago, walking six and striking out two. It was his first loss since May 9.

Pittsburgh counters with 28-year-old lefty Paul Maholm, who's alternated wins and losses in his last five decisions.

The Mississippi native fell to 4-6 on the season with a 13-3 loss at Texas on June 23, then bounced back with a 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on June 28 at Wrigley Field.

He lost, 12-4, to Philadelphia on July 3, then split a pair of post-break starts with a complete-game win over Houston on July 18 and a 5-3 loss to San Diego on July 23.

Maholm, who's making the 148th start of his career, is just 1-4 against Colorado in six outings with a 5.20 ERA.

He is 2-2 on the road this season.

On Wednesday, Garrett Jones homered twice as part of a four-hit night and drove in three runs as the Pirates overcame an early injury to pitcher Ross Ohlendorf to win, 6-2.

Neil Walker added a two-run single as Pittsburgh posted back-to-back road wins for the first time since May 14-15 against the Cubs.

Ohlendorf was struck in the head by a line drive off the bat of Troy Tulowitzki in the first inning. With a runner at third and two outs, Tulowitzki lined a ball off the side of Ohlendorf's head and the ball bounced into right field. Carlos Gonzalez scored on the play for a 1-0 Colorado lead.

Ohlendorf went to a local hospital, but a CT scan came up negative and he was diagnosed with a contusion and abrasion.

Sean Gallagher (1-0) fanned four batters over three innings to get the win.

Aaron Cook (4-7) allowed six hits and five runs over 2 1/3 innings to drop his second straight start.

Gonazlez homered for the Rockies, who have lost eight in a row, their longest skid since dropping eight straight from June 22-30, 2008.

Colorado won six of nine matchups with the Pirates last year and has dominated this series at home over the past two seasons, having gone 9-3 against Pittsburgh at Coors Field since 2008.

Wwwstanleybet Baseball Betting News

<< Royals welcome Orioles to Kansas City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of last-place teams seeking to end lengthy losing streaks begin a four-game series tonight at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, where the slumping Royals hope to get well at the expense of the lowly Baltimore Orioles.

<< Tigers go for a road win against Price
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's been over a month since the Detroit Tigers last won a game on the road. A matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays and David Price doesn't seem to bode well for the struggling club's chances of ending that drought. Price w

<< Lowe tries to lead Braves to series win in D.C.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves shoot for a series win this afternoon when they play the rubber match of their three-game series with the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. A 3-0 loser in Tuesday's opener, Atlanta bounced back to

<< Newcastle signs goalie Krul to four-year deal
Newcastle, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Newcastle signed goalkeeper Tim Krul to a four-year contract on Thursday. Krul, 22, joined Newcastle in 2005 and has made seven starts and played twice as a substitute. His new deal runs through the 20

<< Top-seeded Youzhny reaches Gstaad quarters
Gstaad, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russian top seed Mikhail Youzhny was a second-round winner Thursday at the Swiss Open Gstaad. The world No. 14 Youzhny handled Swiss wild card Alexander Sadecky 7-5, 6-4 on the clay courts at Roy

Giants, Posey aim to keep rolling in finale with Marlins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buster Posey tries to match a San Francisco rookie record by hitting in his 22nd straight game this afternoon, while fellow rookie Madison Bumgarner shoots for a fifth straight win when the San Francisco Giants complete a fou

Indiana State seeking OC after Walters' departure >>
Terre Haute, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indiana State is conducting a fast search to replace its offensive coordinator after Troy Walters resigned earlier this week to accept the position of wide receivers coach at Texas A&M. In his only seas

Padres send out Latos in hopes of taking set from Dodgers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mat Latos attempts to win his seventh straight decision this evening, when the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers close out a three-game series at Petco Park. Latos, who had recently been sidelined with a strained le

Phils shoot for eighth straight win, sweep of D-Backs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Philadelphia Phillies wait for Roy Oswalt to approve a trade to them, they will shoot for a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight at Citizens Bank Park. According to multiple reports, the Phillies

White Sox put home streak on line in finale with Mariners >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox try for their first 11-game home winning streak in 21 years this evening, when they attempt to complete a four- game sweep of the Seattle Mariners at U.S. Cellular Field. Chicago won for the 17th time

MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football betting sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs.

FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.