Braves turn to Hudson in opener with Rox

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08/23/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After two of the Atlanta Braves' young guns led the way in a one-sided victory on Sunday, the team will turn to one of its established stars in hopes of getting a three-game road series with the Colorado Rockies off to a good beginning.

Tim Hudson gets the call for Atlanta in tonight's opener and will be out to continue an outstanding string of recent starts. The veteran ace has amassed a 5-0 record along with an astounding 0.82 earned run average over his last six outings, lasting at least seven innings and yielding two runs or less on each of those occasions.

Hudson did see his five-start win streak come to an end in Wednesday's matchup with Washington, but still held the Nationals to two runs over seven innings while not getting a decision. The Braves won that game by a 3-2 count and have prevailed in eight of the All-Star hurler's last 10 trips to the mound.

The 35-year-old is 14-5 over his 25 starts this season, while his 2.15 ERA trails only St. Louis' Adam Wainwright for tops in the National League.

Hudson hasn't fared well in the past at hitter-friendly Coors Field, however. In two previous assignments at the venue, he's been tagged for 13 runs and a whopping 19 hits in just nine innings while losing both times. Overall against the Rockies, he's 3-2 with a 4.65 over five starts.

Atlanta may not have to worry about Hudson struggling if its offense performs like it did on Sunday, when the current NL East leaders banged out 13 hits and swatted four home runs in a 16-5 rout of Chicago that turned out to be the final game for Cubs manager Lou Piniella.

Rookies Jason Heyward and Mike Minor were two of the standouts for the Braves in yesterday's big win. Heyward had the first two-homer game of his big league career and finished 4-for-4 with four RBI and four runs scored, while Minor struck out 12 Chicago hitters in six innings to pick up the win.

Minor did allow an early two-run homer to Aramis Ramirez and three runs over the game's first three innings, but settled down afterward to improve to 2-0 in three starts since being promoted from the minors earlier this month.

Omar Infante also had a big day at the plate for Atlanta, which won for the ninth time in its past 12 games. The valuable utilityman, who's taken over as the regular third baseman following Chipper Jones' season-ending knee injury, went 4-for-6 with a pair of homers and four RBI while scoring four times.

Sunday's effort raised Infante's season average to .349 and extended his hitting streak to 11 games, with the 2010 All-Star batting .447 (21-for-47) with three homers over that tear.

Derrek Lee, acquired by the Braves from the Cubs earlier in the week, knocked in three runs against his former team on Sunday, with Alex Gonzalez contributing a two-RBI single to Atlanta's offensive outburst.

"We were hitting the ball really good today," Braves manager Bobby Cox said afterward. "We had some guys with great games out there today, and whenever you have hitting like that you win more often than not."

With the win, Atlanta remained 2 1/2 games ahead of Philadelphia for first place in the NL East.

Colorado received some impressive pitching from one of its rookies as well on Sunday, with youngster Jhoulys Chacin firing 7 2/3 shutout innings to lead his club to a 1-0 verdict over Arizona at Chase Field.

Chacin (6-9) surrendered just three singles and a walk while striking out nine Diamondbacks before exiting with two outs and a man on in the eighth. Joe Beimel came on to get the final out of the frame and preserve the one-run margin, with Huston Street then tossing a perfect ninth to notch his 10th save and end the Rockies' three-game losing streak.

"If [Chacin] commands his fastball like he did today, you're in trouble," Rockies manager Jim Tracy remarked after the game. "That's how good his stuff is."

Dexter Fowler ended 2-for-3 for Colorado and drove in the game's only run with a single in the top of the eighth. The hit plated Eric Young Jr., who had singled with one out and stole second to move into scoring position.

Jason Hammel will try to make it two wins in a row for Colorado when he opposes Hudson tonight, with the Rockies starter also seeking to improve his already-strong numbers at Coors Field. The right-hander is 6-1 with a 3.36 ERA over 11 home starts this season and hasn't lost in Denver since an April 26 setback to the Diamondbacks.

Hammel's last three starts have come on the road and he compiled a 1-1 record with a 4.26 ERA over that stretch. After being reached for four runs in seven innings of a loss to the New York Mets on August 12, he rebounded to limit the Dodgers to two runs and just four hits in a six-inning no-decision this past Wednesday.

The 27-year-old, who's 8-7 with a 4.36 ERA in 22 overall starts this season, also hopes to atone for a poor showing against the Braves back on April 16. In that game Hammel was battered for seven runs and eight hits before being lifted after only 1 2/3 innings, with the result raising his ERA to an ugly 12.66 in three career matchups with Atlanta. He's 0-2 lifetime versus the Braves.

Atlanta won two of three bouts in that early-season series at Turner Field and split a four-game set with the Rockies in Denver last season.

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Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship

(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.

New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).

The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.

Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.

Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.

The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.

Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.

The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.

Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.

However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).

The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.

Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.

In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.

Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.

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