Francis set for season debut as Rockies close out set with Nats

Baseball Betting Lines

05/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Francis is expected to make his first start in well over a year this afternoon for the Colorado Rockies, who are coming off a sweep of yesterday's doubleheader and will look to secure a series win over the Washington Nationals in the finale of a four-game series at Coors Field.

The left-handed Francis hasn't pitched in the majors since Sept. 12, 2008 due to a shoulder injury that he battled all season and eventually required surgery that cost him all of 2009. Francis made six starts for Colorado this past spring, but he experienced soreness towards the end of spring training and began the season on the disabled list.

The former ace of Colorado's staff, Francis won a career-high 17 games in 2007, but went 4-10 with a 5.01 earned run average in 24 starts the following season.

"A lot of things have happened between my last start and my next start," Francis told Colorado's website. "I'm happy to be in there. I've done a lot of work to get to that point. I hope I can help this team win a lot of ballgames."

The 29-year-old has faced the Nationals four times in his career, going 1-1 with a 6.04 ERA.

Francis will try to become the second Colorado pitcher in two days to earn a win in his return from the disabled list after Jason Hammel picked up a victory in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader. Returning from a strained right groin, Hammel threw seven innings of three-run ball, while Paul Phillips scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning on a throwing error by Washington, lifting Colorado to a 4-3 triumph.

Jason Giambi and Miguel Olivo both hit solo homers in the first game, a 6-2 Rockies win that saw starter Ubaldo Jimenez join Washington reliever Tyler Clippard as the only seven-game winners in baseball.

"It's one of the hardest things to do is to win both ends of a doubleheader," said Seth Smith. "Any time you can come out and do that, it's good for your team. We're trying to get over that hump, playing good baseball one day and not the next. To come out and play two good games in one day is nice."

Smith and Carlos Gonzalez hit back-to-back homers in the third inning of the late game and it was Smith's grounder that led to a throwing error by Ian Desmond that allowed Phillips to score, giving Colorado its third win in four games.

"The ball bounced over the pitcher's mitt up the middle," Desmond said. "I just fielded it tried to get rid of it as quickly as I could. I expect myself to make that play. I think I will next time, but that's just the way it goes sometime."

The two setbacks on Saturday dropped the Nationals three games behind the first-place Phillies in the National League East. They had won five of six prior to the doubleheader, including a 14-6 triumph in Thursday's opener with Colorado.

Attempting to salvage a series split for the Nats will be Scott Olsen, who no longer looks like the struggling hurler that Colorado saw on April 20.

In his second start since returning from shoulder surgery, the left-handed Olsen was drilled for six runs over just two innings versus the Rockies, who he is 1-3 against lifetime with a 9.79 ERA in six starts.

Olsen, though, is 2-0 with a 1.05 ERA in four starts since that beating, though he hasn't factored into the decision of his last two starts. He faced the Mets on Tuesday and gave up two runs on a season-high nine hits in 5 1/3 innings of work, his shortest outing over his unbeaten streak.

Washington and Colorado also split a four-game series from April 19-22 at Nationals Park, but the Rockies have won 13 of the last 16 meetings between the teams.

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March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets

With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship.  Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92.  After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points.  Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1.  Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years.  With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed.  UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern.  Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier.  OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak.  Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four.  It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta.  But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.

Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props.  Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000.  Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.

MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:

EAST National Championship Region
Arkansas 300-1 50-1
Belmont 1000-1
Boston College 100-1 40-1
Eastern KY 1000-1
George Washington 75-1
Georgetown 10-1 3-2
Marquette 100-1 40-1
Michigan State 100-1 25-1
New Mexico St. 500-1 200-1
UNC 6-1 6-5
Oral Roberts  500-1
Texas 15-1 5-1
Texas Tech 200-1 5-1
USC 75-1 20-1
Vanderbilt 100-1 30-1
Washington State 40-1 15-1
WEST
Duke 50-1 10-1
Florida A&M 1000-1
Gonzaga 200-1  40-1
Holy Cross 300-1
Illinois 300-1 60-1
Indiana 75-1 40-1
Kansas 5-1 13-10
Kentucky 100-1 40-1
Niagara 1000-1
Pittsburgh 40-1 8-1
Southern Ill. 50-1 12-1
UCLA 10-1 3-2
VCU 500-1 100-1
Villanova 100-1 40-1
VA Tech 50-1 15-1
Weber St 1000-1
Wright St 1000-1 300-1
MIDWEST
Arizona 50-1 30-1
Butler 40-1 30-1
Davidson 300-1
Florida 4-1 4-5
Georgia Tech 75-1 25-1
Jackson State 1000-1
Maryland 30-1 6-1
Miami-OH 300-1
Notre Dame 100-1 20-1
ODU 500-1 100-1
Oregon 40-1 6-1
Purdue 300-1 60-1
Texas A&M CC 1000-1
UNLV 100-1 30-1
Winthrop 500-1 100-1
Wisconsin 15-1 7-2
SOUTH
Albany 200-1
BYU 200-1 40-1
Central CT St. 1000-1
Creighton 100-1 35-1
Long Beach St. 500-1 200-1
Louisville 40-1 10-1
Memphis 30-1 4-1
Nevada 75-1 35-1
North Texas 500-1
Ohio State 7-1 6-5
Penn 500-1
Stanford 200-1 50-1
Tennessee 100-1 20-1
Texas A&M 12-1 11-5
Virginia 75-1 18-1
Xavier 100-1 40-1

Field                                              100-1

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Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds

Will he or won't he?  Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.

Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.

"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."

Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.

Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.

But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.

Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback.  It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.

Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1


Atlanta Falcons 50-1


Baltimore Ravens 15-1


Buffalo Bills 50-1


Carolina Panthers 18-1


Chicago Bears 10-1


Cincinnati Bengals 15-1


Cleveland Browns 100-1


Dallas Cowboys 15-1


Denver Broncos 15-1


Detroit Lions 100-1


Green Bay Packers 50-1


Houston Texans 100-1


Indianapolis Colts 6-1


Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1


Kansas City Chiefs 30-1


Miami Dolphins 40-1


Minnesota Vikings 75-1


New England Patriots 10-1


New Orleans Saints 18-1


New York Giants 20-1


New York Jets 30-1


Oakland Raiders 100-1


Philadelphia Eagles 18-1


Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1


Saint Louis Rams 60-1


San Diego Chargers 6-1


San Francisco 49ers 75-1


Seattle Seahawks 20-1


Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1


Tennessee Titans 40-1


Washington Redskins 50-1

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