Power-swinging Marlins resume series with Padres

Baseball Betting Lines

07/31/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even a trip to spacious Petco Park couldn't derail the Marlins' power train. Florida seeks a sixth straight victory at the Padres' home park as it continues a three-game set tonight with San Diego.

The Marlins got home runs from Gaby Sanchez and Cody Ross in last night's 4-2 victory, giving them 10 long balls in their last five games. Hanley Ramirez and Logan Morrison also drove in a run each as Florida has now won two straight, four of six and 10 of its last 14 overall.

"They're making adjustments," Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez said of the recent homer surge. "They are staying back more. They're not swinging at bad pitches. I think that's the key. They are not swinging at bad pitches. Their strike zone is smaller. They're getting ahead more in the count."

Chris Volstad benefited from the home runs, yielding two runs over five-plus innings to get his first victory since June 13.

Florida also spoiled the debut of Miguel Tejada, who went 0-for-3 with a walk in his first game with the Padres since being acquired from Baltimore on Thursday.

"I don't want to put pressure on myself," Tejada said. "I just want to play the same game I've always played. I do whatever I can do to help the team."

Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Headley had an RBI apiece for the Padres, who had won five of six coming in and saw their lead over the second-place Giants fall to 2 1/2 games in the National League West.

Yorvit Torrealba went 2-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 13 games and Wade LeBlanc allowed four runs on five hits in a 6 1/3-inning start to suffer the loss.

San Diego had a five-game series winning streak halted, a run that included a three-game sweep in Florida from June 25-27. The Padres have now lost five in a row at home to the Marlins, who haven't lost at Petco Park since July 8, 2008.

The Marlins hope to continue their power run tonight and help Ricky Nolasco earn a third straight winning start.

The right-hander is coming off Monday's win over the Giants as he pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed a run on four hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. He has a 3.40 earned run average in his last seven starts with 57 strikeouts, and is 11-7 with a 4.35 ERA on the season.

Nolasco is an excellent 7-2 with a 3.93 in 11 road starts this season. The 27- year-old is also 2-2 with a 3.94 ERA lifetime versus San Diego.

Kevin Correia has won back-to-back starts after going 0-2 in his previous seven and will look to improve on his 7-6 mark and 5.09 ERA this season.

The 29-year-old righty bested Pittsburgh last Friday, yielding three runs -- two earned -- on six hits and three walks over six innings.

Correia recorded a win over the Marlins on April 28 even though he gave up four runs in five innings of work. He is 2-2 versus them lifetime in 12 games (five starts) with a 6.94 ERA.

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NCAA Football Betting

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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