Helton, Rockies edge D-Backs

Baseball Betting Lines

04/22/2009 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Helton went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, as the Colorado Rockies hung on to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-6, in the second game of a three-game set at Chase Field.

Helton had three RBI and three runs scored for the Rockies, who snapped a four-game skid. Brad Hawpe added two RBI and scored once.

Starting Colorado pitcher Franklin Morales was pulled after two innings due to a neck/shoulder injury. Matt Belisle (1-0) tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win. Manny Corpas pitched a scoreless ninth to collect his first save of the season.

Mark Reynolds, Chris Young, and Eric Byrnes each hit home runs for the Diamondbacks, who won 6-3 in the opening game of the series on Monday. Conor Jackson went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.

Yusmeiro Petit made his second major-league start and picked up a no-decision after five innings of work for Arizona. He allowed three runs -- two earned -- on eight hits. Juan Gutierrez (0-1) gave up a run on two hits in 1 1/3 innings of relief to take the loss.

Ahead 7-6 in the eighth, Helton belted a two-run homer to give Colorado a three-run lead. With one out, Helton drove a Gutierrez pitch over the right- field wall to score Dexter Fowler, who led off with a double.

Jason Grilli and Alan Embree took turns on the mound in the eighth, while Corpas came in to close the game in the ninth for the Rockies.

The Rockies drew first blood with two runs in the top of the second. Clint Barmes' single to right field with two outs moved Hawpe to second. Back- to-back singles to center from Yorvit Torrealba and Morales scored Hawpe and Barmes, respectively.

The Diamondbacks responded with a pair of runs in the home half, as Young and Byrnes mashed back-to-back homers.

Colorado added a run in the top of the third to regain the lead. With runners on first and third and one out, Stewart singled to right field to knock in Todd Helton.

Arizona fought back with two runs in the bottom of the inning to grab a 4-3 lead. Augie Ojeda doubled to center to score Felipe Lopez, who led off with a single. Ojeda moved to third on the play because of a throwing error from center fielder Fowler. Jackson singled to knock in Ojeda, but Glendon Rusch retired the next three batters to prevent further damage.

The Diamondbacks used a two-run homer from Reynolds in the fifth to extend their margin to 6-3.

The Rockies rocked three different Arizona pitchers in the sixth to plate four runs. Omar Quintanilla doubled to center after Torrealba led off with a walk. Fowler earned a free pass to load the bases for Ryan Spilborghs, who grounded into a double play, plating Torrealba.

Doug Slaten took over the mound and Helton's single to left field brought home Quintanilla. Gutierrez entered from the bullpen and Garrett Atkins greeted him with a double. Hawpe's single to center knocked in Helton and Atkins.

Game Notes

Colorado went 6-for-17 with runners in scoring position, while the Diamondbacks went 2-for-8 with RISP...The Rockies lost 15 of 18 meetings with Arizona last year, but took two of three tests between these NL West foes at Chase Field from April 6-8. The Diamondbacks won eight of nine matchups at home against Colorado in 2008...The Rockies placed right-handed pitcher Ryan Speier on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring, retroactive to April 19, on Tuesday.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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