NL West

This offseason the Rockies acquired Jason Marquis for Luis Vizcaino from the Chicago Cubs. It was a move that the Rockies made in an effort to provide quality depth in the starting rotation.

Marquis was on the outs in Chicago. Cubs fans were down on Marquis after rumors that he did not get along well with manager Lou Piniella, especially after being left off of the NLDS roster.

Sometimes you don't know what you have until it's gone.Marquis has won no less than 11 games in the last five seasons.

The Padres ran into a buzzsaw by the name of Zach Duke on Saturday night. The Pirates' left hander was absolutely dominant, pitching eight and one-third innings and giving up just one run as the Pirates beat the San Diego Padres 10-1.

The Padres don't need another injury, but that's exactly what they'll have to deal with after Shawn Hill was pulled Saturday night after just two innings with soreness in his right biceps muscle. Manager Bud Black says Hill will likely be headed to the disabled list, joining fellow starters Walter Silva and Cha Seung Baek.

The Colorado Rockies finally got home after a miserable 10-day, eight-game road trip in which the team only won two games.

They have been home for only four days since the beginning of Spring Training on Feb. 14.

San Diego Padres vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Free Pick: Pittsburgh Pirates +1.5 (-185)
Friday, April 24, 2009 10:05 p.m.; MLB Baseball Odds
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A pair of 9-6 teams begin this series in San Diego with the Padres hosting the Pirates.

Now seems as good as any to step back from the San Francisco Giants' season and take a look at how things are shaping up thus far.

The boys are coming off a two-game "sweep" of the San Diego Padres—a small measure of retribution for the three-game variety the Fathers put on SF when our guys visited Petco about 10 days ago.

But, in this writer's opinion, two games a series do not make so there's no need for a specific recap dedicated to the duet.

It's never too early to take a look ahead at what the 2010 San Diego Padres might look like. Here's the list of players that will be free agents after the completion of the 2009 season.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Houston Astros o9.0 (-125)
Tue April 21st 2009 8:05p - MLB Baseball Odds
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have one of the hottest offenses in baseball, and while the Houston Astros have been struggling, the Dodgers may carry this Over by teeing off on Russ Ortiz.

San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants u7.0
Tue April 21st 2009 10:15p - Baseball Odds
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