Replacing a head coach mid-season used to be seen as a message to the fans that an organization planned on making things better. In the future. The way things have gone in 2009 for the Pittsburgh Penguins in hockey and now the Colorado Rockies in baseball; don’t be surprised if the rash of firings that has swept football in the past few seasons becomes the norm in every sport.

The Colorado Rockies continued their surge towards the pennant Friday night, holding onto a one-run lead from the seventh and cashing a ticket for sports bettors with a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Colorado clinched a playoff spot Thursday night and is in LA for two more games to close out the regular season. A win tonight and forget football, the Rocks at Dodgers could be the hottest sports betting ticket in the house on Sunday!

Rockies manager Clint Hurdle took over the team in late-May when Colorado was 14-games back. Tonight at Dodger Stadium the Rockies (+115) are hardly considered underdogs. The turnaround for Hurdle and the Rockies is similar to the one the Pittsburgh Penguins experienced earlier this year after appointing Dan Bylsma HC to replace Michel Therrien behind the bench.

Pittsburgh went on an 18-3-4 tear during the rest of the season before advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals and beating the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings to bring home the Cup.

The Dodgers (-135) are handing the ball to lefty Clayton Kershaw (8-8, 2.89 ERA) tonight while the Rockies will go with Jorge De La Rosa (16-9, 4.45 ERA). One more victory for De La Rosa and he will match the club record of 17, held by Jeff Francis (2007), Pedro Astacio (1999) and Kevin Ritz (1995).

Kershaw is winless in his past 10 starts, going 0-3 despite a 2.56 ERA. His opponents’ batting average of .201 is the lowest in the league. His 2.89 ERA is eighth in the league.

Online sportsbooks have held off on posting an overnight line as they wait with the rest of the baseball world to see what’s at stake.

Sunday’s game is scheduled to start at 4:10 pm ET.