Giants seek to deal Diamondbacks fifth straight loss
Baseball Betting Lines
05/28/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants got their nine-game homestand off to a good start, but could experience some trouble tonight with struggling starter Matt Cain on the hill for the opener of a three-games series versus the Arizona Diamondbacks at AT&T Park.
The Giants, who took two of three from Washington to begin the residency, will send Cain to the mound with hopes of the burly right-hander ending a personal three-start losing streak. Cain has a decent 3.05 earned run average during the slide, but run support has been scarce. In last Saturday's 1-0 loss at Oakland, Cain was the hard-luck loser after allowing one unearned run in eight innings of work. He gave up two runs in six innings in his previous start, a 3-1 setback at San Diego on May 17.
Cain will try to work his way over the .500 mark against Arizona, as he sports a 4-4 mark and a 3.86 ERA in 14 career matchups in this series.
San Francisco posted a 5-4 win over the Nationals on Thursday, thanks to Aubrey Huff, who ended 3-for-4 with a home run. Freddy Sanchez drove in a pair of runs and both Juan Uribe and Nate Schierholtz had RBI hits in the win.
Barry Zito did not figure in the decision after working 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs -- three earned -- on seven hits. The left-hander walked five batters and fanned three. Santiago Casilla (1-0) picked up the win for retiring the last two hitters in the seventh, while Brian Wilson locked the game down in the ninth to register his 12th save of the season.
The Giants will also host Colorado for three games on the residency.
Arizona will resume its 12-game tour against NL West foes tonight and was just swept in three games by the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field to open a nine-game road trip. The Diamondbacks have lost four in a row overall and suffered an 8-2 loss to Colorado on Thursday, as staff ace Dan Haren continued to struggle and allowed all eight runs on 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings.
"I am having trouble keeping the ball in the yard and it's obviously frustrating," said Haren. "I've never dealt with anything like this."
Chris Young and Chris Snyder both knocked in a run for the D'Backs, who will also visit Los Angeles before hosting the Rockies back at Chase Field. Justin Upton went 0-for-4 and entered the game with hits in 17 of his past 23 games this month, along with a .311 batting average.
Since losing four straight starts, Edwin Jackson has won back-to-back trips to the mound and will take the ball for Arizona tonight. Jackson beat Florida on May 17 with eight shutout innings, then squeezed past Toronto last Saturday in an 8-5 win in Phoenix. Jackson was reached for five runs and six hits over 7 2/3 frames to improve to 3-5 in 10 season starts and lower his ERA to 6.28.
The right-hander is 1-0 in two career appearances (one start) against San Francisco.
Arizona swept a two-game series versus San Francisco from May 19-20 at Chase Field, but the Giants have won seven of the past 11 meetings between the teams.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National League West-leading San Diego Padres need just one more win to secure a fourth straight month of at least .500 baseball. They have a good shot at doing that tonight, with the Washington Nationals in town for the
<< Mets aim to continue pitching prowess in Milwaukee
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets try to continue their incredible run of
starting pitching this evening, when they open a three-game series against the
Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
New York finished off an impressive three-game swee
<< Tigers, A's commence four-game set in Motown
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A late-inning collapse by Detroit on Wednesday was the
difference between a winning and losing road trip. The Athletics hope that
heart-breaking road loss will make the Tigers vulnerable tonight at Comerica
Park gi
<< Mariners send Lee to hill in opener at Angel Stadium
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Mariners picked up a win in Cliff Lee's last start
despite the former American League Cy Young Award winner turning in his worst
outing in nearly three years. Seattle doesn't want to play with fire again
tonight
<< LeCure set for big league debut in opener with Astros
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Sam LeCure makes his major-league debut
tonight when the first-place Cincinnati Reds host the Houston Astros in the
opener of a three-game series between National League Central rivals at Great
American Ball Park
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies go for a sixth straight win this evening when they open a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. The Rockies continued to roll on Thursday, as Seth Smith, Carlos Gonz
Blue Jays, Orioles set to begin stretch of divisional games >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Already 18 games out of first place in the American League
East, the Baltimore Orioles can at least try to have some fun by shaking up
the standings with 12 straight matchups against their division opponents.
The Orioles w
Carmona, Indians open road series in the Bronx >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time Fausto Carmona stepped on the mound at new
Yankee Stadium, the Indians' offense erupted in a record-tying performance.
Given how Cleveland's offense struggled in its last game, the club hopes its
hurler
UConn basketball charged with eight violations >>
Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Connecticut has received a
notice of allegations from the NCAA in regard to possible recruiting
violations in the men's basketball program.
UConn officials and the NCAA have be
Hurricanes agree to one-year deal with Tlusty >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to terms
with forward Jiri Tlusty on a one-year contract worth $500,000.
Tlusty was acquired by the Hurricanes from Toronto last December in exchange
for the rights to
How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams
It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.