Guthrie ends long winless stretch as O's edge Twins
Baseball Betting Lines
07/23/2010 - Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeremy Guthrie picked up his first victory in nearly two months thanks to a two-run homer by Luke Scott in the sixth inning, as Baltimore edged Minnesota, 3-2, in the second test of a four-game set.
Guthrie (4-10), winless in nine starts since beating Oakland on May 25, yielded two runs on six hits in seven effective innings to pick up the win, the Orioles' second in eight games since the All-Star break.
Anthony Slama (0-1) gave up the go-ahead home run to take the loss behind Brian Duensing, who went five innings in his first start of the year and allowed just one run on four hits while walking none.
Joe Mauer went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run for the Twins, who had won two straight and five of seven coming in.
Minnesota shut out its previous two opponents but gave up a run in the first inning Friday, as Adam Jones' two-out, RBI single gave the Orioles an early lead that held up until the sixth.
Guthrie faced the minimum from the third through the fifth frame, then retired the first two hitters in the sixth before Alexi Casilla singled to left. Mauer then sent one into the seats in right-center for his fifth home run this season. The reigning AL MVP belted a career-high 28 round-trippers last year.
The Twins' lead was short-lived, with Miguel Tejada leading off the bottom frame with a single off Slama, who was making his second career appearance since being called up from Triple-A Rochester. Two batters later, Scott gave the rookie reliever a rude welcome with a no-doubter to right for a 3-2 edge.
Denard Span led off the away eighth with a single and was moved into scoring position with a bunt. However, Will Ohman got Mauer to bounce out to short, and David Hernandez got Michael Cuddyer to fly out to the deepest part of the park in center.
Alfredo Simon worked around Delmon Young's one-out single in the ninth to close out the victory and notch his 14th save of the season.
Game Notes
Duensing, who made nine starts last season, had appeared in 39 games out of the bullpen this year and pitched to an impressive 1.67 earned run average. He started in place of an ineffective Nick Blackburn...Twins second baseman Orlando Hudson left in the third inning with a right oblique strain...Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts, sidelined since suffering an abdominal strain four games into the season, went 0-for-4 out of the leadoff spot in his return. To make room for Roberts, Baltimore designated infielder Scott Moore for assignment...O's infielder Ty Wigginton was suspended by Major League Baseball for three games for his on-field argument and subsequent volatile reaction with an umpire in the opener of this series. He appealed and went 1- for-4 in the win...Tejada had two hits and two runs scored for Baltimore.
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - North Carolina State football legend Dennis Byrd, who was recently selected to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December, has died at the age of 63. Byrd suffered a heart attack las
<< Clark, Wilson share Canadian Open lead
Etobicoke, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Clark fired a six-under 64 Friday to grab
a share of the lead after 36 holes of the Canadian Open.
Clark was joined in the lead by Dean Wilson, who carded a 65 in round two.
They are tied at 10-under-
<< Tyreke Evans pleads no contest to reckless driving
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans, the
reigning rookie of the Year, pled no contest to reckless driving.
Sacramento district attorney Jan Scully made the announcement Friday, saying
Evans was order
<< Nationals place Atilano on DL
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals placed rookie
pitcher Luis Atilano on the 15-day disabled list Friday.
Atilano was recently touched for five runs in four innings in a July 20 start
against the Reds and was
<< Mariners' Bedard to get third opinion
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Mariners pitcher Erik Bedard will get
another opinion on his sore pitching shoulder.
The left-hander underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum last August, but has
not recovered as expected. Accordi
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Halladay turned in eight scoreless innings and Raul Ibanez drove in three runs as Philadelphia awoke from its batting funk and downed Colorado, 6-0, in the opener of a four-game set from Citizen
Padres use early burst of offense to down Bucs >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adrian Gonzalez capped a four-run second
inning with a sacrifice fly, and San Diego continued to thrive in the Steel
City, posting a 5-3 victory over the Pirates in the opener of a three-game
series
Rangers catcher Treanor leaves game >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers catcher Matt Treanor left
Friday's game 1-0 win against the Angels after seven innings due to a sprained
right knee. He'll have an MRI on Saturday.
In the bottom of the seventh, Treanor h
Roddick, Isner advance to semis in Atlanta >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Americans Andy Roddick and John Isner were a
pair of quarterfinal winners in Friday's action at the Atlanta Tennis
Championships.
Roddick, the top seed, recovered after dropping the first set to b
Wilson, Young lead Rangers past Angels >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - C.J. Wilson threw eight shutout innings and
Michael Young homered in the opening frame as Texas edged the Angels, 1-0, in
the second installment of a four-game series.
Young and Nelson Cruz each had two
Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS
NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting 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 NFL football betting needs.
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.