Mets clobber Nationals behind huge third inning
Baseball Betting Lines
08/14/2008 -
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Murphy clubbed a two-run homer and
added an RBI single, as the New York Mets -- aided by an eight-run third
inning -- cruised to a 12-0 win in the second test of a three-game series
against the Washington Nationals.
Fernando Tatis homered and drove in two runs for the Mets, who have won two
games in a row and five of seven overall. Carlos Beltran had a two-run double.
John Maine (10-7), who was activated from the 15-day disabled list before the
game, allowed just one hit while walking four and striking out six over five
innings to pick up the win. Maine was placed on the DL on August 3,
retroactive to July 29, with a mild strain of his right rotator cuff.
"I felt better than I have the last couple of weeks," Maine said. "I went out
there and did just enough. It's easier to pitch when you got that kind of lead
because your not really concerned about what's going on, you just try to get
outs and get back into that groove."
Brian Stokes tossed the final four innings to notch the first save of his
career.
Lastings Milledge had one of the Nationals four hits and is now riding a
career-high 14-game hitting streak.
Jason Bergmann (2-9) took the loss after he was tattooed for 10 runs -- six
earned -- on eight hits in just three innings of work for Washington, losers
of six straight. The right-hander also walked six and struck out one.
Jose Reyes singled to open the game, scampered to third on a base hit by
Argenis Reyes and waltzed home on David Wright's sacrifice fly. The Mets
stretched their advantage further in the second when Tatis led off the frame
by depositing a Bergmann offering into the left field seats for his 10th home
run of the season.
The Mets blew the game wide-open with an eight-run surge in the third. Wright
reached on an infield single and Carlos Delgado walked to begin the inning.
One out later, Murphy and Tatis ripped consecutive RBI singles. Bergmann then
issued back-to-back walks to Brian Schneider and Maine to force in another
run.
A fielding error by Cristian Guzman on a bouncer from Jose Reyes allowed Tatis
and Schneider to cross the plate. After Argenis Reyes went down swinging, a
generous Bergmann handed out free passes to Wright and Delgado, which allowed
Maine to trot home, before Beltran's two-run double capped the barrage and
gave the visitors a comfortable 10-run cushion.
Murphy's two-run homer in the fifth made it a 12-0 game.
Game Notes
The Mets matched their season-high for runs in an inning...Bergmann threw 51
pitches in the third...New York walked a season-high 11 times...Milledge tied
Guzman for the longest hitting streak posted by a National this
season...New York posted its eighth shutout of the year...Murphy is 14-for-30
(.467) with two home runs and eight RBI in 11 games since having his contract
purchased from Triple-A New Orleans on August 2...To make room for Maine,
the club optioned pitcher Carlos Muniz to New Orleans...New York's Oliver
Perez (8-7) and Washington's Collin Balester (2-4) are scheduled to start the
series finale on Thursday.
<< Hawpe, Rox edge D'Backs
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Hawpe clubbed a two-run homer in the bottom
of the eighth inning and the Colorado Rockies withstood a ninth-inning charge
from the Arizona Diamondbacks to hang on for a 6-5 win in the middle
install
<< Cardinals hang on to edge Marlins
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Troy Glaus collected a game-high four hits and
finished with an RBI and a run scored to lead the St. Louis Cardinals over the
Florida Marlins, 6-4, in the third game of a four-game set at Dolphin Stadium.
Jaso
<< D-Backs reinstate Slaten from DL, option Buckner
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks reinstated left-handed
pitcher Doug Slaten from the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday.
Slaten, who was placed on the DL on July 19 with a right knee strain, is 0-3
with a 4.40 earned
<< Wells' slam helps Blue Jays hold off Tigers
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vernon Wells clubbed his fifth career grand
slam and David Purcey was stellar on the hill, as the Toronto Blue Jays
staved off a late rally to edge the Detroit Tigers, 4-3, in the third
install
<< A's lose Chavez for rest of season
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oakland Athletics third baseman Eric Chavez
will miss the rest of the season after having successful surgery to repair
his right shoulder.
The six-time Gold Glove winner underwent a two-hour-plus proce
Buehrle helps White Sox complete second straight shutout of Royals >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Buehrle threw seven shutout innings, and
Jermaine Dye finished with a double and run batted in for Chicago, which shut
out Kansas City for the second game in a row, 4-0.
On Tuesday, in the opener of t
Blazers' G Roy to undergo surgery >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy will
have arthroscopic knee surgery on Thursday to repair a tear in the meniscus of
his left knee, the club announced Wednesday.
An MRI taken Tuesday revealed the tear
The San Jose Earthquakes >>
Waived defender/midfielder Amir Lowery.
Oklahoma City >>
Acquired forward Joe Smith from Cleveland and forward Desmond Mason from Milwaukee in exchange for forward Adrian Griffin and guard Luke Ridnour.
Izturis leaves after injuring thumb >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim shortstop Maicer
Izturis left Wednesday's contest against the Seattle Mariners in the top of
the ninth with an injury to his thumb.
Yuniesky Betancourt hit a grounder towards
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
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What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
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College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
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