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
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Sportsbooks to bet on football
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
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MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
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