Sabathia remains unbeated with Milwaukee, tops Padres
Baseball Betting Lines
08/14/2008 -
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - CC Sabathia threw seven effective innings and
Corey Hart went 3-for-5 with three runs batted in to help Milwaukee tie a
season high with its eighth consecutive win, a 7-1 victory over San Diego.
The Brewers also won eight in a row from July 13-24, and matched the feat
thanks in part to a solid outing from Sabathia (7-0), who gave up nine hits
but only one run, and struck out eight. Sabathia remained unbeaten since being
traded to the Brewers in early July, and is 10-0 is his last 13 starts.
Prince Fielder homered for the second straight game and walked twice, while
Sabathia added an RBI in the win.
Josh Banks (3-5) took the loss after surrendering all seven runs on five hits
and six walks in 4 1/3 frames. Banks hadn't lost a start since July 6, but was
1-0 with three no-decisions in the four starts since.
Nick Hundley had the only RBI for San Diego, while Scott Hairston and Brian
Giles each collected two hits. The Padres have lost the first two contests of
this three-game set.
Milwaukee took an early edge as Fielder hit his 28th homer of the season to
lead off the second inning. Hart followed with a single, but was caught
stealing, before Craig Counsell and Mike Cameron walked. Jason Kendall then
singled in a run, and Sabathia plated another with a ground out to short.
The Padres made it a 3-1 game in the fourth when, with runners on the corners,
Hundley grounded the ball to shortstop, allowing Chase Headley to score.
But the Brewers got that run back, and much more, in the next frame. J.J.
Hardy walked with one out, and Gabe Kapler reached on an infield single. Both
runners advanced on Kevin Kouzmanoff's throwing error.
Fielder was intentionally walked, loading the bases for Hart, who tripled to
left field, plating three runs. That ended Banks' day as Justin Hampson came
on to pitch. Counsell lofted a fly ball to center that got Hart home,
increasing the Brewers' lead to 7-1.
Sabathia almost let the Padres back in the game in the home half. Three
straight singles loaded the bases with none out before Kouzmanoff popped out,
Adrian Gonzalez fanned and Headley grounded out to end the threat.
David Riske worked a scoreless eighth inning for Milwaukee, despite walking
two batters, and Guillermo Mota worked around a one-out walk to finish the
game.
Game Notes
The Brewers have outscored opponents 49-12 during their eight-game win
streak...Milwaukee placed third baseman Russell Branyan on the 15-day disabled
list, retroactive to August 12, on Wednesday. Branyan, who is suffering from a
right oblique strain, has appeared in 48 games this season and is batting .252
with 12 home runs and 20 runs driven in. To take his place on the roster, the
team recalled outfielder Laynce Nix from Triple-A Nashville...On Wednesday the
Padres claimed pitcher Brian Falkenborg off outright waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
<< Zobrist, Rays edge A's
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Zobrist hit the go-ahead RBI double in the
seventh and the Rays took the second test of their three-game series against
the Athletics, 3-2, at McAfee Coliseum.
Andy Sonnanstine (12-6) threw his third
<< 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
<< Oklahoma City
Acquired forward Joe Smith from Cleveland and forward Desmond Mason from Milwaukee in exchange for forward Adrian Griffin and guard Luke Ridnour.
<< The San Jose Earthquakes
Waived defender/midfielder Amir Lowery.
<< 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
Im in front at Montreal Open >>
Ile Bizard, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Im fired an eight-under 63 on
Thursday to take the first-round lead of the Montreal Open at The Champions
Course at Saint-Raphael Golf Club.
George Bradford is alone in second place at six-
May leads Xerox Classic >>
Rochester, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bob May, who lost the 2000 PGA Championship
in a playoff to Tiger Woods, posted a six-under 64 on Thursday to take the
first-round lead of the Xerox Classic.
Dave Schultz is alone in second place at fi
Giants' Rowand leaves game with back tightness >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco Giants center fielder Aaron
Rowand left Thursday's game against the Astros in the second inning with
tightness in his lower back. He is day-to-day with the injury.
Rowand batted and f
Cubs' Ramirez leaves game >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez
left Thursday's game against the Atlanta Braves with a left hip contusion.
Ramirez scored from second on a double by Geovany Soto in the fifth inning and
grimaced
Owners approve change at top for Giants >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball owners unanimously
voted on Thursday to approve Bill Neukom as the new majority owner for the San
Francisco Giants.
Giants managing general partner Peter Magowan announced his p
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 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.
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