08/20/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins will be trying to put together a winning streak for the first time this month when the young club takes the field tonight against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.
Florida kicked off an important nine-game road trip with Tuesday's 6-0 triumph over the Giants in the first of three straight meetings between these teams. Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco went the distance on a brilliant two-hitter and helped his cause at the plate as well, contributing a two-RBI double during a three-run fifth inning.
Nolasco (12-7) struck out 11 Giants and issued just one walk in hurling the first complete game by a Florida pitcher since Anibal Sanchez accomplished the feat against Atlanta on September 16, 2006. The right-hander was in command from the start, throwing 78 of his 110 pitches for strikes.
John Baker went 3-for-4 with an RBI single and Jorge Cantu added two hits, including a solo home run, to help the Marlins keep pace in the National League East race. Florida is in third place in the division, four games behind the front-running New York Mets and 2 1/2 back of runner-up Philadelphia.
San Francisco committed a season-high four errors and saw its two-game win streak come to a halt.
Florida now aims for back-to-back victories for the first time since July 30-31. The team has struggled for much of August, having compiled a 7-10 record so far this month, but has now won two of its last three games.
Scott Olsen gets a chance to face the Giants' anemic offense tonight as he seeks to end a personal slide of four consecutive losing decisions. The young southpaw hasn't won in five starts since beating the Phillies on July 19, although Olsen has yielded three runs or less in three of those outings.
He pitched well in last Thursday's matchup against St. Louis but was victimized by a lack of run support in a 3-0 loss. In that game, Olsen allowed three runs over seven innings and struck out six without walking a batter.
The 24-year-old was hit hard in a defeat to the Giants in Miami back in May, lasting just 3 1/3 innings and getting tagged for seven runs (5 earned) on eight hits, including a pair of homers.
For his career, Olsen is 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA in three starts against San Francisco. This will be his first lifetime appearance at AT&T Park.
Matt Cain takes the hill for the Giants this evening in search of a third straight winning decision. The talented righty limited Atlanta to one run on six hits in seven innings of a 5-1 triumph on Friday, improving him to 3-1 with a 1.72 ERA over his last five mound trips. Cain has surrendered one earned run or fewer in four of those games.
The 23-year-old is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in three career starts against the Marlins. He recorded a no-decision at Dolphin Stadium on May 25, although Cain held the Fish to two runs and struck out six in six frames.
Florida won two of three tests from the Giants in Miami earlier this season. However, San Francisco is 10-5 over its last 15 encounters with the Marlins.
<< Rays put baseball's top record on the line in finale with Angels
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thanks to wins in the first two games of this series the
Tampa Bay Rays now have the best record in all of baseball. Tonight, they will
try to sweep the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the second time this
season in a three
<< Blue Jays try to catch Yankees in standings
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two American League East foes currently headed in opposite
directions continue a three-game set tonight at Toronto's Rogers Centre, where
the surging Blue Jays shoot for a second consecutive win over the reeling New
York Yank
<< Haren, Peavy to go toe-to-toe in Diamondbacks-Padres tilt
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A showdown between two of the top pitchers in the National
League is on tap for tonight at Chase Field, where Dan Haren will lead the
Arizona Diamondbacks in the second test of a three-game series versus Jake
Peavy a
<< Brewers, Astros to complete Central clash
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's too bad CC Sabathia can't pitch every night for the
struggling Milwaukee Brewers, who are 8-1 with the big lefty on the hill.
Manny Parra will try to begin a streak of his own when he handles pitching
duties f
NCAA Football Preview - Texas A&M Aggies >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
2007 SEASON IN REVIEW: Wins in their first three games, including a thrilling
47-45 overtime triumph over Fresno State, had the Aggies feeling pretty good
about the prospect of making some serious noise in th
Addition of Artest has moved Rockets up ladder >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There have been some significant moves in the Western
Conference during the offseason which should impact the way the West will be
won during the 2008-09 campaign.
Houston traded for Ron Artest, New Orleans inked swingman
Second opinion confirms knee injury for Sixers' Smith >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia 76ers center Jason Smith
was examined Tuesday afternoon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New
York.
Dr. David Altchek, the attending orthopaedic surgeon in the Sports Medicin
CC: Closer to an MVP than a Cy Young? >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The CC Sabathia for NL Cy Young Award talk is starting to
pick up some steam. Actually, "picking up steam" is the wrong phrase, but
everyone seems to be asking me these days if he has a shot at winning the
award.
If anyth
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.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting