Nats sweep doubleheader with Rockies
Baseball Betting Lines
08/07/2008 -
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wil Nieves and Willie Harris drove in two runs
apiece to give the Washington Nationals a 6-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies, sweeping Thursday's doubleheader at Coors Field.
Odalis Perez (5-8) won his second consecutive start, throwing six solid
innings on two runs and six hits. The southpaw struck out one and walked one
en route to Washington's sixth win in seven games.
"We have new life, new energy," said Nationals manager Manny Acta. "These
kids, for the most part, are playing good defense, and we're executing at the
plate. Winning is contagious, so everyone around is feeling pretty high."
Lastings Milledge had two hits and a run batted in -- his fifth of the day --
and Emilio Bonifacio added an RBI for the Nationals.
Joel Hanrahan pitched a perfect ninth for his second save of the day and third
of the season.
Ubaldo Jimenez (8-10) broke his streak of four consecutive wins, failing to
record a quality start for the first time in eight starts dating back to June
27. The right-hander went only five innings, allowing six runs on eight hits
while striking out four and walking six.
"For 18 innings, we couldn't catch a spark at the bat, then we couldn't get
two clean starts," said Rockies manager Clint Hurdle. "We didn't do too much
to help ourselves out today."
Garrett Atkins batted 3-for-4 with three RBI, including a two-run homer, while
Troy Tulowitzki added two hits in Colorado's fourth defeat in six games.
The Rockies struck quickly in the first inning. With two outs, Matt Holliday
worked a walk and Atkins followed with a home run, his 16th of the season, to
give the Rockies a 2-0 lead.
The Nationals took the lead in the second with four two-out runs. Ryan
Langerhans led off with a walk, and three batters later Perez singled.
Bonifacio followed with an RBI single to right and Harris doubled home two
more runs to give the Nats a 3-2 lead. After Ryan Zimmerman walked, Milledge
singled to score Harris for the fourth run of the inning.
Jimenez got into a bit of trouble in the fifth, walking the first two batters,
he faced. Two batters later with runners on second and third, Nieves doubled
to center to knock in two and give Washington a 6-2 lead.
The Rockies got an unearned run in the seventh. With two outs, Holliday was
safe at first on an error by Zimmerman. After stealing second, Atkins drove
Holliday in with a single to left, cutting the deficit to three.
Game Notes
The Nationals lead the season series 2-1...The Rockies are 13-8 after the All-
Star Break...Colorado begins a weekend series at home against the Padres on
Friday while Washington plays a four-game set at Milwaukee...The loss was
Jimenez's first since July 12 against the Mets.
<< Blumenherst continues to roll at U.S. Women's Amateur
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amanda Blumenherst rolled to a pair of wins
Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the 108th U.S. Women's Amateur at
Eugene Country Club.
Blumenherst, the NCAA Player of the Year and last year's r
<< PGA Championship First Round News & Notes
Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite the fact they share a
surname, there is no relation, whatsoever, between Jeev Milkha Singh and Vijay
Singh.
"In the practice rounds I can hear a lot of people say, 'Oh, I think he
<< Karlsson, Jeev Milkha Singh and Romero lead suspended PGA
Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Karlsson of Sweden and
India's Jeev Milkha Singh both posted rounds of two-under 68 on Thursday and
share the lead with Andres Romero during the suspended first round of the PGA
Champio
<< Clippers add veteran Williams
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers signed veteran
guard Jason Williams, who had been with the Miami Heat. Per team policy,
terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 32-year-old Williams joins his fourth
<< Report: Florida TE Ingram has torn ACL
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Florida senior tight end
Cornelius Ingram has reportedly torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his
left knee, effectively ending his 2008 season.
According to Sporting News, Ingra
Tolles fires 62 to lead Wichita Open >>
Wichita, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Tolles fired a nine-under-par 62 Thursday
to grab a one-stroke lead with the first round of the Wichita Open suspended
due to darkness.
Tolles' 62 missed both the course record and the 18-hole tourname
Oswalt continues to stymie Reds in Houston victory >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Oswalt dominated the Cincinnati hitters
to help the Houston Astros win a 7-4 decision in the first of four games at
Great American Ball Park.
Oswalt (9-8) improved his career record against the R
Williams helps Hamilton down Toronto >>
Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richie Williams threw for 293 yards and three
touchdowns, including Hamilton's first passing touchdown of the season, as the
Tiger-Cats dismantled the Toronto Argonauts to the tune of 45-21, at Ivor
Wynne.
Chiefs edge Bears in preseason opener >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brodie Croyle finished 6-of-10 for 82 yards
while Larry Johnson carried eight times for 18 yards and a score, as the
Kansas City Chiefs used a late touchdown pass from Tyler Thigpen to defeat the
Chicago
Brees, Saints go marching past Cardinals >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drew Brees led the Saints to an opening
scoring drive with a seven-yard touchdown strike to David Patten and Robert
Meachem had 129 yards receiving and a touchdown, as New Orleans took the
preseas
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.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
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.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
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.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
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