Rasmus hits HR on second chance as Cards beat Giants in 10 innings
Baseball Betting Lines
07/01/2009 -
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pablo Sandoval dropped Colby Rasmus' foul pop
up in the 10th frame -- the last of three Giants errors -- then Rasmus slugged
a game-winning home run to right-center, as St. Louis edged San Francisco,
2-1, at Busch Stadium.
The home run, Rasmus' eighth of the season, made a loser of Bob Howry (0-4)
and a winner of Ryan Franklin (2-0), who pitched one flawless frame. Albert
Pujols had two hits and was on base four times and Ryan Ludwick drove in the
other run for the Cardinals, who had lost six of seven prior to Wednesday's
win.
Aaron Rowand and Randy Winn each had two hits and Bengie Molina drove in the
only Giants run. Starter Matt Cain didn't factor in the decision, but allowed
just one run on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts over seven
frames. His counterpart, Adam Wainwright, went the first nine frames,
surrendering one run on six hits with a staggering 12 strikeouts and three
walks.
The Cardinals got to Cain in the first then no more after that. Skip Schumaker
singled, moved to second on an error, and Ludwick singled him home on a single
to right. Chris Duncan lined into a double play to end a further threat.
St. Louis wasted a bases-loaded chance in the third and San Francisco finally
scratched out the tying run in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Fred Lewis knocked a
double to right, but stayed there on Rowand's infield hit -- a bang-bang play
that replays showed Rowand was actually retired on. Winn was then walked to
load the bases with nobody out, but one out later, Molina skied a deep
sacrifice fly to center.
Nate Schierholtz struck out to end the frame. The Cardinals also loaded the
bases in the home half, as Pujols singled, stole second, Duncan walked and a
brain cramp on the part of Giants shortstop Edgar Renteria kept the frame
alive. The shortstop went to second instead of first on a slow roller and
Yadier Molina beat it out to load the bases. Sergio Romo regrouped and struck
out Joe Thurston to end the threat.
Game Notes
Cain's ERA sits at 2.48...The Giants have still won six of the last eight
meetings...Pujols is batting .337 on the season...Wainwright's earned run
average is now at 3.32.
<< Argos start season on right foot, blow out Tiger-Cats
Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kerry Joseph threw for 227 yards and three
touchdowns, as the Toronto Argonauts got the CFL season started with a 30-17
win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a battle of 2008 also-rans.
Joseph completed 1
<< Report: Clippers send Randolph to Memphis for Richardson
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Several media sources are reporting the exch
<< Braden, A's take series from Detroit
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Braden threw seven strong innings, and
Jack Cust and Jason Giambi each hit a two-run homer, as the Oakland Athletics
defeated Detroit, 5-1, in the rubber match of a three-game series.
Braden (6-7) al
<< Ottawa brings back Neil
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators announced on Wednesday that
they have re-signed right-winger Chris Neil to a four-year contract worth a
reported $8 million.
The Ottawa Sun reports Neil chose to stay in Ottawa despite a
<< Cueto, Reds blank D'Backs
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Cueto tossed six shutout innings and
the Reds bullpen finished the two-hitter from there, as Cincinnati blanked
Arizona, 1-0, in the second of three games with the Diamondbacks.
Cueto (8-4) surr
Blalock's HR in ninth lifts Rangers over Angels >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hank Blalock went 3-for-5 with a pair of home
runs, including a two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth inning, to lift the
Rangers past the Angels, 9-7, in the rubber match of a three-game series.
After th
Wild land Havlat >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - On the same day they lost forward Marian
Gaborik to free agency, the Minnesota Wild made a big splash by coming to
terms with right wing Martin Havlat on a six-year contract.
The Minneapolis Star-T
Moehler, Astros dominate Padres >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran Brian Moehler, largely ineffective so
far this season, pitched six solid innings of one-run ball and a three-run
throwing error by Chase Headley opened the floodgates, as Houston buried San
Diego,
Montreal beats Calgary in Grey Cup rematch >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chip Cox returned a fumble 81 yards for a
touchdown late in the fourth quarter, sealing Montreal's 40-27 win over
Calgary in the season opener for both teams, a rematch of last year's Grey Cup
matchup
Yankees' Nady to have Tommy John surgery >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees outfielder Xavier Nady will
undergo ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow next Wednesday.
The Tommy John surgical procedure will be performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum.
"I'm extremely disa
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.
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