Rodriguez, Astros down Rangers
Baseball Betting Lines
06/26/2008 -
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wandy Rodriguez pitched eight strong innings
and Hunter Pence drove in three runs, as the Houston Astros downed the Texas Rangers, 7-2, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.
Rodriguez (3-3) allowed one run on five hits with nine strikeouts for Houston,
which has won three of its last four games and will now get ready to host the
Boston Red Sox for a weekend series. David Newhan finished 3-for-5 with two
RBI and a run scored while Lance Berkman added three hits, two runs scored and
an RBI in the win.
Ian Kinsler and Marlon Byrd both drove in a run for Texas, which ended its
six-game road trip with a 3-3 mark. Kevin Millwood (5-4) suffered the loss
after he allowed all seven runs on 12 hits in five innings of work.
Texas slugger Josh Hamilton left early for the second time in this series.
Hamilton left Tuesday's game early with knee inflammation and did not play on
Wednesday. He returned to the lineup for this contest, but was hit by
a pitch in the first inning before he exited in the second. X-rays taken on
his left wrist were negative and he is listed as day-to-day.
Off the field before the game started, the Astros placed pitcher Shawn Chacon
on waivers a day after his reported confrontation with general manager Ed
Wade. The 30-year-old Chacon was 2-3 with a 5.04 ERA in 15 starts this season.
The Astros took an early lead on Pence's triple in the bottom of the first.
Michael Bourn led off with a single and stole second before consecutive two-
out walks to Berkman and Carlos Lee loaded the bases. Pence then stepped to
the plate and ripped a long drive to center field. Hamilton almost caught it,
but the ball bounced just over his glove and onto the raised grass area in the
deepest part of the park. All three runners easily scored, but Pence was
stranded on third after Ty Wigginton struck out.
Four more Houston runs in the bottom gave the Astros a huge 7-0 advantage.
Humberto Quintero led off with a bunt single and Rodriguez helped his own
cause with a single. Bourn then bunted both runners ahead one base before
Newhan's double gave the hosts a 5-0 lead.
Berkman reached first on a two-out infield single, which scored Newhan, and
then Berkman headed for second when Millwood committed a balk. When Lee
singled to center field, Berkman crossed the plate to cap the uprising.
Rodriguez set the Rangers down in order in both the fourth and fifth innings
and successfully worked around a Kinsler one-out single in the sixth.
The best chance for the Rangers to score occurred in the top of the seventh,
when their first two runners reached base. Milton Bradley landed on first via
an infield single and Byrd reached base safely on an error by Miguel Tejada.
With runners on first and second and no outs, though, Rodriguez settled down
and got three consecutive outs. He fanned both Max Ramirez and German Duran
and forced Jarrod Saltalamacchia to foul out.
Oscar Villarreal allowed one run in the ninth on Byrd's RBI triple.
Game Notes
Texas will host Philadelphia this weekend...Rodriguez improved to 3-0 in his
career versus the Rangers...Millwood fell to 6-4 all-time against the
Astros...The nine strikeouts for Rodriguez ties his career best...The clubs
finished the season series with three wins apiece, but the Rangers captured
the Silver Boot by way of a larger run margin...Attendance was 36,506.
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Rangers' Hamilton again leaves game early >>
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A forward of t
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.
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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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