07/05/2008 - Baltimore, MD (Baseball Betting) - Ian Kinsler smashed a two-run home run to help the Texas Rangers to a 5-3 win in the middle portion of a three-game set with the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
Michael Young went 3-for-5 with an RBI, while German Duran was 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored for the Rangers, who have won four of their last six games. Scott Feldman (3-3) picked up the win for giving up three runs on five hits and four walks over six innings.
Nick Markakis hit a two-run double and Brian Burres was tagged for three runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings for the Orioles, who had won three of four coming into the contest. Lance Cormier (1-3) was charged with the loss.
"Their bullpen was better than ours," said Baltimore manager Dave Trembley. "I think that's the game in a nutshell."
Texas struck quick in the first inning as Kinsler led off with a double and then came home when Young followed with a single for a 1-0 lead.
Baltimore, though, answered to take the lead in the bottom of the first. Back- to-back singles from Brian Roberts and Jay Payton was followed by a double from Markakis to bring home both runners. Melvin Mora later lifted a sacrifice fly to score Markakis for a 3-1 advantage.
The Rangers got a run back in the second as Duran punched a one-out double and later crossed the plate on a single from Josh Hamilton.
Texas then grabbed the lead in the sixth. After issuing a two-out double to Duran, Burres stepped aside on the mound for Cormier. Kinsler then greeted Cormier with a line drive shot that just cleared the left field wall for a 4-3 lead.
"He (Cormier) fell behind," said Kinsler. He gave me the opportunity to swing at a couple of pitches aggressively. I don't know if you could tell (but) I was trying to hit the ball out of the ballpark. The 3-1 pitch, I shortened my swing a little bit more. I was still trying to do some damage. I was trying to either tie it up or hit it out of the ballpark, and the ball was up."
The Orioles, meanwhile, hit into double plays in the second and fourth inning and stranded two men on base in the fifth and sixth innings.
Baltimore got a one-out double from Roberts in the seventh inning and he later moved to third on an infield single from Markakis. Aubrey Huff, though, weakly grounded out to second to end the frame.
Texas added some insurance in the eighth as the team loaded the bases before Young hit into a double play to plate Max Ramirez.
Eddie Guardado worked around a one-out single in the eighth, while C.J. Wilson struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his 20th save of the season.
Game Notes
Texas catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia left the game in the sixth inning with a strained right groin and is listed as day-to-day...Texas left 10 men on base while Baltimore stranded eight...Kinsler has 14 home runs while Hamilton drove in his MLB-leading 83rd run of the season...Attendance was 19,006...Kinsler extended his hitting streak to 17 games...Before the game, Texas placed pitcher Joaquin Benoit on the 15-day disabled list and purchased the contract of pitcher Dustin Nippert from Triple-A Oklahoma while Baltimore selected contract of pitcher Greg Aquino from Triple-A Norfolk and designated pitcher Ryan Bukvich for assignment...Markakis extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
<< Loretta, Astros make easily work of slumping Braves
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Loretta finished 3-for-4 with three
doubles and four RBI as Houston pounded Atlanta, 6-1, in the middle contest of
a three-game set at Turner Field.
Carlos Lee and Miguel Tejada knocked in the ot
<< Fielder's late hit pushes Brewers past Bucs
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Prince Fielder's RBI single in the bottom
of the ninth lifted the Milwaukee Brewers to a 2-1 win over Pittsburgh in the
second of three games with the Pirates.
Tyler Yates took the mound for Pittsburgh
<< Nats' Dukes leaves with knee injury
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Nationals left fielder Elijah
Dukes left Saturday's contest against the Cincinnati Reds in the seventh
inning after twisting the patella bone in his right knee.
Dukes took an awkward l
<< Rangers C Saltalamacchia leaves contest
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia
left Saturday's game against the Baltimore Orioles with a right groin strain.
The 23-year-old Saltalamacchia, who was replaced by Max Ramirez in the sixth
innin
Sonnastine and Rays blank Royals >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Zobrist tripled and homered, and
Andy Sonnanstine threw seven shutout innings, as the Tampa Bay Rays topped
Kansas City, 3-0, in the second of four games with the Royals.
Sonnanstine (10-3) s
Reds rally late to swat Nats >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jerry Hairston Jr. singled to start
the ninth, stole second, and scored the winning run on a Brandon Phillips
single, as the Cincinnati Reds edged the Washington Nationals, 3-2, in the
third i
Meena Lee, Ji share lead in Arkansas >>
Rogers, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Meena Lee fired a seven-under 65 Saturday to
move into a share of the lead with the second round of the NW Arkansas
Championship suspended due to darkness.
Lee completed 36 holes at 12-under-par 132.
Mets rally late to topple Phillies >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Damion Easley went 3-for-5 and knocked
in a run, while Brian Schneider's two-run, pinch-hit double in the eighth
inning proved to be the difference as the New York Mets rolled past
Philade
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
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