Span, Twins pull away from Mariners to avoid sweep
Baseball Betting Lines
08/06/2008 -
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denard Span drove in four runs and had three
hits, and the Minnesota Twins salvaged the finale of a three-game set with a
7-3 win over the Seattle Mariners.
Minnesota entered this series having won seven times in its previous nine
contests, but the club suffered back-to-back losses to last-place Seattle
before Wednesday's win.
Span tripled with the bases loaded, had a bunt RBI single, stole a base and
robbed Adrian Beltre of a seventh-inning home run with a leaping grab against
the fence in a one-run game. Brendan Harris doubled twice, scored twice and
knocked in two for the Twins.
"He had a great game today on both sides of the ball," Twins skipper Ron
Gardenhire said of Span. "Defensively, he had a great catch and then
offensively he had that bases clearing triple, just a great game today."
Twins starter Nick Blackburn (9-6) gave up three runs on nine hits and a walk
through six frames in a winning cause. Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn (5-11)
took the loss after allowing four runs - three earned - on five hits and three
walks in six innings, while striking out six.
"It seems like he's deep in the game giving us a chance to win," Mariners
manager Jim Riggleman said of Washburn. "He did a good job today, he kept us
in there against a tough ballclub. We were getting a lot of hits, we just
couldn't get over the hump."
Jeremy Reed was 2-for-2 with a run scored, RBI and a walk while Beltre had two
hits and two RBI for Seattle, which had a three-game winning streak snapped.
The Twins jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second. Randy Ruiz lined a one-out
single to center and Harris reached on an error before Adam Everett laced an
RBI single to left. A Carlos Gomez walk loaded the bases for Span, who ripped
a triple down the first-base line to plate three runs. Washburn retired the
next two, stranding Span at third.
Reed drew a walk with two away in the third for Seattle, moved to third on a
single from Raul Ibanez and crossed home on Beltre's single back through the
middle.
The Mariners cut the lead to one in the fifth. Yuniesky Betancourt was hit by
a pitch to start things off, while Ichiro Suzuki and Reed followed with
singles, the latter of which plated a run. Consecutive ground outs plated a
second run to make it 4-3.
But Minnesota pulled away with a three-run eighth. Mark Lowe allowed Jason
Kubel and Ruiz to open the frame with back-to-back singles, and Harris stroked
a two-run double to right. Jared Wells came on to face Everett, who moved the
runner to third with a sacrifice bunt. Span then bunted a single up the first-
base line that scored Harris.
"It was good for us to get out of here with a win, we haven't felt comfortable
here since we arrived," Gardenhire said. "We tried some things different today
and they worked out for us."
Joe Nathan took the hill in the ninth and worked around a single from Bryan
LaHair to ensure victory for the Twins.
Game Notes
This series marked the first 2008 meetings between the Twins and Mariners.
Minnesota went 6-3 against Seattle last season and took five of the six games
played in Seattle...Seattle continues its season-long, 10-game homestand
Thursday, hosting Tampa Bay in the first contest of a four-game
set...Minnesota is off Thursday before heading to Kansas City for a three-game
series...Suzuki extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the
fifth...Span's four RBI and three hits were both career-highs.
<< Nearly perfect: Karstens outduels Big Unit
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Karstens took a perfect game into the
eighth inning before surrendering a double to Chris Young with two outs, but
recovered to throw a two-hit shutout in Pittsburgh's 2-0 win over the Arizona
Diamond
<< Clips acquire F Novak from Rockets
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers acquired
forward Steve Novak from the Houston Rockets Wednesday.
In return, Houston will have the option to exchange second round picks with
the Clippers in 2011.
No
<< Angels score early and often to topple O's
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ervin Santana was solid on the hill to record
his 13th win on the season and Vladimir Guerrero hit a home run and finished
with four runs driven in, as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim crushed the
Baltimo
<< Coleman replaces Yeley at Hall of Fame Racing
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hall of Fame Racing announced Wednesday J.J.
Yeley has been released from his driving duties of the No.96 Toyota in the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Nationwide Series driver Brad Coleman will drive the
<< Cardinals pick up INF Lopez
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals signed free-agent
infielder Felipe Lopez to a major-league contract Tuesday.
Lopez was released by the Washington Nationals last week in a roster upheaval.
The 28-year-old was hit
Athletics select contract of Gonzalez, option Petit >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics purchased the contract
of pitcher Gio Gonzalez from Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday.
The lefty made hit his major league-debut in Wednesday's 5-1 loss to the
Toronto Blue Jay
Cardinals continue roster shakeup >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals recalled reliever
Chris Perez from Triple-A Memphis Wednesday, one of a series of moves for the
contending club.
The club also optioned outfielder Nick Stavinoha and infielder Bre
Howard homers as Phils blank Fish >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard homered and doubled, and
Kyle Kendrick worked out of several jams to pitch six shutout innings as the
Philadelphia Phillies downed the Florida Marlins, 5-0, in the middle matchup
of a th
Wright's error in field, on basepath dooms Mets in loss to Padres >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cha Seung Baek held the Mets bats in check
through 6 1/3 frames, and the San Diego Padres took advantage of costly
mistakes from David Wright in a 4-2 victory over New York in the middle
contest
Rangers reinstate Benoit from DL, outright Roberts >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers reinstated pitcher
Joaquin Benoit from the 15-day disabled list Wednesday. The club also
outrighted infielder Ryan Roberts to Triple-A Oklahoma.
Benoit was placed on the d
Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
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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 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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