Brewers down Pirates to complete sweep
Baseball Betting Lines
08/29/2010 - Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun went 4-for-4 with a two-run homer and scored three runs, as the Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with an 8-4 win at Miller Park.
Chris Dickerson chipped in with a two-run single and drove in three for the Brewers, who had dropped four in a row entering the series and finished 13-5 against the Pirates this season.
Dave Bush (7-11) allowed four runs -- three earned -- on seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts over seven innings to pick up the win. Trevor Hoffman retired the final two batters to record his eighth save of the season and up his save totals to an all-time major league-best 599.
Neil Walker hit a two-run homer while Ryan Doumit and Delwyn Young added solo shots for Pittsburgh, which has dropped nine of their last 12.
Charlie Morton (1-10), making his first start since May 27th, lasted only 3 1/3 innings in his return from the minors. The right-hander was raked for eight runs -- seven earned -- on nine hits, walked one and struck out two.
Walker's two-run homer just inside the right-field foul pole in the first gave the Pirates a brief early lead.
However, Milwaukee answered with three in the home portion. Consecutive singles and a walk loaded the bases with two outs before Dickerson chased in a pair with a single to right. With runners still on the corners, Morton's errant pickoff throw to first allowed another to score that put the Brewers up, 3-2.
In the Milwaukee third with runners on first and third and one out, Dickerson's groundout brought in a run, and Alcides Escobar and George Kottaras each added an RBI single to give the hosts a 6-2 edge.
Doumit got the Bucs a run closer with homer to right leading off the fourth, but Braun clubbed a two-run shot in the home half to make it 8-3.
Young's homer in the seventh made it an 8-4 game, accounting for the final margin.
Game Notes
Bush improved to 6-5 in 16 career games against the Pirates, while Morton fell to 0-4 in four all-time meetings against Milwaukee...Kottaras finished 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Brewers...Pirates reliever Evan Meek was hit by a line drive in his right wright in the eighth and had to leave the game.
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How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?
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 online football betting 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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