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05/12/2010 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Homer Bailey pitched his first career shutout, allowing only four hits, as the Cincinnati Reds completed a three- game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 5-0 win at PNC Park.
Joey Votto hit a two-run homer and Drew Stubbs went 2-for-4 with a solo shot for the Reds, who earned their first sweep of the Pirates since September 22-24 of last year in Pittsburgh. Bailey (1-2) added six strikeouts to his ledger without walking a batter. He came into the contest with a 7.24 earned- run average in six previous starts this season.
Bailey, who threw just 90 pitches, is the second straight Cincinnati starter to throw a shutout, as Johnny Cueto threw a one-hitter in a 9-0 win over the Pirates on Tuesday night. It was the first time Reds starters tossed back-to back shutouts since Jose Rijo and Tom Browning did so on June 9-10, 1989, against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
Garrett Jones had a pair of hits, while Steve Pearce and Lastings Milledge each singled for Pittsburgh's only offense. The Pirates have dropped four in a row. Zach Duke (2-4) was roughed up for nine hits and five runs with two strikeouts and one walk in five innings of work.
Cincinnati posted runs in each of the first two innings to grab the early lead. Brandon Phillips doubled with one out in the first and crossed the plate when Votto followed with a two-run homer. Ryan Hanigan's RBI double and a bloop run-scoring single by Orlando Cabrera in the second made it a 4-0 game.
Stubbs cracked a solo homer to straightaway center in the fourth to give the Reds a five-run cushion.
Bailey retired seven straight batters before surrendering a single to Milledge leading off the eighth. However, the right-hander got Andy LaRoche to bounce into a force out and Jason Jaramillo to hit into a nicely-turned 4-6-3 double play.
The Reds went quietly in the top of the ninth, then in the bottom half, Bailey retired the Pirates in quick order to complete the gem.
Game Notes
The Pirates, who swept a three-game set from Cincinnati from April 16-18, finished 4-5 on their nine-game homestand...Bailey improved to 5-0 in five career starts against Pittsburgh...Duke dropped to 3-7 in 12 lifetime starts versus the Reds, who have won five straight overall.
<< Twins nip White Sox at Target Field
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denard Span and Justin Morneau each
finished with a pair of hits and a run batted in, and Carl Pavano threw seven
solid innings, as the Minnesota Twins edged the Chicago White Sox, 3-2, to
earn a
<< Mariners' Jack Wilson lands on DL
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners placed shortstop Jack
Wilson on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday with a right hamstring strain.
Wilson, who last played on May 5th, had started 25 games at shortstop this
seas
<< Seattle Mariners: Placed shortstop Jack Wilson on the 15
day disabled list; Recalled infielder Matt Tuiasosopo from Tacoma (PCL).
<< Lyon takes over third place
Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon moved into the third and final Champions
League spot in Ligue 1 on Wednesday as they took care of Monaco, 3-0, at the
Stade de Gerland.
The win lifts the team one point ahead of fourth-placed Auxerr
Blue Bombers sign two imports >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers added
import defensive backs Bernard Hicks and offensive lineman Andre Douglas to
their roster Wednesday.
Douglas, a Temple product, started 24 games in his final t
Snider's homer helps Blue Jays edge Red Sox >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Travis Snider hit a two-run homer and drove in
all three runs as Toronto avoided a sweep with a narrow 3-2 decision over
Boston in the final contest of three from Fenway Park.
Lyle Overbay doubled and sco
Texans ink veteran LB Clark >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Texans signed free agent linebacker
Danny Clark to an undisclosed contract on Wednesday.
Clark spent the 2007 season with the Texans before joining the New York Giants
for the next two years. He
Phils C Ruiz leaves early >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz left
Wednesday's game against the Colorado Rockies in the fourth inning after
coming up lame running the bases.
Ruiz appeared to pull up on while running to th
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.
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
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