07/05/2008 - 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 other runs for the Astros, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Chris Sampson (4-3), who predominantly works out of the bullpen, limited Atlanta to two hits and one run over five innings in his first start since May 25.
Brian McCann homered for the Braves, who have dropped six of seven. Jo-Jo Reyes (3-7) lost for the third consecutive start. He was charged with six hits and four runs, all earned, in just 4 1/3 frames.
The Astros didn't waste time against Reyes, touching him for a pair of runs in the first on back-to-back RBI singles from Lee and Tejada.
It was 4-0 in Houston's next turn at the plate on Loretta's two-run double, and in the fifth Loretta doubled and Lee was given a free pass with one out -- ending Reyes' night for Manny Acosta.
However, Loretta was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a wild pitch that sailed off the backstop and all the way to Teixeira at first. Tejada then lined out to keep the visitors off the board.
McCann led off the home half with a solo shot just over the wall in right- center but the Braves were unable to muster anything else off Sampson.
Tim Byrdak held Atlanta at bay in the sixth and seventh, giving way to Doug Brocail for a scoreless eighth.
Houston picked up two more runs off Jeff Bennett in the ninth. Pinch-hitter David Newhan worked a one-out walk, then Darin Erstad singled with two down. Ty Wigginton was almost drilled on the fourth ball of his walk which loaded the bases, and Loretta doubled to left to score a pair.
Jose Valverde closed out the game by sending down the home team in order.
Game Notes
Sampson's last start was an eventual 15-6 loss to the Phillies -- after 13 straight relief appearances... It was also his first career win against Atlanta...No Braves runner reached scoring position in the contest...Each club has won four of the last eight meetings.
<< 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
<< White Sox' Jenks cleared to pitch after negative MRI, CT scan
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks underwent
an MRI and CT scan on his back Saturday, with the subsequent results coming
back negative.
Jenks has not pitched since June 29 against the crosstown rival C
<< Mets P Maine exits game early
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets starting pitcher John Maine
left Saturday night's game against the Philadelphia Phillies in the sixth
inning with an apparent injury to his non-throwing arm.
With the game tied 3-3 an
Late Lenhart equalizer saves point for Crew at home vs. Fire >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire snapped an extended
scoreless streak that reached over three games, but had to settle for a 2-2
draw with the Columbus Crew on Saturday night after scoring the first two
goals i
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.
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.
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