05/21/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Due to the play of Lance Berkman, few paid attention to Hunter Pence's recent 16-game hitting streak. However, the spotlight was all on Pence last night, and the Houston Astros outfielder will try to lift his club to another victory in this evening's finale of a three-game set with the Chicago Cubs at Minute Maid Park.
Pence was one of many Astros that struggled early in the season, as he held a .161 average after an 0-for-3 effort versus Philadelphia on April 16. However, he went on a eight-game hitting streak after and his recent career-long 16- game run lifted his average to .289.
That streak ended in Monday's loss to the Cubs, but the second-year outfielder went 3-for-4 and connected on his second career grand slam in yesterday's 4-2 victory.
Pence, who hit .322 last year and was a National League Rookie of the Year candidate until he missed almost a month of action due to a broken right wrist, has three homers, 13 RBI and a .267 average in 15 career games against the Cubs.
Berkman went 1-for-3 with a run scored one game after having his 17-game hitting streak halted. The first baseman batted .545 (36-for-66) during the streak and is now hitting .388 on the season.
Chris Sampson (3-3) gave up two runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings to pick up the win, the Astros' second in three games.
Ryan Dempster (5-2) allowed four runs on six hits in six innings to absorb the loss and Aramis Ramirez belted a two-run homer for Chicago, which had won five of six coming in. Derrek Lee went 3-for-4 and scored a run, while Mark DeRosa added a pair of hits.
DeRosa now has a hit in 11 straight games, batting .462 in that span, while Ramirez homered in his second straight game and is 5-for-9 with three runs scored and four RBI in this series.
Ramirez has also dominated Shawn Chacon, who goes tonight for the Astros. Against Chacon, the Cubs third baseman is batting .588 (10-for-17) with four doubles, five homers and 13 RBI. DeRosa is hitting .167 (2-for-12) against Chacon in his career.
Chacon has set a major-league record with nine consecutive starts without a decision to begin a season, but that was a good thing considering his last outing. Against the Rangers on Friday, the right-hander allowed a season-high eight runs (5 earned) on six hits over just 3 1/3 innings, his shortest outing of the season.
Chacon also walked four and was tagged for three home runs on that day. He left the game trailing 8-2, but Houston eventually tied the game before losing, 16-8.
Chacon has a 4.14 earned run average on the season and is 1-4 with a save and 6.69 ERA in 15 career tests versus the Cubs, including five starts. He didn't allow a run in seven games against them last year, totaling 9 1/3 innings of relief.
Sean Gallagher starts for the Cubs and is coming off his first career victory and decision. After 10 straight relief outings, the 22-year-old made his first big-league start on May 11 against Arizona and got a no-decision. However, versus the Pirates on Friday, he gave up just a run on four hits and three walks over six innings of work.
The right-hander, who makes his first-ever road start tonight, faced the Astros out of the bullpen on August 8 of last year and gave up a hit and a walk in one scoreless inning of work.
Chicago won two of three over Houston when the clubs met at Wrigley Field in early April, and has won seven of its last 10 versus the Astros.
<< Reeling Yanks aim for rebound against Orioles
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees try and put the brakes on their
longest losing streak of the season this evening, when they play the second
test of their three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium.
New
<< Rafa hunts for French Open four-peat
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While Rafael Nadal looks almost like a
slam dunk to corral yet another French Open title, the women's side at the
clay-court major is wide open with the recent retirement of the great Justine
Henin.
Nadal
<< Rockies, Giants to wrap up set with afternoon tilt
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants wrap up the first leg of their
nine-game road trip this afternoon, when they conclude a three-game set with
the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
The Giants have split the first two tests o
<< Angels hope Garland extends success versus Blue Jays
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Garland tries to continue his dominance in Toronto this
evening when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim continue their three-game set
with the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Garland is a perfect 5-0 in Toronto with a 4.47
Pedro leaves Mets to be with ailing father >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez has left
the team to be with his ailing father in the Dominican Republic, according to
a report on the team's web site.
Martinez has been working to recover from a strai
U.S. beats Argentina at World Team Championship >>
Dusseldorf, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States got a doubles
victory from Wayne Odesnik and Bobby Reynolds on Wednesday, as the Americans
surprised the reigning champion Argentines 2-1 in round-robin action at the
$2.34 m
Marcelino quits Racing post >>
Santander, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Racing Santander coach Marcelino Garcia
Toral has confirmed his decision to quit the club following the end of the La
Liga season.
The highly-rated Spanish tactician has been linked with a host of to
Draft will be the first of many tough decisions for Chicago >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls made the most of their 1.7 percent
chance of landing the top pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, winning the lottery to
claim the No. 1 overall selection on June 26.
The Bulls, who finished 33-49 and did not qua
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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