05/21/2008 - (Baseball Betting) - Just like the deck of the Black Pearl, the 2008 National League All-Star team could have a bunch of Pirates running around its outfield.
The Pirates haven't had two outfielders on the same All-Star roster since 1992. Not surprisingly, that is also the last time the Pirates finished with a record above .500 and won a division title.
Pittsburgh won the NL East title with a 96-66 mark in 1992, and that season sent both Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke to San Diego as starting members of the All-Star club. Van Slyke began the game in center field, with Bonds next to him in left.
Perhaps a sign of things to come, the Pirates could not only send a pair of outfielders to this year's "Midsummer Classic", but could also again have two starters dropping anchor as well.
Though the Pirates are just 21-24 on the season, few can blame center fielder Nate McLouth and right fielder Xavier Nady for the team's struggles. Both McLouth and Nady are consistently at the top of many offensive categories among outfielders in the NL.
McLouth is perhaps the biggest surprise and hidden treasure of the two. Among NL outfielders, he ranks or is tied for third in home runs (12), slugging percentage (.605) and OPS (1.244), is tied for second in RBI with 36, and is fourth with 53 hits.
Nady, meanwhile, is sixth with a .313 batting average, also has 36 RBI and is tied for the fifth with 52 hits.
The left-handed hitting McLouth's numbers are espcially good considering he has just one multi-hit game in his last 12 tilts, cranking three homers in that span with eight RBI. After batting .330 in April, he is hitting only .227 through 17 May games.
Still, McLouth is proving he can play everyday in the Bay Area, and a return to early-season form would land him in the Bronx for this year's All-Star game for sure. His home run total and slugging percentage are the highest of any NL center fielder, making him seaworthy for this year's All-Star tilt.
Nady also enjoyed a stellar April, posting 22 RBI and a .320 average in 26 games. Though not enjoying a great May he hasn't fallen as far back as McLouth, posting a .274 average and 10 RBI in 17 May games.
All this without a mention of two-time All Star Jason Bay, who is starting to get more consistent, if nothing else. Pittsburgh fans were ready for Bay to walk the plank and be set adrift after a subpar 2007 season. However, the left fielder hit .270 in April with six homers and 10 RBI through 25 games, and through 18 May contests carries a .271 average for the month with four homers and 10 RBI.
Also, while Bay struck out 22 times through 25 April games, he has just 10 whiffs so far in May. In his 21 games played at PNC Park this year, Bay is hitting .307 (23-for-75) with 13 RBI.
Getting two players from a club that is closer to the bottom of the standings than Davy Jones' Locker onto an All-Star roster is hard to justify, but with a little improvement, it is very possible this year's version of the NL club could have some Bucs roaming its hull, proudly flying the Jolly Roger.
SPYGLASS: PIRATES GET LOOK AT TORRES
Pittsburgh's current series with the Milwaukee Brewers at PNC Park served as a homecoming for current Brew Crew reliever Salomon Torres. Torres spent the past six seasons with Pittsburgh, amassing back-to-back 12-save seasons in 2006-07, before getting traded to Milwaukee this past offseason for pitchers Marino Salas and Kevin Roberts.
Torres tenure in Pittsburgh did not end well due to his 2007 season. Last year, Torres filed a grievance with the club, took an unwanted trip to the disabled list and eventually lost his closer's spot to Matt Capps. He also asked for a trade that never came about during the season.
"Change was needed," Torres told Pittsburgh's official Web site on Tuesday. "It has given me a chance to reenergize myself and my career. Everything is going good."
After going 2-4 with a 5.47 earned run average in 56 games with the Pirates last year, the durable right-hander is 3-1 with a save and 3.10 ERA in 23 games with the Brewers.
He was acquired by the Brewers three days before they inked Eric Gagne to be their closer.
The right-handed Salas, meanwhile, has played in four games this year with the Pirates, going 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA in 3 2/3 innings of relief. Roberts on the other hand, was recently demoted to Class-A Lynchburg.
WILSON REHABBING
Shortstop Jack Wilson went 0-for-3 over six innings with Double-A Altoona on Tuesday night during a rehab stint. He also made four starts at short for Triple-A Indianapolis beginning last Thursday, hitting .333 (4-for-12) with two RBI and two runs scored before joining Altoona.
He is expected to play again for the Double-A club on Wednesday night.
WHO'S HOT
Freddy Sanchez is batting .313 (10-for-32) while hitting safely in six of his last seven games, and has six hits in his last 13 at-bats.
WHO'S NOT
Jose Bautista is just three for his last 21 after hitting safely in six straight games. He went 9-for-22 (.409) in that span.
ON DECK
After dropping the opener of its three-game set with Milwaukee, Ian Snell (2-2, 5.05 ERA) will try to get his club back into the win column on Wednesday against Ben Sheets (4-1, 3.25).
Tom Gorzelanny (3-4, 6.64) then tosses Thursday's finale versus Dave Bush (1-4, 6.05).
Friday sees the Pirates continue their six-game homestand against the Cubs. Zach Duke (2-2, 4.23) battles Carlos Zambrano, followed by Phil Dumatrait (1-2, 4.39) against Jason Marquis (2-3, 4.96) on Saturday.
Sunday's finale pits Paul Maholm (2-5, 5.03) against Ted Lilly (5-4, 5.14).
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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 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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