07/24/2008 - Chicago, IL (Baseball Betting) - Aramis Ramirez keyed a four-run fifth inning with a two-run double and Carlos Zambrano tossed seven strong innings, as the Chicago Cubs downed the Florida Marlins, 6-3, in the opener of a four-game series at Wrigley Field.
Zambrano (11-4) allowed two runs on six hits with six strikeouts for the Cubs, who continued their strong play at home. It was a welcomed change for the club, which returned home after a 2-4 road trip and now owns the best home record in the majors at 38-12. Ronny Cedeno and Henry Blanco both added solo home runs in the win.
Hanley Ramirez belted a two-run homer for the Marlins, who have lost two straight and five of their last eight games overall.
Scott Olsen (6-5), a native of the Chicago metropolitan area, started on the hill for the Marlins and allowed all six runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and three walks.
Earlier Thursday, the Cubs placed pitcher Kerry Wood on the 15-day disabled list with a blister on his right index finger. The move is retroactive to July 14. The club will make a corresponding roster move prior to Friday's game.
The Cubs trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth but scored four times for a 6-2 advantage.
Mark DeRosa led off with a walk and moved to second on a single by Blanco. Zambrano helped his own cause with a one-out double to left that scored DeRosa and Alfonso Soriano was intentionally walked to load the bases.
With two outs, Derrek Lee drew a walk and Zambrano trotted home. Ramirez then stepped to the plate and ripped a double to right field. Two runners scored, and although Lee was cut down at the plate to end the inning, the Cubs moved into the sixth with a 5-2 lead.
Blanco's two-out solo blast in the sixth gave Chicago a four-run edge.
The Marlins drew within 6-3 in the top of the eighth courtesy of a sacrifice fly off the bat of Luis Gonzalez.
Carlos Marmol issued consecutive walks to John Baker and Dan Uggla to put the first two runners on base in the top of the ninth. Marmol then got two straight outs but issued his third walk of the inning to Jorge Cantu to load the bases, but Wes Helms struck out to end the game.
Marmol earned his fourth save of the campaign.
Ramirez gave the visitors the lead with a two-run homer in the top of the third that also brought home Olsen, who had singled to center with one out. The Cubs cut their deficit in half in the bottom of the frame when Cedeno led off with his second home run of 2008.
Game Notes
Zambrano improved to 6-0 in 11 home starts this season and is now 4-1 in eight career starts versus Florida...The Cubs snapped a 10-game skid against the Marlins...Both teams produced eight hits...Zambrano's 2008 earned run average is 2.96...It was the 24th homer of the year for Ramirez...Prior to the game, the Marlins activated relief pitcher Justin Miller from the 15-day disabled list. He had been sidelined since July 5 with right elbow inflammation. To make room on the roster, the club optioned pitcher Ryan Tucker to Double-A Carolina.
<< Brew Crew makes history with sweep of Cardinals
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun clubbed a two-run homer with one
out in the top of the ninth inning to lift the surging Milwaukee Brewers to a
4-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals and complete their first-ever four-game
sweep i
<< Warriors re-sign G Ellis
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Golden State Warriors re-signed
guard Monta Ellis, executive vice president of basketball operations Chris
Mullin announced on Thursday.
According to the Mercury News, it is a six-year deal
<< Chargers sign first-round pick Cason
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers and cornerback
Antoine Cason agreed to terms on a five-year contract Thursday.
Cason, the 27th overall pick in April's draft out of Arizona, is expected to
be in camp Friday
<< Herrera earns first MLB win as Bucs down Padres
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yoslan Herrera was solid on the mound to
pick up his first major league win, and the Pittsburgh Pirates made short
work of the San Diego Padres, 9-1, in the opener of a four-game set.
Herrera (1-1)
Nadal, Djokovic advance; Roddick upset at Rogers Cup >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded Rafael Nadal and third-seeded
Novak Djokovic advanced Thursday at the $2,615,000 Rogers Masters in Toronto,
but sixth-seeded Andy Roddick wasn't as fortunate to get out of the third
round.
Jankovic moves on at East West Classic >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia was among
the winners in Thursday's third-round action at the $600,000 East West Bank
Classic women's tennis event.
Jankovic defeated Melinda Czink of Hungary, 6-3, 6-2.
Jets ink Gholston >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Jets have reportedly signed their
first round draft choice, defensive end Vernon Gholston.
According to the New York Daily News, the Jets finalized a five-year contract
worth nearly $40 million w
Tulsa shoots for second C-USA title since '05 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Since joining Conference USA in 2005,
Tulsa has won 18 of 26 league games, and after crushing Bowling Green 63-7 in
the GMAC Bowl, the Golden Hurricane are the prohibitive favorites to pick up
their second
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.
Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.
Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.
Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.
Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
Arizona 20-1
Butler 20-1
Duke 30-1
Florida 7-2
Georgetown 30-1
Indiana 35-1
Kansas 15-1
Marquette 25-1
Maryland 40-1
Memphis 50-1
Nevada 50-1
UNC 9-2
OSU 8-1
Oregon 30-1
Pittsburgh 15-1
Texas 30-1
Texas A&M 18-1
UCLA 6-1
Wisconsin 10-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.
Sports Betting News: Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting