07/05/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The American League West-leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will play the middle contest of a three-game weekend set against the Toronto Blue Jays this evening at Angel Stadium.
Although John Lackey has only pitched in nine games for the Angels this season, he has certainly made the most of those appearances. Lackey is 6-1 with a 1.44 ERA. He has surrendered only 48 hits and 13 walks in 68 2/3 innings and nearly pitched a complete game shutout against the Dodgers on Sunday.
Lackey is 1-0 versus Toronto in two appearances this season, surrendering just two earned runs in 15 innings. He is 3-2 lifetime versus the Jays.
It certainly comes as no surprise that Roy Halladay has been outstanding for the Blue Jays this season. The stud righty is 9-6 with a stellar 2.90 ERA. On Monday, he pitched a shutout against the Mariners on the road, permitting only four hits with no walks. He has a 1.99 ERA in his last three games.
Halladay is 5-5 lifetime against the Angels with a rather high 4.80 ERA. He is making his first start against the club this season.
Yesterday, Howie Kendrick finished 2-for-4 and drove in three runs as Los Angeles drubbed Toronto, 8-2. Garret Anderson went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer and a pair of runs scored for the Angels, winners in three straight and four of five.
Torii Hunter homered and scored twice while Gary Matthews Jr. and Maicer Izturis also knocked in runs for the victors.
Jered Weaver (8-8) evened his record by allowing only two runs on six hits with six strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings.
Joe Inglett and Alex Rios knocked in a run each for the Blue Jays, who have lost three in a row. A.J. Burnett (8-8) was rocked in the loss for 12 hits and eight runs -- six earned -- over seven full frames.
Anaheim has won five of its seven 2008 meetings with Toronto and took two of three matchups with the Jays at Angel Stadium from May 30-June 1.
<< Report: Former Charger Kiel dies in car crash
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Chargers safety Terrence Kiel
reportedly died late Friday in a car crash. He was 27 years old.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported the crash on Saturday. According to
police, a witness
<< Baek, Gonzalez lead Padres over D-Backs
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cha Seung Baek allowed just two hits over six
shutout innings, as the San Diego Padres dispatched the Arizona Diamondbacks,
5-1, in the opener of a three-game set.
Baek (2-3) carried a no-hitter into the
<< Cristman leads New England over L.A., Beckham
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Cristman scored two first-half goals and the
New England Revolution held off David Beckham and the Los Angeles Galaxy, 2-1,
on Friday to win a battle conference leaders at The Home Depot Center.
Cristman s
<< Rockies top Marlins in slugfest
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Iannetta drove in four runs, including the
game-winner in the bottom of the ninth, as the Colorado Rockies trailed by as
many as nine runs but rallied for a wild, improbable 18-17 win over the
Florida
Zito tries to find way against Dodgers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Zito tries to avoid his 13th loss of the season this
evening when the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers resume their
three-game series at AT&T Park.
Zito failed to put back-to-back wins together the l
Nats, Reds continue four-game set in Cincy >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Josh Fogg returns from a month-long stint on
the disabled list to start for the Cincinnati Reds in game three of their
four-game weekend series with the visiting Washington Nationals at Great
American Ball Park.
Maholm, Bush square off at Miller Park >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh native Dave Bush takes another crack at his
hometown team tonight when the Milwaukee Brewers host the visiting Pirates in
the second game of a three-game weekend series at Miller Park.
Bush, who was drafted by t
Rays try to keep shining against Royals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays will attempt to extend their winning
streak to six games this evening, as they continue a four-game series with the
Kansas City Royals at Tropicana Field.
Expected to pitch for the surprising Rays will
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
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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Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch
Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.
Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.
"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."
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