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Wilson, McLouth help Pirates rally in 11th to down Reds

Baseball Betting Lines

07/01/2008 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jack Wilson and Nate McLouth used RBI hits in the 11th to help lift the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 6-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the middle contest of a three-game series.

Wilson had three hits and a run scored, while Adam LaRoche had two hits and an RBI for Pittsburgh, which snapped a two-game skid. Matt Capps (2-3) picked up the win despite blowing his second consecutive save in as many nights.

Brandon Phillips was 3-for-5 with four runs batted in, including a two-run homer, while Jerry Hairston Jr. had two hits with an RBI for Cincinnati, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. David Weathers (2-4) took the loss by giving up two runs on three hits in the 11th.

After the Reds tied the game in the bottom of the 10th, Pittsburgh went back to work in the 11th. Pinch-hitter Xavier Nady greeted Weathers by lining a double to left-center. Wilson then sliced a ball that bounced in front of a diving Ken Griffey Jr. in right, for a triple to plate one run. McLouth followed with an RBI single to left, putting the Pirates up 6-4.

Weathers eventually got two outs, and Jeremy Affeldt got the Reds out of the inning, but the damage was done.

Romulo Sanchez took the mound for Pittsburgh in the bottom of the 11th, and allowed a single to Jay Bruce between recording two outs. But he walked pinch- hitter Norris Hopper, and Hairston lined an RBI single to center to bring the Reds within one. However, Sanchez got Corey Patterson to fly out to left, ending the game.

Pirates starter Zach Duke held the Reds to just one run on six hits and two walks in five-plus innings, but extended his winless streak to four straight starts with the no-decision.

Reds starter Edinson Volquez was good enough to keep Cincy in the game by surrendering three runs on seven hits and three walks in 5 1/3 frames.

The Pirates got the game's first run in the fourth. LaRoche drew a two-out walk and Doug Mientkiewicz slapped a single to right. Jose Bautista sliced a double to right-center, scoring one, while Mientkiewicz was gunned down trying to score in a close play at the plate.

Pittsburgh extended its lead with two runs in the sixth. Jason Bay drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on a line single by Ryan Doumit, who advanced to second on the play. LaRoche followed with a double to center to plate one, and Mientkiewicz lofted a sacrifice fly to left to make it 3-0.

The Reds got on the board in the bottom half. Hairston and Adam Dunn worked consecutive walks to start the frame and Griffey loaded the bases with a single to right, chasing Duke in the process.

Denny Bautista entered and Phillips plated a run with a force out before John Grabow came on to retire Joey Votto and Jeff Keppinger on ground outs.

Cincinnati tied the game at three off Damaso Marte in the eighth. Griffey lined a one-out double to right and Phillips blistered a sinking fastball out to the seats in left-center.

The Bucs climbed on top in the 10th. Bay worked a one-out walk, moved to second when Jared Burton issued a free pass to LaRoche and scored when Jason Michaels roped a double to left field.

Dunn greeted Capps with a leadoff ground-rule double down the right field line in the 10th and moved to third on a deep fly ball by Griffey. Phillips followed with a chopper down the third base line that Bautista tried to backhand and missed, allowing the ball to roll through to left field. Phillips was thrown out at second trying to stretch the single. Votto went down on strikes, sending it to the 11th.

Game Notes

Pittsburgh leads the season series, 5-3, while Cincinnati took nine of 16 matchups last season...The Reds' Edwin Encarnacion was ejected by third base umpire Chad Fairchild in the sixth, arguing a tag play at third...Volquez has allowed three runs or fewer in 16 of 17 starts this season.


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College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

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.