08/07/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Streaking right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez looks for his fifth consecutive win and seventh in eight starts today, when the Colorado Rockies host the Washington Nationals in the doubleheader finale of a weather- impacted four-game series.
Game three of the series was postponed by rain on Wednesday and will be made up today as the opener of a twinbill beginning at 3:05 p.m.
Jimenez, who'll start today's second game, had a 2-8 record after a loss at Detroit on June 27 but has since gone 6-1, including a seven-inning masterpiece against Florida Friday in Miami.
In that win, the 24-year-old allowed just two hits over seven scoreless innings and struck out 10 batters.
In fact, he's allowed only four runs in four starts since a July 12 loss to the New York Mets, while surrendering 16 hits and striking out 20 in 29 innings.
Jimenez is 1-0 with a 2.25 earned run average in two lifetime starts and 12 innings against the Nationals.
Lefty Odalis Perez starts game two for the Nationals and can run his career mark against the Rockies to the .500 level.
The 31-year-old is 6-7 in 18 games (17 starts) against Colorado with a 3.87 earned run average in 109 1/3 innings.
He beat Cincinnati in his last start on Friday, allowing three hits and a run in 7 1/3 innings.
New Jersey-born right-hander Jason Bergmann tries again for his first win since May 15 and will start for the Nationals in game one.
Since that 1-0 blanking of the Mets at Shea Stadium, the 26-year-old Rutgers University product is 0-7 and the Nationals are 2-12 in the 14 games in which he's appeared.
He has pitched more effectively as of late, allowing two or fewer runs in seven of his last nine appearances. However, the Nationals have scored just 31 runs over that span and posted a 2-7 record in those games.
Bergmann got a no-decision in his only career start against Colorado after allowing five hits and five runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Bergmann will be opposed by Colorado's Jeff Francis, who was slated to start Wednesday's game after being activated from the 15-day disabled list earlier in the day. The 27-year-old lefty had been sidelined for more than a month with inflammation in his left shoulder.
Francis is 1-0 with a 5.29 ERA in three career starts against Washington.
Colorado has won eight of its last nine over the Nationals at home and went 4-3 in last year's season series between the two clubs. The Rockies won all three tests at Coors in 2007.
These teams have split the first two games of this set, with Washington winning Tuesday's encounter by an 8-2 count.
<< Yanks' Mussina goes for 15th win in finale with Rangers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Mussina will attempt to become the latest member of
the American League's 15-win club when the veteran hurler takes the mound for
the New York Yankees in tonight's finale of a four-game series with the host
Texas Rangers
<< A's send Duchscherer to hill against Blue Jays' Burnett
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Duchscherer represented the Oakland Athletics in
this year's All-Star Game. A.J. Burnett has been pitching like one for the
Toronto Blue Jays as of late.
The two double-digit winners will go head-to-head when the Bl
<< Cards aim for sweep of Dodgers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals send out their most successful
pitcher of 2008 to the mound as the playoff hopefuls shoot for a three-game
sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers this afternoon at Busch Stadium.
After falling further bac
<< Mets turn to Santana in hopes of series win over Padres
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York southpaw Johan Santana looks for a seventh
straight start without a loss today when the Mets host the San Diego Padres in
the finale of a three-game series at Shea Stadium.
Santana, a big-ticket acquisition from t
Braves' road trip resumes in Arizona >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks' inability to generate offense
almost made them a part of history last time out. The team tries to get its
bats going tonight in the opener of a four-game set with the Atlanta Braves at
Chase F
Curlin not avoiding tough competitors >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Managing partner Jess Jackson announced on
Tuesday that 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin will make his next start at
Saratoga in the $500,000 Woodward Stakes on the main track. This is an
indicat
Red-hot Rays roll into Seattle >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off one of their most dramatic wins of the season,
the Tampa Bay Rays begin a 10-game road trip tonight with the first of four
straight tests against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.
Tampa Bay, which lea
Berube tabbed as Flyers assistant coach >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers announced
Thursday that Craig Berube has been named an assistant coach.
"Craig will bring new energy to the Flyers' coaching staff," said general
manager Paul Holmgr
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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Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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