Phillies build big lead, top Marlins to keep hold of first place

Baseball Betting Lines

09/08/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard finished 3-for-5 with a three- run homer and tied a season-high with six RBI as Philadelphia built a double- digit lead but held on to top Florida, 10-6, in the finale of a four-game set.

Chase Utley added two hits, two runs scored and drove in two for the Phillies, who took three of four in the series and maintained a half-game edge in the NL East over Atlanta. The Braves routed Pittsburgh, 9-3.

Jimmy Rollins collected two hits and scored a run before leaving in the fourth inning with a tight right hamstring. He is listed as day-to-day.

Cole Hamels (10-10) turned in seven scoreless frames, scattering four hits while fanning five and walking one. The left-hander's consecutive scoreless innings streak was extended to 25 innings over his last four starts, dating back to August 24 against Houston.

Gaby Sanchez hit a three-run blast and Cameron Maybin contributed a two-run double for the Marlins, who have lost four of six.

Andrew Miller (1-1) was tagged in defeat for 11 hits and seven runs over just four innings, boosting his earned-run average to 6.16.

Howard contributed an RBI single in the seventh to get the Phils into double digits with a seemingly safe 10-0 advantage, before Florida hit the scoreboard in the eighth with six runs.

Nate Robertson gave up a single to Emilio Bonifacio and a walk to Logan Morrison before a three-run homer from Sanchez. Maybin later added a two-run double which halved the Marlins' deficit, then a pinch-hit two-out RBI double from Scott Cousins off David Herndon made it 10-6. Mike Rivera grounded out to end the rally.

Herndon walked Morrison with one out in the ninth, bringing on Ryan Madson, who prevented further damage by retiring Sanchez on a pop out and fanning Dan Uggla.

The Phils picked up two runs in the first. Shane Victorino doubled, Utley walked with one out and stole second, then Howard's single that bounced away from Marlins right-fielder Mike Stanton plated both and got Howard to second. Rollins singled with two down but Howard was thrown out at the plate.

In the second, Raul Ibanez stroked a leadoff double, Carlos Ruiz walked, and the bases were loaded when Wes Helms threw away Hamels' attempted sacrifice bunt. Victorino then plated a run with a groundout.

Rollins doubled with two down in the third and after a walk to Ibanez, scored on a Ruiz base hit for a 4-0 Phillies lead.

In the fourth, Placido Polanco and Utley singled with one out ahead of Howard's three-run blast, then Utley added a two-run single in the fifth which put the home team ahead 9-0.

Game Notes

Howard last drove in six during a 12-2 win over Pittsburgh on May 17...The contest ended a stretch of 24 games in 23 days since the Phils' last off day on August 17, during which the three-time NL East champs went 15-9...Florida shortstop Hanley Ramirez did not play due to a sore back...Robertson was torched for four hits and six runs with two walks and two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning.

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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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