07/02/2009 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joey Votto's single to left in the bottom of the 10th scored Chris Dickerson and gave the Reds a 3-2 win over Arizona in the finale of a three-game set from Great American Ball Park.
Votto totaled four hits in all while Dickerson was 2-for-4 with an RBI single of his own as Cincinnati took the final two games of this series and won for the fifth time in seven games.
Aaron Harang pitched well, yielding just four hits and two runs over seven full frames. The right-hander, who remains without a win over his last seven starts, walked three and struck out eight. Francisco Cordero (1-2) received the win for pitching a scoreless top half of the 10th.
Mark Reynolds hit a solo home run and Chad Tracy had an RBI single for the Diamondbacks, who have lost seven of eight. Doug Davis scattered seven hits and a run with four walks and five strikeouts over seven effective innings for Arizona. The lefty is riding a five-start winless stretch.
Clay Zavada (1-2) took the bump to start the bottom portion of the 10th and gave up a leadoff single to Dickerson. Ramon Hernandez walked and Jay Bruce loaded the bases with a bunt single before Laynce Nix and Jerry Hairston were retired. Votto, though, came through with a base hit to left to end the game.
The D'Backs had loaded the bases on three walks by Cordero in the top halfof the 10th but Justin Upton flied out to right to end the threat.
Arizona struck for the game's first run in the second inning. Gerardo Parra drew a one-out walk, stole second and moved to third when Miguel Montero grounded to second. Tracy came through with an RBI base knock to left and the D'Backs led 1-0.
The Reds tied it up in the fourth but wasted a chance to take the lead. Jonny Gomes opened with a double and Ryan Hanigan's bunt single left runners at the corners. Dickerson scored Gomes with a base hit back through the middle and Paul Janish followed with a walk to load the bases with nobody out. Harang, though, popped out, Willy Taveras grounded out and Hairston Jr. did the same to end the threat.
Cincy juiced the bags again in the fifth with two outs but Janish went down swinging which allowed the visitors a 2-1 lead when Reynolds' hit his 22nd of the year with one away in the sixth.
Davis retired the Reds in order over the next two frames but the bullpen ran into trouble in the eighth. Jon Rauch gave up a pair of singles to Hanigan and a pinch-hitting Hernandez that left runners on the corners with one out. Scott Schoeneweis was brought on and got Bruce to foul out. Chad Qualls then entered and fanned a pinch-hitting Nix to escape the inning.
However, Qualls blew his fourth save of the year in the ninth as Hairston Jr. and Votto opened with base hits. Both runners advanced on Brandon Phillips' fielder's choice and Drew Sutton tied the game at two with a run-scoring pinch-hit grounder to second.
Game Notes
Cincinnati swept a three-game series from the Diamondbacks in Phoenix from May 11-13 and has won seven of its last eight matchups with Arizona...Hanigan was 3-for-3 with a walk for Cincy, which had 14 hits but stranded 16 runners...Arizona left seven men on base.
<< Crew's Schelotto earns MLS Player of Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Columbus Crew forward Guillermo Barros
Schelotto was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Month for June, it was
announced on Thursday.
Schelotto scored four goals and two assists in four MLS
<< Parma makes offer for Udinese's Di Natale
Parma, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Parma has tabled an $13 million bid for
Udinese's Italy international striker Antonio Di Natale.
The 32-year-old has been at the Friuli for five years, but has hinted that he
would welcome the oppo
<< Wolverhampton completes Milijas signing
Wolverhampton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolverhampton has completed the
signing of Nenad Milijas after being granted a work permit for the Serbia
midfielder.
Milijas, 26, agreed a four-year contract with the newly-promoted Prem
<< Atletico swoops for Juanito
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atletico Madrid has completed the signing of
central defender Juanito from relegated Real Betis.
The 32-year-old Spain international stopper has been with the Seville-based
club for more than a decad
Leafs re-sign Grabovski to three-year deal >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs re-signed center
Mikhail Grabovski to a three-year contract on Thursday. Financial terms were
not disclosed.
Grabovski, 25, collected 20 goals and 28 assists for 48 points i
Sounders add Costa Rican left back to fold >>
Renton, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Sounders FC signed Costa Rican
defender Leonardo Gonzalez, pending receipt of his P-1 work permit and
International Clearance, it was announced on Thursday.
"It's nice to have to hav
Real's De la Red may not play again >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid midfielder Ruben De la Red could
be facing the end of his career as doctors struggle to diagnose a problem which
caused him to collapse during a game last season.
The 24-year-old lost consciou
UEFA President Platini embarrassed by fees >>
Nyon, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - UEFA President Michel Platini has again
spoken out against the escalation of transfer fees after admitting he is
"embarrassed" by Cristiano Ronaldo's $131 million move to Real Madrid.
World and
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.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting