Howard, Schneider power Phils past Dodgers

Baseball Betting Lines

09/01/2010 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard and Brian Schneider each hit a three-run home run as the Philadelphia Phillies downed the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-4, in the second of three games.

Carlos Ruiz added a two-run single for the Phillies, who have won four of their last five. Kyle Kendrick (9-7) got the win as he was charged with four runs on seven hits over five-plus innings of work.

Philadelphia remained three games behind Atlanta for first place in the NL East as the Braves defeated the Mets on Tuesday. The Phils did stay 1 1/2 games ahead of San Francisco for the NL Wild Card spot as the Giants defeated Colorado on Tuesday.

James Loney hit a two-run home run and finished the game with three RBI and Jamey Carroll drove in the other run for the Dodgers, who have dropped three of four. Carlos Monasterios (3-5) was tagged for five runs on five hits in just two-plus innings of work to take the loss.

"Monasterios is still learning," said Dodgers manager Joe Torre. "We crept back into it, but we just couldn't keep the pressure on them when they scored those last two runs."

The Dodgers struck in the first inning as a bases loaded walk by Loney forced home Scott Podsednik for a 1-0 lead.

It was short-lived, though, as Jayson Werth doubled to start the second, Shane Victorino later walked and Schneider crushed the first pitch he saw over the right field wall for a 3-1 lead.

The Phils added to their lead in the third. Placido Polanco started the frame with a single and Chase Utley followed with a single. That chased Monasterios from the mound, as Ramon Troncoso took over, and Howard greeted him with a shot over the center field wall for a 6-1 advantage.

"It felt good to make contact," Howard said. "It was a fastball, and I just reacted. It wasn't that I was happy I hit a home run -- I was happy to get a hit."

The Dodgers got one back in the fifth when Jamey Carroll's groundout scored Rod Barajas to make it a 6-2 game.

Los Angeles then cut its deficit in half in the sixth as Matt Kemp led off with a single and Loney followed with a shot over the right field wall to make it a 6-4 game.

Philadelphia, though, got the runs back in the seventh as Ruiz's pinch-hit, two-run single gave the team an 8-4 lead.

J.C. Romero set the Dodgers down in order in the seventh while Ryan Madson did the same in the eighth.

Brad Lidge then worked a 1-2-3 ninth to lock down the win.

Game Notes

Howard hit his first home run in the month of August and it was his first round-tripper in 13 games...It was the first time since June 29 that the Phillies hit two home runs in a game...Philadelphia has won three of the five games with Los Angeles this season...Kendrick improved to 3-3 over six career starts against LA...Monasterios has dropped his past five decisions...Los Angeles third baseman Casey Blake went 0-for-4 and had a nine-game hitting streak snapped.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.


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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