08/14/2008 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez both blasted homers, as the Cubs completed a three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves by an 11-7 margin at Turner Field.
The two Chicago sluggers led the scoring, combining to drive in five runs on the night. Geovany Soto added two RBI and two runs scored, while Derrek Lee, Kosuke Fukudome, Ryan Theriot and Mark DeRosa each had two hits in the victory.
Ted Lilly (12-6) threw six solid innings on four runs and eight hits. The Cubs lefty struck out eight and walked two to give Chicago its eighth straight road victory.
Tom Glavine (2-4) did not fare well in his first start since June 10, also against the Cubs. The southpaw lasted only four innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking four, raising his earned run average to 5.54.
Mark Kotsay hit for the cycle, finishing the game 5-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored, earning his 1500th career hit in the process. Jeff Francoeur went 3-for-5 -- including a homer -- with three RBI and two runs scored as the Braves were swept by the Cubs for the second time this season.
The Cubs got to Glavine quickly in the first. Fukudome singled, and Lee followed with a double to right. After Ramirez was intentionally walked, Reed Johnson singled to drive in a run. Soto drew a five-pitch walk to give Chicago an early 2-0 lead.
Kotsay got the Braves within one on a two-out RBI triple in the second. Lilly got himself into some trouble after the hit, walking the next two batters to load the bases for Yunel Escobar, who struck out to end the threat.
Chicago added some more offense in the third. Back-to-back singles from Fukudome and Lee started things off, and Ramirez blasted a three-run homer to center to make it a 5-1 game.
The Braves added a run in the third on Chipper Jones' RBI single, scoring Martin Prado, who led off the frame with a double.
Soriano gave the Cubs a commanding 7-2 lead in the fourth on his 20th homer of the season, a two-run shot.
Kotsay hit a solo shot to lead off the fourth, cutting the lead to 7-3 in favor of the Cubs. The Braves added another run in the inning with a two-out rally. Escobar singled, and Prado followed with an RBI double in the gap for Atlanta's fourth run.
The Cubs kept the offense rolling against Buddy Carlyle in the fifth. Ramirez led off with a single, and two batters later Soto hit an RBI double to center. DeRosa followed with a single, scoring Soto and making it a 9-4 game.
Chicago added two more runs in the seventh. Soto walked, and DeRosa doubled to put runners on second and third. Theriot followed with an RBI single to score Soto. Daryle Ward followed with a sacrifice fly to drive in DeRosa.
Atlanta cut the deficit to four on Francoeur's three-run shot in the seventh, scoring Omar Infante and Casey Kotchman, both of whom had singled.
Game Notes
Chicago swept the season series 6-0, the first time the Cubs have ever swept the season series from the Braves...The eight-game road winning streak marks the Cubs longest road winning streak since a 12-game run from July 1-August 3, 1945...Ramirez left the game after scoring in the fifth inning with a left hip contusion...The last Atlanta Braves player to hit for the cycle was Albert Hall on September 23, 1987 against the Houston Astros...Ramirez's home run gave him 20 on the season, making him the first Cub to hit 20 homers and 30 doubles in five straight seasons since Hack Wilson did it from 1926-1930.
<< Lakers sign F Powell
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers signed forward
Josh Powell, the club announced Thursday. Terms of the deal were not
disclosed.
Powell comes to the Lakers from the other Los Angeles franchise,
<< Owners approve change at top for Giants
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball owners unanimously
voted on Thursday to approve Bill Neukom as the new majority owner for the San
Francisco Giants.
Giants managing general partner Peter Magowan announced his p
<< Cubs' Ramirez leaves game
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez
left Thursday's game against the Atlanta Braves with a left hip contusion.
Ramirez scored from second on a double by Geovany Soto in the fifth inning and
grimaced
<< Rays take series in Oakland
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Pena hit the go-ahead solo home run in
the 12th and Dioner Navarro wound up with the eventual game-winning RBI
single, as the Tampa Bay Rays edged the Oakland Athletics 7-6, in the rubber
match of a thr
Schneider's blast leads Mets to sweep of Nationals >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Schneider hit a two-run homer and
Oliver Perez pitched effectively into the seventh frame, leading the New York
Mets to a 9-3 victory over the Washington Nationals to sweep the series in
Washing
Reds edge Pirates >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnny Cueto scattered four hits and one run
over five innings and the Cincinnati bullpen made a one-run lead hold up in a
3-1 victory over Pittsburgh in the rubber match of a three-game series from
PNC Par
Wellemeyer, Cardinals baffle Fish >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Wellemeyer and three Cardinals relievers
combined on a four-hit shutout, and Ryan Ludwick provided all the offense in
St. Louis' 3-0 win over the Florida Marlins in the finale of a four-game
series.
Matsuzaka dominates again as Red Sox sweep Rangers >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daisuke Matsuzaka threw seven shutout innings,
and Boston used a nine-run second inning to cruise to a 10-0 win over Texas,
to complete a three-game sweep of the Rangers.
Matsuzaka (14-2) surrendered six hit
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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