D-Backs, Haren hope to sweep Mets out of Arizona

Baseball Betting Lines

07/21/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks have lost all of Dan Haren's last six starts and hope that trend ends tonight in the finale of a three-game series versus the New York Mets at Chase Field.

Haren is 0-4 with a 4.58 earned run average in his last six starts and hasn't tasted victory since consecutive wins on June 7 and 12. He previously toed the rubber in last Thursday's 12-1 debacle at San Diego in which he allowed six runs and eight hits in five innings.

The right-hander fell to 7-8 in 20 starts this season to go along with a 4.60 earned run average. Haren will shoot for his second career win over the Mets, as he is 1-0 with a 3.77 ERA in five career matchups (4 starts) with New York.

Arizona has won the first two installments of this series and is coming off last night's 3-2 victory behind rookie starter Barry Enright, who fired eight innings of one-run ball and struck out eight batters. Enright also drove in a run at the plate, while Juan Gutierrez managed to pick up his third save despite giving up a run in the ninth inning.

"I was attacking hitters from the beginning," Enright said. "The first two guys got on, but I never lost that aggressiveness."

Justin Upton hit a solo home run and Gerardo Parra stroked an RBI triple for the Diamondbacks, who posted a 13-2 win Monday to snap a four-game losing streak. The D'Backs are aiming for their first sweep of the Mets since taking all four meetings from Aug. 3-5, 2002. The two teams played a doubleheader in that series.

The Diamondbacks haven't recorded a sweep since winning all three matchups with Houston from Aug. 28-30 of last season.

New York will try to salvage the finale of this series and fell to 1-5 on its 11-game, three-city tour out west. In last night's defeat in the desert, Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey suffered the loss for permitting three runs and seven hits in seven innings.

"When you go out against a team that you feel is inferior to your own and you don't get it done, it's hard," Dickey said on the team's site. "It's sad, because you don't get that many chances to do something special."

Angel Pagan and Josh Thole both homered for the Mets, who have lost eight of 10 games overall and are 4-11 in the last 15 road games. New York has been held to four runs or less in 11 straight games, going 3-8 in that span, and will also visit Los Angeles for four games on the road swing. It is 5-11 in July after going 18-8 in June.

The Mets fell 6 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the National League East lead and will pin pitching duties on Jonathan Niese tonight. Niese will try to stop a two-start losing streak and was 5-0 with a 2.43 earned run average in six appearances before losing back-to-back trips to the hill.

The slide began on July 7 in a 3-1 loss to Cincinnati, as he pitched seven innings of three-run ball with eight K's. Niese then dropped another hard-luck loss in last Thursday's 1-0 defeat at San Francisco, where he permitted the only run of the game through seven frames.

Niese, a left-hander, is 6-4 in 16 starts this season to go along with a 3.44 earned run average. He has never faced the Diamondbacks.

New York and Arizona are meeting for the first time since the Diamondbacks won five of seven meetings a year ago.

Gambling-sportsbook-online Baseball Betting News

<< White Sox shoot for another win over Mariners
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A trip to the West Coast and a couple of matchups with a struggling Seattle squad seems to have gotten the Chicago White Sox back on track. The current American League Central leaders will try to remain unbeaten against

<< Phillies try to get on track against hosting Cardinals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This current road trip for the Philadelphia Phillies has been a complete disaster and they'll try to regroup tonight in the third installment of a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals from Busch Stadium. The P

<< Boston to get some extra help in Oakland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Injuries to a number of key performers have caused the Boston Red Sox to lose ground in the American League playoff race. They'll get one of those players back this afternoon, however, with standout pitcher Clay Buchhol

<< Undefeated Roughriders battle Stampeders
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last of the unbeatens in the Canadian Football League try to keep their record unblemished this weekend as the Saskatchewan Roughriders clash with the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium in Alberta. As i

<< Heavy-hitting Jays shoot for series win in KC
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Bautista's dream season has the Blue Jays in position to do something they haven't done since 2003. That was the last time Toronto won a series in Kansas City, a feat it will try to accomplish today versus the Royals in

Indians seek seventh straight win in finale at Minnesota >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the American League's worst teams during the season's first half, the Cleveland Indians, have suddenly become one of baseball's hottest clubs since the All-Star break. The red-hot Tribe will attempt

Dodgers try to avoid seventh straight loss in finale with Giants >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time the Los Angeles Dodgers won their division after being at least six games back this late in the season was 1983, when the club battled back from a 6 1/2-game deficit to win the NL West. Los Angeles is current

Tigers aim to snap seven-game slide, avoid sweep versus the Rangers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers hope to put an end to their seven-game losing streak and salvage the finale of a three-game series tonight versus the Texas Rangers at Comerica Park. The Tigers, who were swept in four games at Cleveland

Pirates, Brewers to go back it at after slugfest >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though it went from a laugher to a nail-biter, the Pittsburgh Pirates were still able to snap their five-game losing streak to Milwaukee last night. Another offensive outburst might be needed, given Zach Duke's history agains

Braves try to stay ahead of Padres in clash of division leaders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - By drawing first blood in this three-game series with the San Diego Padres last night, the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves again own the league's best record. Atlanta will try to keep its grip on that accolade

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.