Bartlett's hit in 10th lifts Rays over Tribe

Baseball Betting Lines

07/11/2010 - St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Bartlett drove in the game-winner in the 10th inning as the Tampa Bay Rays took a 6-5 win over the Cleveland Indians in the finale of a four-game set.

With men on first and second and Kerry Wood (1-4) on the mound, Bartlett roped a pitch into the gap in right-center and it dropped, allowing Carl Crawford to cross the plate for the win.

Tampa closed out the first half of the season with a mark of 54-34 and the team currently sits in second place in the AL East, 1 1/2 games back of the Yankees.

Crawford went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and three runs scored while B.J. Upton and Reid Brignac each drove in a run for the Rays, who have won eight of nine.

Jeff Niemann went five innings in the start and gave up three runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Andy Sonnanstine (2-0) got the win for throwing a perfect 10th inning.

Austin Kearns drove in a pair of runs while Trevor Crowe added two hits and an RBI for the Indians, who have lost five of their last six. Justin Masterson lasted five innings and was charged with five runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

Cleveland sits at the bottom of the AL Central with a mark of 34-54.

The Indians jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. With one out, Jayson Nix was hit by a pitch and Carlos Santana followed with a double. Kearns chased them both home with a single and Matt LaPorta followed with an RBI double.

The Rays got a run back in the first. With runners at the corners, Carlos Pena hit a grounder back to the mound and Masterson caught Crawford off of third. In the rundown with Crawford heading to home, Andy Marte short-hopped the ball to Chris Gimenez and Crawford was able to get around the catcher to score. Matt Joyce walked to load the bases, but John Jaso hit into a double play to end the inning.

Tampa got another run back in the fourth when Upton hit a two-out double and came home when Brignac followed with a single.

The Rays then surged ahead in the fifth. Ben Zobrist led off with a walk and Crawford followed by drilling a 1-1 pitch into the seats in right. Later with the bases loaded, Upton lofted a sac fly to right that scored Evan Longoria for a 5-3 lead.

Cleveland, though, tied the game in the sixth. With two on and no out, Crowe singled home a run and a bunt single from Gimenez loaded the bases. Anderson Hernandez then hit into a double play that tied the game.

Game Notes

Tampa has taken five of six from Cleveland this season...Tampa left 15 men on base in the game...After the break, Cleveland hosts Detroit for four games starting on Friday...Tampa begins a three-game set in New York against the Yankees starting on Friday.

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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.