Ramirez's three homers propels Cubs over Astros

Baseball Betting Lines

07/20/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aramis Ramirez recorded his fourth career three-homer game and drove in seven runs, as the Chicago Cubs rallied past the Houston Astros, 14-7, in the second installment of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.

Derrek Lee knocked in three runs and scored three times for the Cubs, who bounced back from an 11-5 loss in the opener of this series on Monday. Geovany Soto hit a solo homer for the victors.

Ryan Dempster went five innings in the start, allowing seven runs -- four earned -- on eight hits. Andrew Cashner (1-3) tossed two innings of scoreless relief to pick up his first win in the majors.

Chicago manager Lou Piniella announced earlier in the day that he will retire at the conclusion of the season. Piniella is in his fourth year as the manager of the Cubs. He guided the team to a winning record in each of his first three years, but the team is just 43-52 this season.

Chris Johnson hit a solo homer, drove in two runs, and scored twice for the Astros, who have dropped three of four.

Wesley Wright lasted 4 2/3 frames in his first major league start, giving up six runs on six hits. Brandon Lyon (5-4) allowed two runs on three hits in one inning of relief to take the loss.

Trailing by six runs, 7-1, Chicago scored five times in the home fifth to get back into the game. Soto singled, moved to third when Ryan Theriot reached on Jeff Keppinger's throwing error, and scored on a passed ball. Starlin Castro knocked in a run when he grounded out. After Derrek Lee walked, Ramirez smacked a three-run homer to left-center to cut the gap to 7-6. Wilton Lopez was called upon from the bullpen two batters later to keep Houston in front.

The Cubs tied the contest in the sixth on Soto's blast to center off Chris Sampson.

Chicago took the lead in the seventh. Lyon started the inning on the mound for the Astros. Starlin Castro doubled off the wall in left-center and crossed the plate on Derrek Lee's double. Alfonso Soriano knocked in Lee with a two-out single for a 9-7 lead.

The Cubs scored five more times in the eighth to account for the final margin. Gary Majewski loaded the bases with one out. Derrek Lee hit a two-run single before Ramirez blasted a three-run homer over the wall in left.

The Astros scored four runs in the second. After Hunter Pence flied out to begin the inning, Carlos Lee doubled and Keppinger walked. Johnson followed with an RBI single. Jason Castro then reached base on Theriot's throwing error, which allowed Keppinger to score and the runners to advance to second and third. Michael Bourn walked to load the bases with two outs. Dempster's control issues continued as he hit Angel Sanchez with a pitch and walked Lance Berkman to plate two more runs. Pence popped out to end the frame.

Houston added two more runs in the top of the fourth to make it 6-0. Sanchez doubled and Berkman walked with two outs. Pence and Carlos Lee followed with back-to-back RBI base hits.

Ramirez hit a solo homer to left in the home fourth to make it a five-run game. Johnson, though, responded with a solo shot of his own in the top of the fifth to make it 7-1.

Game Notes

Houston has won five of eight matchups with Chicago this season, one year after the Cubs took 11 of the 17 matchups between the two clubs....The Cubs optioned pitcher Mitch Atkins to Triple-A Iowa and recalled pitcher Jeff Stevens from the same club...Wright became the first Astro to make their first Major League start for the club since Lopez started for Houston on September 29, 2009 at Philadelphia. Tuesday was Wright's 127th major league appearance.

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SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards

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.