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07/31/2010 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Gonzalez went 4-for-6 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBI, as Colorado scored 12 times with two outs in a franchise record-breaking eighth inning to pull away from Chicago, 17-2, in the opener of a three-game series.
The Rockies batted around twice in an unfathomable eighth frame that saw them set club marks for runs (12), hits (13) and consecutive hits (11), all while stranding the bases loaded.
Dexter Fowler had three hits, a home run and two RBI, while Ian Stewart homered and drove in three for the Rockies, winners of two straight on the heels of a miserable eight-game skid.
Jeff Francis (4-3) was efficient in a six-inning start, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five to pick up the win.
Ryan Dempster (8-8) lasted only four-plus frames for the Cubs, surrendering five runs on seven hits and five walks in the club's third straight loss.
Sean Marshall entered from the bullpen and failed in trying to keep the Cubs within 5-2 in the eighth. The reliever had runners on the corners with two outs before the flood gates opened.
Gonzalez started the string of 11 consecutive hits with a RBI single to right. Troy Tulowitzki and Brad Hawpe followed with run-scoring doubles to chase Marshall, and Andrew Cashner proved even less effective in allowing six straight hits.
Chris Iannetta tripled to left-center to score Hawpe, then Stewart slugged one over the wall in right-center. Melvin Mora added a pinch-hit, run-scoring double following Clint Barmes' single, and Fowler got in on the act with his third homer of the season, a no-doubter to right.
Brian Schlitter mercifully relieved Cashner after Ryan Spilborghs' pinch-hit single and gave up a base hit to Gonzalez and two-run double to the left-field gap to Tulowitzki.
Hawpe and Iannetta walked to load the bases to keep the inning going, but Stewart flied out to center to end the marathon inning.
Colorado got the scoring started with a three-spot in the third. Seth Smith doubled in a pair, and Dempster walked three straight with two outs in the frame, the last a payoff pitch just off the plate to Iannetta to force in a run.
Gonzalez's 20th home run of the season leading off the fifth made it 4-0, and Dempster was pulled shortly thereafter following a single and two walks. James Russell came in and limited the damage to Stewart's RBI base hit to right.
The Cubs got to Francis in the sixth, as Jeff Baker singled and raced around on a triple to right from Tyler Colvin, who scored two batters later on a Derrek Lee groundout.
Game Notes
The 17 runs were the most the Rockies have scored since beating Florida, 18-17, on July 4, 2008...Of Colorado's 21 hits, 12 went for extra bases, also a club record. Every starting position player had an extra-base hit..Francis went unbeaten in five July starts...Matt Belisle, Rafael Betancourt, and Taylor Buchholz each threw a scoreless inning of relief for the Rockies.
<< Prado leaves Friday's game
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves second baseman Martin Prado
left Friday's game against Cincinnati with an undisclosed injury.
Prado slid somewhat awkwardly headfirst into home plate on Jayson Heyward's
game-winning two-
<< Twins remain hot, sink Mariners
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Thome and Alexi Casilla both clubbed a
two-run homer, as the streaking Minnesota Twins beat Seattle, 5-3, in the
opener of a three-game series at Target Field.
J.J. Hardy had two hits and score
<< Peralta homers twice in Tigers debut; Detroit tops Boston
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jhonny Peralta hit a pair of homers and drove in
three in his Tigers debut, as Detroit held on against Boston's furious ninth-
inning rally for a 6-5 decision in the first of three between the clubs at
Fenway
<< Harrell wins MLB debut as White Sox extend home win streak
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gordon Beckham had two hits and drove in two
runs to support six solid innings from Lucas Harrell in his major league debut
as Chicago downed Oakland, 6-1, in the opener of a three-game set.
Harrell (1-0),
Langer up two at Senior Open >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bernhard Langer continued his hot play Friday
as he carded a two-under 68 to grab a two-stroke lead after the second round
of the U.S. Senior Open.
Langer, who is coming off a win last week at the S
Murray into semis in LA >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andy Murray took a first-set tiebreaker
against Alejandro Falla of Colombia and took control from there for a straight
victory in the quarterfinals at the $700,000 Farmers Classic tennis event.
The top
Marlins beat Padres to begin weekend series >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gaby Sanchez and Cody Ross homered to lead
the Florida Marlins past the San Diego Padres, 4-2, in the opener of a three-
game series.
Hanley Ramirez and Logan Morrison each drove in a run for the Marl
Angels erase early five-run deficit, top Rangers >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Rivera had two hits, including a three-run
homer, and the Los Angeles Angels overcame an early five-run deficit to beat
the rival Texas Rangers, 9-7, in the start of a crucial intradivisional
weekend
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.
"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."
Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.
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