Cubs win pitchers' duel to take series with Dodgers

Baseball Betting Lines

05/27/2010 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Colvin's run-scoring double in the bottom of the eighth inning proved to be the only offense, as the Chicago Cubs edged the Los Angeles Dodgers, 1-0, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Wrigley Field.

Mike Fontenot, who replaced injured third baseman Jeff Baker (right eye), tripled to start the eighth and scored on Colvin's two-bagger for Chicago, which has won four of its last five and has lost only three times in the last 11 games overall.

Colvin had only one plate appearance, as he came in the game in the top of the eighth as part of a double switch

Ted Lilly worked seven solid innings but did not factor in the decision. The veteran left-hander scattered three hits, issued three walks and fanned five. Sean Marshall (5-1) picked up the win with a scoreless eighth. Carlos Marmol locked the game down in the ninth to record his 11th save of the season.

Casey Blake had two of the five hits for the Dodgers, who have dropped three of their last four but have still won 15 of the last 20 contests overall.

John Ely (3-2) was the hard-luck loser for allowing one run on four hits in 7 1/3 innings of work. The rookie righty, who was making his first career start against the Cubs, struck out four and walked a pair.

Starting pitching dominated from the outset, with both starters combining to allow only five hits over the first seven innings.

Marshall replaced Lilly in the top of the eighth and surrendered a pair of singles, leaving runners on first and second with one out. The left-hander settled down to retire Blake on a soft liner to second and got James Loney on a ground ball to second to end the threat.

In the bottom of the eighth, Fontenot tripled down the right field line, and two batters later Colvin hit a double just inside the first base bag that scored Fontenot, with Colvin taking third on an error by right fielder Xavier Paul.

Ely was then lifted in favor of Jeff Weaver, who set down Ryan Theriot on a pop up and fanned Starlin Castro.

Marmol took the hill for the ninth and issued a one-out walk to Blake DeWitt before striking out pinch-hitters Manny Ramirez and Garret Anderson to preserve the win.

Game Notes

Los Angeles took five of eight matchups with the Cubs a year ago and despite the loss has won eight of the past 14 meetings between the storied franchises...The Dodgers recalled right-handed pitcher Justin Miller from Triple-A Albuquerque prior to the game and designated veteran pitcher Ramon Ortiz for assignment.

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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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