A's try to get on track in finale with Angels

Baseball Betting Lines

05/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suffering with the longest losing streak in the American League at the moment, the Oakland Athletics try to close out their three-game set in southern California on a positive note as they take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim this afternoon.

On Saturday Oakland fell a game under .500 on the season and to a dismal 5-12 on the road as a result of its 12-3 setback to the Angels. Consequently, LA is now just 1 1/2 games behind the A's for second place in the AL West, with both teams chasing the Texas Rangers at the moment.

Kendry Morales blasted a pair of home runs for the hosts, leading to his five RBI, while Bobby Abreu logged yet another double as he posted three hits and a pair of runs scored. Torii Hunter scored twice and also knocked in one, marking the 900th RBI of his career.

On the mound it was Ervin Santana who handled the action for the Angels, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits and three walks, striking out six over six innings as he picked up his second win of the campaign.

"I was more confident and comfortable when you have a lot of run support. Everything was good when you put everything together," Santana said.

Justin Duchscherer, who had just come off the 15-day disabled list prior to the contest, had been scheduled to make the start for the visiting A's, but he was a late scratch due to left hip inflammation.

"In my warm-up run I felt a little something in my hip. When I was in the bullpen I couldn't land properly," Duchscherer said. "I will see the doctor again to see if I need surgery."

Getting the emergency start instead was Tyson Ross, who lasted just 3 2/3 innings, permitting three earned runs on three hits in his first-ever start. Later in the contest reliever Chad Gaudin was assaulted for five earned runs on eight hits in a mere 2 2/3 innings for the struggling visitors.

Catcher Landon Powell posted three hits in four at-bats for the A's as he and Eric Patterson each tallied an RBI in the contest.

Having been called up from Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League the first of the month, Trevor Cahill is set to make his fourth appearance on the mound for the A's this afternoon. The right-hander, with a career record of 11-14 at the tender age of 22, last threw on Tuesday when he faced off against Texas for the second time in a week. Against the Rangers the second time around Cahill made it through 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a pair of walks in a 7-6 victory, although he failed to factor into the decision.

In 2009 Cahill made three appearances against the Angels, and while he was able to keep his ERA down to 2.70 over 16 2/3 innings, his control was another story as he issued 11 bases-on-balls.

As for the Angels, they have Joel Pineiro penciled in for his next trip to the mound today. Pineiro, currently 1-2 with a 3.16 ERA at home this season, last pitched on Monday when he led the squad to a 5-4 win over Tampa Bay but failed to factor into the decision.

The 31-year old threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings versus the Rays, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out seven to match a season high. Nevertheless, Pineiro is still trying to snap a personal three-game slide and has not notched a win since April 19 against Detroit.

Of all the opponents in the majors, Pineiro has more wins against the A's (eight) than any other foe in his career, but he also has more setbacks against Oakland as well (eight).

The Angels are now a game up on Oakland at 3-2 on the season, this after posting a 12-7 advantage last year when they won eight of nine on the road versus the A's.

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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.