Pedroia hits 3 HRs as Red Sox slug past Rockies

Baseball Betting Lines

06/25/2010 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dustin Pedroia homered three times, including a two-run blast in the top of the 10th inning, and drove in five runs overall, as the Boston Red Sox avoided a sweep and outslugged the Colorado Rockies, 13-11, at Coors Field.

Pedroia finished 5-for-5 with a walk and four runs scored for the Red Sox, who entered this three-game set having won six straight.

The 2008 American League MVP, Pedroia clubbed a two-run homer off reliever Rafael Betancourt to give the Red Sox an 11-8 lead in the top of the eighth, but the Rockies got a run in the bottom half on a pinch-hit single from Jason Giambi, who hit the walk-off home run against Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon on Wednesday.

Papelbon (3-4) came on again to protect a lead in the ninth, but Todd Helton lined a one-out single off the right-field wall. Carlos Gonzalez followed with a base hit to put men on the corners and pilfered second. Brad Hawpe then sliced a single down the left-field line to tie the game. It was the second straight blown save for Papelbon.

Seth Smith made a bid for his 11th home run of the season, but center fielder Darnell McDonald made a catch against the wall. Papelbon retired Miguel Olivo on a fly ball to send the game to extras.

Marco Scutaro reached on an infield single with one out in the 10th. After Daniel Nava flied out, Pedroia hammered the second pitch he saw from Huston Street (0-1) to the seats in left.

Papelbon fared much better in the 10th as he retired the side in order.

The first inning could have been a lot worse for returning starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, who failed to retire any of the first five batters he faced. Jonathan Herrera got things started with a single and consecutive walks by Helton and Gonzalez loaded the bases.

Following a coaching visit to the mound, Hawpe hit a chopper over a leaping Adrian Beltre at third base to bring home a pair. After Smith drew a walk to reload the bags, Matsuzaka set down three in a row, limiting the damage to two runs.

Matsuzaka had been on the disabled list since June 12, when he was scratched from a start against Philadelphia after straining his right forearm while warming up.

Pedroia homered to left field leading off the fourth, snapping starter Jason Hammel's scoreless streak at 28 1/3 innings. David Ortiz singled and Beltre doubled before Mike Cameron put the Red Sox on top with a two-run double. A two-out single by Matsuzaka plated Cameron to make it 4-2.

After Beltre hit a two-run homer in the fifth, the Rockies moved ahead with six runs in the sixth on RBI singles by Helton, Olivo, Ian Stewart and Clint Barmes.

Boston quickly responded in the top of the seventh. Beltre grounded an RBI single and Jason Varitek stroked a two-run double off Manuel Corpas to give the visitors a 9-8 lead.

Game Notes

It was the first three-homer game of Pedroia's career...Matsuzaka gave up two runs on five hits, walked four and struck out six in five innings...The Red Sox placed third baseman Mike Lowell on the 15-day DL with a strained right hip to make room for Matsuzaka...Hammel allowed four runs on seven hits over four innings.

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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.

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