07/09/2008 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nate McLouth homered, and his two-run single capped a three-run eighth inning, sending the Pirates to a 4-3 win over Houston in a game that was delayed by rain for over three hours.
Adam LaRoche, who had three hits, homered during the eighth for Pittsburgh, which endured 3 hours and seven minutes of delays in the fourth and sixth innings.
The middle contest of the three-game set ended at 1:11 a.m.
John Grabow (5-2) walked four batters over two innings, but managed to get the victory. Damaso Marte pitched the ninth for his third save as the Pirates won their second straight following a three-game skid.
Doug Brocail (4-4) surrendered three hits and was charged with three runs over two-thirds of an inning to suffer the loss.
Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence homered for the Astros, losers in seven of their last eight.
Houston had two men on base in both the seventh and eighth innings, but came up empty.
Brocail retired the first two batters in the Pittsburgh eighth, but LaRoche then homered to right. Jose Bautista was hit by a pitch, and pinch-hitter Doug Mientkiewicz singled to left. Jack Wilson walked to load the bases before McLouth took a 3-2 pitch to right field, and the throw home was late as both Bautista and pinch-runner Luis Rivas scored.
Lee walked with two outs in the ninth, and pinch-runner Michael Bourn stole second. However, Miguel Tejada grounded back to the mound for the final out.
The Astros broke a scoreless game in the fourth with Pence's 11th home run of the season. With one out and the bases empty, Pence belted a 2-2 pitch over the center-field wall.
After a rain delay of 2 hours and 39 minutes, the Astros came back and increased their advantage to 3-0 in the fifth. With two outs and the bases empty, Lance Berkman drew a walk and came around one batter later on Lee's second homer in as many nights.
The Pirates finally got on the board in the fifth on a homer to right by McLouth, his 17th of the season.
Game Notes
The Pirates are 4-1 versus Houston this season...The teams combined to leave 21 runners on base, including 11 from the Astros...Houston starter Brandon Backe gave up three hits in three scoreless innings, while Pittsburgh starter Ian Snell was charged with four hits and a run in 3 2/3 frames. Snell, who had been sidelined with a right elbow injury, was activated from the 15-day disabled list before the game...Lee has an 11-game hitting streak.
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Braves beat Dodgers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yunel Escobar drove in three runs, and
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Bucks sign top pick Alexander >>
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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 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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