Votto's RBI in the 10th leads Cincy past D'Backs
Baseball Betting Lines
07/02/2009 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joey Votto's single to left in the bottom of the 10th scored Chris Dickerson and gave the Reds a 3-2 win over Arizona in the finale of a three-game set from Great American Ball Park.
Votto totaled four hits in all while Dickerson was 2-for-4 with an RBI single of his own as Cincinnati took the final two games of this series and won for the fifth time in seven games.
Aaron Harang pitched well, yielding just four hits and two runs over seven full frames. The right-hander, who remains without a win over his last seven starts, walked three and struck out eight. Francisco Cordero (1-2) received the win for pitching a scoreless top half of the 10th.
Mark Reynolds hit a solo home run and Chad Tracy had an RBI single for the Diamondbacks, who have lost seven of eight. Doug Davis scattered seven hits and a run with four walks and five strikeouts over seven effective innings for Arizona. The lefty is riding a five-start winless stretch.
Clay Zavada (1-2) took the bump to start the bottom portion of the 10th and gave up a leadoff single to Dickerson. Ramon Hernandez walked and Jay Bruce loaded the bases with a bunt single before Laynce Nix and Jerry Hairston were retired. Votto, though, came through with a base hit to left to end the game.
The D'Backs had loaded the bases on three walks by Cordero in the top halfof the 10th but Justin Upton flied out to right to end the threat.
Arizona struck for the game's first run in the second inning. Gerardo Parra drew a one-out walk, stole second and moved to third when Miguel Montero grounded to second. Tracy came through with an RBI base knock to left and the D'Backs led 1-0.
The Reds tied it up in the fourth but wasted a chance to take the lead. Jonny Gomes opened with a double and Ryan Hanigan's bunt single left runners at the corners. Dickerson scored Gomes with a base hit back through the middle and Paul Janish followed with a walk to load the bases with nobody out. Harang, though, popped out, Willy Taveras grounded out and Hairston Jr. did the same to end the threat.
Cincy juiced the bags again in the fifth with two outs but Janish went down swinging which allowed the visitors a 2-1 lead when Reynolds' hit his 22nd of the year with one away in the sixth.
Davis retired the Reds in order over the next two frames but the bullpen ran into trouble in the eighth. Jon Rauch gave up a pair of singles to Hanigan and a pinch-hitting Hernandez that left runners on the corners with one out. Scott Schoeneweis was brought on and got Bruce to foul out. Chad Qualls then entered and fanned a pinch-hitting Nix to escape the inning.
However, Qualls blew his fourth save of the year in the ninth as Hairston Jr. and Votto opened with base hits. Both runners advanced on Brandon Phillips' fielder's choice and Drew Sutton tied the game at two with a run-scoring pinch-hit grounder to second.
Game Notes
Cincinnati swept a three-game series from the Diamondbacks in Phoenix from May 11-13 and has won seven of its last eight matchups with Arizona...Hanigan was 3-for-3 with a walk for Cincy, which had 14 hits but stranded 16 runners...Arizona left seven men on base.
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World and
Sportsbooks to bet on football
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.
MySportsbook.com Releases World Series Championship Lines
New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox early favorites to win 2008 World Series
The Major League Baseball season starts this weekend and MySportsbook.com, a leading online sportsbook for over 8 years, is the first to offer baseball sports betting lines on who will win the 2007 World Series.
"The World Series is the biggest baseball event in the sports betting world and MySportsbook.com is excited that we are first to market with betting lines on every team," says Tim Dalton, Marketing Director, MySportsbook.com. "We are getting things ready for a great baseball season and our members are looking forward to our Player Payback Bonuses, as well as Dime Lines, all season long."
Going in to this weekend, MySportsbook.com's favorites to win the World Series are the New York Yankees at 7-2 and last year’s winners the Chicago White Sox at 9-2.
"These betting lines are ripe for the picking," Dalton added, "baseball fans know that the season is long and many factors, including players staying healthy, will affect these Future odds as the baseball season progresses. Betting on your favorite team in the beginning of the season could prove quite lucrative. We are seeing examples of this right now in the NCAA College Basketball Tournament with a lucky few that placed pre-season bets on George Mason to win it all. Anything can happen."
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs..
About www.MySportsbook.com
MySportsbook.com is the foremost online sportsbook offering Internet wagering to its worldwide customers. Fully licensed and regulated in St. John’s, Antigua since 1997, MySportsbook.com offers a complete range of online casino games, sports betting lines, poker tournaments and horse racing offtrack betting daily through its portfolio of companies and managed services. With over 7 years of experience, MySportsbook.com has become one of the most respected companies in the gaming industry by providing unparalleled 24/7 customer support and timely payouts. MySportsbook.com is part of the SportingBet PLC group of companies that is publicly-traded on the London Stock Exchange ( LSE ) under the symbol SBT.L. MySportsbook.com provides a secure environment for sports and casino wagering and has been featured in numerous media outlets, including MAXIM Magazine, Cigar Aficionado, and CNN’s Paula Zahn Now among others.