08/20/2008 - San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ricky Nolasco was dominant, fanning 11 in a two-hit shutout as the Marlins cruised to a 6-0 win over the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a three-game set.
Nolasco (12-7) walked one in his first career shutout, and his first career complete game. The 25-year-old nearly threw what could have been a controversial one-hitter, in the process ending the longest complete-game drought for a team in major league history.
A Marlins pitcher had not tossed a complete game since Anibal Sanchez in a 2-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves on September 16, 2006. In the 301 games since no Florida hurler has gone the distance, but that came to an end on Tuesday night, thanks to Nolasco, who also clubbed a two-run double.
Jorge Cantu hit a solo homer for Florida, which had dropped four of five entering this series. The Marlins kept pace in the NL East, where they trail the first-place New York Mets by four games, and the second-place Phillies by 2 1/2 games. Both Philadelphia and New York also won on Tuesday.
Kevin Correia (2-7) gave up five runs -- three earned -- on seven hits with three walks and no strikeouts to take the loss for the Giants, who had won three of four entering play.
Mike Jacobs' RBI groundout in the first and Jeremy Hermida's RBI groundout in the second gave Nolasco an early 2-0 edge. Nolasco cruised on the mound, and helped himself at the plate in the fifth.
After John Baker singled in Dan Uggla with two outs, Nolasco belted a liner to deep left. The two-bagger, Nolasco's first of his career, plated two runs, giving the Marlins a 5-0 lead.
Cantu's leadoff blast to deep left in the sixth, his 22nd of the season, gave Florida a six-run pad.
That was more than enough for Nolasco, who allowed only one hit through eight innings. That hit was a first-inning grounder by Randy Winn that bounced off the glove of Florida first baseman Jacobs and into right field. Jacobs had to slide on the play, but it was routine, and just as easily could have been ruled an error.
Had pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval not doubled to left with one out in the ninth off Nolasco, the official scorer's decision in the first would have come under fire. But Sandoval's double rendered any argument moot. Nolasco, meanwhile, recovered to get Ivan Ochoa to fly out, and struck out Winn to end the game.
Game Notes
The shutout was the first for the Marlins since former Florida left-hander Dontrelle Willis blanked the Phillies 3-0 on September 10, 2006...San Francisco's four errors were a season-high for a game...The Marlins left 12 runners on base.
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
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