Tillman shines as Orioles top Lee in Rangers' debut

Baseball Betting Lines

07/10/2010 - Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Tillman overshadowed the much- anticipated Rangers debut of Cliff Lee with 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball, and the Baltimore Orioles recorded their first road series win of 2010 with a 6-1 victory over Texas.

Tillman (1-3), who came into the game with an 8.40 earned run average and was recalled from the minors on Saturday, carried a no-hitter into the seventh and allowed just two hits and one walk while fanning three for Baltimore, which has won the first three games of this set to record its first road series win of the season (1-13-1).

Nick Markakis, Cesar Izturis and Adam Jones all homered in the victory.

Lee (8-4) had a less than spectacular debut with his new club, giving up six runs and nine hits in a complete game effort -- his sixth of the year and fifth in seven contests. The Orioles attacked him early in the count, as evidenced by his 95 pitches thrown, 73 for strikes.

The All-Star lefty was acquired on Friday in a deal with division rival Seattle, as the Rangers make a push for their first playoff appearance since 1999. It is Lee's fourth team in two seasons, and he will head for free agency in the offseason barring a long-term agreement with Texas.

David Murphy scored the Rangers' lone run on a wild pitch, as Texas lost for the fifth time in seven games.

Lee, who didn't arrive to the ballpark until a couple hours before game-time, showed signs of fatigue early on. The first pitch he threw as a Ranger went for a double by Corey Patterson, and the next pitch was lined to right for an RBI single from Miguel Tejada.

Lee was able to settle down until the fourth, when Markakis deposited an offering into the right-field seats for a 2-0 Baltimore lead. The Orioles kept taking Texas' new ace deep, as Izturis hammered his first homer of the year -- a solo shot -- with two outs in the fifth, and Jones' two-run shot with two down in the sixth provided a 5-0 cushion.

Meanwhile, Tillman flirted with history.

The Orioles' lanky righty retired the first nine hitters he faced before walking Elvis Andrus to begin the fourth. He was able to record outs during the next three at-bats and carried a no-hitter into the seventh.

Ian Kinsler, however, broke up the bid with one out in the seventh inning, poking a ground ball through the infield's left side. Tillman recovered to retire the next two hitters to keep his shutout intact.

The whitewash attempt quickly went by the wayside in the eighth, however, as Murphy singled to center and scampered to third when the ball eluded Jones and subsequently scored on a wild pitch.

Jones scored on a double play in the ninth to account for the final margin.

Game Notes

Lee is the first Rangers player to give up three homers in his debut with the team since Ryan Snare on August 6, 2004...Texas honored Michael Young prior to the game for capturing the team's all-time hits record earlier in the season. He went 1-for-4...Tillman's allowed run was unearned...Lee struck out two and walked none, raising his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 91-to-6...Lee has historically struggled in Texas, compiling a 7.33 earned run average in eight career starts there...Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton had his 29-game home hit streak come to an end after an 0-for-4 game. The team record is 30 games, accomplished by Al Oliver in 1981.

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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.