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08/24/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Just when it seemed as though the St. Louis Cardinals were done for the season, the defending World Series champions have found a way to climb back into contention and are now just three games out of first place in the National League Central.
St. Louis has gone 11-5 since August 6th, including a series sweep over the then first-place Milwaukee Brewers. However, St. Louis must now focus its attention on the division, as it is still six games back in the NL wild card race.
St. Louis bounced back from last weekend's series loss to the Cubs by taking two out of three games from the Florida Marlins. The Cardinals got off to a quick start in Tuesday night's opener, grabbing a 5-2 win. Right-hander Adam Wainwright was solid for St. Louis, limiting the Marlins to just two runs through six innings. However, it was reliever Troy Percival who came away with the win after pitching a scoreless eighth inning. The Cardinals collected 12 hits on the night, including home runs from Albert Pujols and Adam Ludwick.
The Cardinals came right back on Wednesday night, capturing a 6-4 victory. Once again the Cardinals received a strong outing from their starting pitcher, as Braden Looper allowed just two runs on four hits through six innings. However, it was the Cardinals lineup that stole the show, as Pujols, Yadier Molina and Jim Edmonds all homered in the win.
Wednesday night's win would be the last of the series for St. Louis, as it dropped Thursday night's series finale 11-3.
PERCIVAL PROVING TO BE SPECIAL ADDITION
When the Cardinals added Percival to their roster in July many saw it as a sign of desperation. At the time, St. Louis was 10 1/2 games out of first and seemed destined for a disappointing season. Percival, meanwhile, was coming off a two-year hiatus in the majors due to injury and it was unknown what he would bring to the Cardinals injury-riddled bullpen.
Six weeks later, both Percival and St. Louis are glad to be working together. The Cardinals are right back in the NL Central race and Percival is pitching meaningful innings for his team. The right-hander has served as a late-inning reliever for St. Louis, posting a 2.70 ERA in 21 appearances this season.
Closer Jason Isringhausen is thrilled to have a veteran like Percival in the clubhouse.
"That's a pretty big name to bring in the way we did," said Isringhausen. "It was kind of unknown how he was going to do, and he's done a great job. He's been able to pick up the big innings when we needed him. And off the field, he's a guy that everybody looks up to. He's good to have around."
The Cardinals may have clawed their way out a hole, but they are still a far cry from overtaking the Cubs in the central. As for Percival, he is enjoying his time with St. Louis.
"I didn't come in with a lot of expectations, other than getting people out," he said. "I knew if I stayed healthy, I could do that. And I've been doing that, a little better than I expected. My velocity at times has been 94-95 [mph], and some nights it's not. But I've been pretty happy with the way it's gone."
RYAN READY TO SETTLE IN
Infielder Brendan Ryan has gotten a small taste of the big leagues and has no plans of leaving any time soon. Ryan has spent the better part of two months being bussed back and forth from Triple-A Memphis and St. Louis. Despite the uncertainty and never-ending travel, Ryan has been very productive for St. Louis this season, batting .344 with 10 RBI in 35 games this season.
Ryan has seen much more playing time over the past two weeks, appearing in every game since being recalled on August 12th. The infielder has split time between second base and shortstop, and has taken on a more formidable role since Adam Kennedy went down with a knee injury. Ryan has also developed into a reliable pinch-hitter, which will only increase his playing time during the final weeks of the season.
For now Ryan is focused on getting better everyday and helping his team win. His recent history with the club has taught him that anything can happen on any day.
"You have to come ready to play, that's the bottom line," Ryan said. "Tony [La Russa] has all kinds of strategies, so you have to be ready for everything. I don't expect to be in the lineup every night, but I'm ready if I am in there."
INJURY NEWS
Southpaw starter Mark Mulder continues to take strides in his rehabilitation. Mulder made his second rehab start on Tuesday night for the Cardinals' Single- A affiliate in Palm Beach. The left-hander appeared strong in the start, allowing just two hits while tossing 48 pitchers over four innings.
Mulder is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery that has kept him out of the Cardinals lineup for the entire season. St. Louis expects Mulder to make at least two more rehab starts before rejoining the team. If the club is still in the hunt after Mulder's two starts, he could be inserted into the starting rotation for the final stretch.
WHO'S HOT
Pujols is tearing through opposing pitchers, having gone 16-for-39 at the plate with six home runs over his last 10 games. Pujols has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, registering eight RBI and just two strikeouts. The first baseman has rebounded from a slow start and is currently batting .320 with 30 home runs and 83 RBI on the season.
WHO'S NOT
Outfielder Chris Duncan is fighting through a slump, going just 3-for-21 at the plate over his last 10 games. He has struck out nine times during that time, while knocking in just one run. Duncan is batting .269 with 20 home runs and 60 RBI this season.
ON DECK
The Cardinals will welcome the Atlanta Braves to town for a three-game set from Busch Stadium. Kip Wells (6-13, 5.24) and John Smoltz (11-6, 3.05) will kick things off in Friday night's opener. Joel Pineiro (4-2, 4.34) and Tim Hudson (15-5, 3.07) will take the mound for Saturday night's contest before Wainwright (11-9, 3.97) and southpaw Jo-Jo Reyes (0-1, 9.62) close out Sunday's series finale.
<< Vick signs plea deal
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Embattled Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael
Vick has signed a plea agreement where he admits to conducting an enterprise
including gambling and the sponsoring and transporting of dogs in dogfighting
operati
<< Celtic hoping to keep Hearts winless
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A full slate of Scottish Premier League
games will take place on Saturday with a lot of the attention focusing on
Celtic Park as the defending champs host Hearts.
Celtic has yet to lose this sea
<< Power wins provisional pole at Zolder
Zolder, Belgium (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Will Power captured the provisional pole
for Sunday's Champ Car Grand Prix of Belgium at the Zolder Circuit. The No.5
Team Australia driver circled the 2.622-mile road course in one minute, 13.810
seconds
<< Report: Vick signs plea
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Embattled Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael
Vick has signed a plea agreement where he admits to conducting an enterprise
including gambling and the sponsoring and transporting of dogs in dogfighting
operati
Sharks ink Michalek to long-term extension >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks signed forward Milan
Michalek to a six-year, $26-million dollar contract extension Friday.
The deal is the longest in franchise history, matching a previous contract
provided to f
Around the CFL: CBC cuts short Riders-Eskimos game for movie >>
Regina, SK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The CFL endured its version of the Heidi
controversy last week.
On Saturday night, football fans watching the Saskatchewan Roughriders' 39-32
win over the Edmonton Eskimos were denied a chance to
Carter takes two-shot lead with back-to-back 65s >>
Zandvoort, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Carter fired his second
straight five-under 65 Friday to take a two-stroke lead after two rounds of
the KLM Open.
Carter completed 36 holes at 10-under-par 130.
Joost Luiten match
Kuznetsova reaches Pilot Pen final >>
New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova got
past her countrywoman Elena Dementieva on Friday to reach the final at the
$600,000 Pilot Pen Tennis tournament, a final U.S. Open tune-up.
Kuznetsova was leading
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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