Jays top Tigers in 11 on Hill's base hit

Baseball Betting Lines

08/27/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Hill drove in the game-winning run with a single in the 11th inning, as the Toronto Blue Jays snuck past the Detroit Tigers, 3-2, in the second test of a four-game series at Rogers Centre.

Adam Lind and Jose Bautista each homered for the Blue Jays, who bounced back from a 7-1 loss in the opener of this series.

Shaun Marcum went six innings in the start, allowing one run on eight hits. Shawn Camp (4-2) tossed two scoreless frames of relief to pick up the win.

Miguel Cabrera hit a solo homer for the Tigers, who had won six of seven. Johnny Damon tied the game in the ninth with an RBI single while starter Justin Verlander was solid in eight innings, allowing two runs on five hits with eight strikeouts.

Phil Coke (7-3) started on the mound for Detroit in the bottom of the 11th. After Lind went down looking, John Buck singled and Fred Lewis walked. John McDonald came on as a pinch-runner for Buck and crossed the plate on Hill's base hit to right-center.

Trailing 2-1, the Tigers scored a run off Kevin Gregg in the ninth to tie the game. Austin Jackson led off with a triple and scored two batters later on Damon's base hit to right. Detroit went on to strand runners on first and second.

Brad Thomas and Ryan Perry combined to pitch a scoreless home ninth to send the game into extras. Detroit left the bases loaded in the 10th, while the Blue Jays stranded men on first and second.

The Tigers stranded men on first and second in the first and second innings before Bautista broke a scoreless tie with his major league-leading 42nd homer in the fourth.

Detroit put men on first and second in the fifth, but Damon grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Cabrera tied the game in the top of the sixth with a homer off the left-field foul pole. The Tigers moved runners to second and third with two outs later in the frame. Alex Avila, though, flied out.

Toronto left men on second and third in the home sixth. With two outs, Yunel Escobar singled and Bautista doubled. Vernon Wells grounded out to end the threat.

Lind's homer to center in the seventh put the Blue Jays ahead 2-1.

The Tigers, who left men on first and second in the seventh, failed to take advantage of another scoring opportunity in the eighth. Brandon Inge hit a two-out triple to right, but Avila grounded out to end the frame.

Game Notes

Toronto and Detroit have split six meetings this season...Cabrera extended his hitting streak to 10 games...The Blue Jays lead the majors with 195 homers...The Tigers extended their working agreement with Connecticut (NYP) through the 2012 season...Detroit went 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position and stranded 16...Gregg suffered his fifth blown save of the season.

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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.

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Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back

With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.

"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."

Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .

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