Raburn, Tigers use three-run 16th to edge Twins

Baseball Betting Lines

07/04/2009 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Raburn's RBI single in the 16th proved to be the game-winner as the Detroit Tigers took an 11-9 win over the Minnesota Twins in a 16-inning contest to open a three-get set at the Metrodome.

Placido Polanco went 3-for-8 with three RBI and two runs scored and Marcus Thames had a two-run home run in the win for the Tigers, who had dropped four of six coming into the game.

Lucas French threw 4 2/3 innings in the start for Detroit and was charged with two runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Freddy Dolsi (1-0) got the win for throwing three innings and giving up two runs -- one earned -- on four hits.

"It was an exciting game, obviously," said Tigers manager Jim Leyland. "Two really good teams going at it bunched up at the top of the division. Give them a lot of credit (for) battling back, being down like they were. It wasn't the best of games, but we won it, and there was a lot of good things in the game and some bad things."

Denard Span went 5-for-8 with two RBI and a run scored while Joe Crede and Delmon Young each hit a solo home run in the loss for the Twins, who had won three of four coming into the game.

Kevin Slowey started on the mound for Minnesota, but was pulled after just three innings as he was tagged for six runs on five hits. R.A. Dickey (1-1) was tagged with the loss as he gave up four runs on nine hits over three innings of work.

"I think more than anything it's concerning because it's in my right wrist," Slowey, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list following the game with a strained right wrist, said. "It's in a pretty significant area, and we'll look at it Monday and go from that. It was something that affected how I held onto the ball. It was very uncomfortable."

In the top of the 16th with one out, Ramon Santiago singled and Curtis Granderson followed with a double. Polanco then put the Tigers ahead with an RBI and, after Miguel Cabrera fouled out, Raburn singled to right for a two- run lead. Magglio Ordonez then singled to center to score Polanco for an 11-8 lead.

The Twins got a run in the bottom of the frame on a RBI groundout off the bat of Michael Cuddyer, but that was the second out of the inning and Crede grounded out to end the game.

Detroit jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run triple by Josh Anderson followed by a sacrifice fly from Gerald Laird.

The Tigers tacked on three more runs in the third inning. Granderson led off with a single and came around home on a double by Polanco. Thames later smacked a pitch over the left field wall for a 6-0 lead.

Minnesota got a run in the bottom of the third on an RBI single from Justin Morneau, but Detroit got it back in the fourth on a solo home run off the bat of Laird.

Young made it a 7-2 game in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a solo home run, his third of the year.

In the sixth, the Twins rallied in to tie the game. Crede started the inning by launching a pitch over the wall in left. With men on first and second, Span legged out a triple and then came home when Brendan Harris followed with a triple.

After Fu-Te Ni took the mound, a sacrifice fly off the bat of Joe Mauer made it a 7-7 game.

In the top of the 14th, Laird led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Santiago. After Granderson flied out, Polanco laced a single up the middle to give Detroit a one-run lead.

However, the Twins didn't go quitely in the bottom of the frame as back-to- back singles from Joe Mauer and Morneau to start the frame was followed by a single from Michael Cuddyer that went off the glove of third baseman Brandon Inge to tie the game. On the play, Morneau was thrown out at third and Dolsi retired the final two batters to keep the game going.

Game Notes

This was the longest game of the season for both teams...Despite the loss, Minnesota still leads the season-series, 4-2...There was a total of 35 hits in the game...Detroit left 10 men on base while Minnesota stranded 12...To replace Slowey in the rotation, the team recalled pitcher Anthony Swarzak from Triple-A Rochester.

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College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

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