Helton, Rockies edge D-Backs

Baseball Betting Lines

04/22/2009 - Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Helton went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer, as the Colorado Rockies hung on to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-6, in the second game of a three-game set at Chase Field.

Helton had three RBI and three runs scored for the Rockies, who snapped a four-game skid. Brad Hawpe added two RBI and scored once.

Starting Colorado pitcher Franklin Morales was pulled after two innings due to a neck/shoulder injury. Matt Belisle (1-0) tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to pick up the win. Manny Corpas pitched a scoreless ninth to collect his first save of the season.

Mark Reynolds, Chris Young, and Eric Byrnes each hit home runs for the Diamondbacks, who won 6-3 in the opening game of the series on Monday. Conor Jackson went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.

Yusmeiro Petit made his second major-league start and picked up a no-decision after five innings of work for Arizona. He allowed three runs -- two earned -- on eight hits. Juan Gutierrez (0-1) gave up a run on two hits in 1 1/3 innings of relief to take the loss.

Ahead 7-6 in the eighth, Helton belted a two-run homer to give Colorado a three-run lead. With one out, Helton drove a Gutierrez pitch over the right- field wall to score Dexter Fowler, who led off with a double.

Jason Grilli and Alan Embree took turns on the mound in the eighth, while Corpas came in to close the game in the ninth for the Rockies.

The Rockies drew first blood with two runs in the top of the second. Clint Barmes' single to right field with two outs moved Hawpe to second. Back- to-back singles to center from Yorvit Torrealba and Morales scored Hawpe and Barmes, respectively.

The Diamondbacks responded with a pair of runs in the home half, as Young and Byrnes mashed back-to-back homers.

Colorado added a run in the top of the third to regain the lead. With runners on first and third and one out, Stewart singled to right field to knock in Todd Helton.

Arizona fought back with two runs in the bottom of the inning to grab a 4-3 lead. Augie Ojeda doubled to center to score Felipe Lopez, who led off with a single. Ojeda moved to third on the play because of a throwing error from center fielder Fowler. Jackson singled to knock in Ojeda, but Glendon Rusch retired the next three batters to prevent further damage.

The Diamondbacks used a two-run homer from Reynolds in the fifth to extend their margin to 6-3.

The Rockies rocked three different Arizona pitchers in the sixth to plate four runs. Omar Quintanilla doubled to center after Torrealba led off with a walk. Fowler earned a free pass to load the bases for Ryan Spilborghs, who grounded into a double play, plating Torrealba.

Doug Slaten took over the mound and Helton's single to left field brought home Quintanilla. Gutierrez entered from the bullpen and Garrett Atkins greeted him with a double. Hawpe's single to center knocked in Helton and Atkins.

Game Notes

Colorado went 6-for-17 with runners in scoring position, while the Diamondbacks went 2-for-8 with RISP...The Rockies lost 15 of 18 meetings with Arizona last year, but took two of three tests between these NL West foes at Chase Field from April 6-8. The Diamondbacks won eight of nine matchups at home against Colorado in 2008...The Rockies placed right-handed pitcher Ryan Speier on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring, retroactive to April 19, on Tuesday.

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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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