Marlins beat down Nationals; Morgan charges mound to start brawl

Baseball Betting Lines

09/01/2010 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wes Helms drove in five runs and Florida blew out the Nationals, 16-10, in a game marred by a benches-clearing brawl in the sixth inning.

It was during the top of that frame when Washington center fielder Nyjer Morgan charged the mound and punched Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad. Both players were ejected.

Florida was ahead 15-5 with one out in the inning when Volstad threw a pitch behind Morgan, who was hit on the right side by an offering in the fourth frame. The Marlins were ahead 14-3 in the fourth, but Morgan stole second and third base during the inning.

In the sixth, though, Morgan became upset and immediately threw down his bat and charged the mound. Volstad tossed down his glove and Morgan connected with a left to the pitcher's neck.

Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez then raced in and delivered a clothes-line hit to Morgan, who immediately tumbled to the ground. Players for both teams scuffled near the mound and then Pat Listach, the third base coach for the Nationals, joined the fray by piling on Volstad and possibly throwing a punch.

After being ejected by home plate umpire Marvin Hudson and upon leaving the field with the front of his jersey unbuttoned, Morgan motioned to the crowd and banged his chest.

Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez and relief pitcher Jose Veras were also ejected.

The harsh feelings continued in the seventh inning when Nationals pitcher Doug Slaten was ejected for plunking Sanchez with a pitch. Nationals manager Jim Riggleman was also shown the door.

Donnie Murphy knocked in three runs for the Marlins, who took the rubber match of this three-game set. Murphy, though, departed the game with a dislocated right wrist.

The result was much different than Tuesday's 1-0 Marlins win that came in 10 innings on Chad Tracy's RBI single.

Mike Stanton delivered a two-run homer, while Cameron Maybin and Brad Davis added solo shots.

Ian Desmond ended with three hits and two RBI for Washington.

Nationals starter Scott Olsen (3-8) allowed eight hits and nine runs in 1 2/3 innings and lost his sixth straight start.

Volstad (9-9) yielded nine hits and six runs to win his third consecutive appearance.

Mike Morse singled in a run in the top of the first, but the Marlins scored 14 times over the first three frames. Helms' two-run doubled keyed the big opening frame, during which Hanley Ramirez and Davis also had run-scoring two- baggers.

Morgan and Desmond drove in runs in the top of the second, but Helms singled in a pair in the bottom half and Stanton's blast to left capped the five-run frame.

The Marlins continued to pour it on in the third. Sanchez singled in two runs and scored on a Murphy double. Helms followed with an RBI base hit for a 14-3 cushion.

Davis hit his first career homer in the fourth, before Adam Kennedy singled in a run in the top of the fifth.

The Nats got a bit closer in the explosive sixth thanks to three runs, the last on a Danny Espinosa RBI double.

Wil Nieves homered in the seventh and pinch-hitter Willie Harris singled in a run for a 15-10 game before Maybin homered to left off Slaten to start the bottom half of the frame.

Game Notes

Earlier in the day, the Marlins selected the contracts of pitcher Jorge Sosa from Triple-A New Orleans and catcher Chris Hatcher from Double-A Jacksonville...Florida has won seven of the last eight encounters...The teams will meet for the final time in Washington from September 10-12.

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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.