USA dominates Chinese Taipei at World Junior Baseball Championship

Baseball Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - Thunder Bay, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For a team expecting to play right through the end of the tournament, the United States is doing a good job of preserving energy.

Phillip Pfeifer (1-0) dominated a hot-hitting Chinese Taipei squad over seven scoreless innings of two-hit ball as Team USA cruised to a 10-0 victory on Monday night at the World Junior Baseball Championship in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

It was the second straight game the U.S. has won by mercy, after blanking the Italians 10-0 in an abbreviated seven innings in accordance with International Baseball Federation rules.

After opening the tournament with a 4-2 win over Australia, the United States (3-0) appears to be hitting its stride which doesn't bode well for the other 11 countries participating in the 18-and-under event featuring some of the best young baseball talent in the world.

"No matter what team, we're going to want to win and win bad, and they're going to want to beat us," said the 18-year-old Pfeifer.

The 6'0" lefty, who went 16-0 this year en route to a third straight high school state championship with Farragut, was unhittable against a Chinese Taipei team that entered the game with a tournament-best .418 average.

"Our pitching guy told us to throw inside and once they adjusted to that, we started moving off the plate and using more off-speed to throw them off balance," said the phenom from Knoxville, Tenn.

"But when they hit me hard, my guys were there to make plays, that's what it came down to."

The truth is, he wasn't hit hard at all.

Pfeifer was perfect through four innings, utilizing a deceptive changeup and devastating curveball to freeze hitters before finishing with eight strikeouts in front of a near-sellout crowd featuring several major league scouts.

His team scored seven runs in the third inning off Chinese Taipei pitcher Chung Weng (0-1), who proved to be no match for a U.S. junior team loaded with players destined for the big leagues.

"We faced a good pitcher that left some balls up and we were able to take advantage of that," said U.S. hitting coach and former major leaguer Brian McRae.

"I think what we were able to do offensively helped [Pfeifer] because he was able to challenge the hitters and go right at them."

Weng lasted just 2 1-3 innings, giving up six hits and five runs with one strikeout, a walk and a hit batter.

After second baseman and Cleveland Indians' third round draft pick Tony Wolters doubled down the line to score catcher Elvin Soto, Francisco Lindor connected on the Americans' first home run of the tournament, hitting a rocket off the pole in left to give his team a 3-0 lead they never looked back on.

Another five straight hits, including a pair of two-run doubles from Brian Ragira (Texas Rangers, 30th round) and Christian Lopes, and the U.S. found themselves out in front 7-0 after three before handing Chinese Taipei its first loss of the tournament.

Several Americans had multi-hit games, including first baseman Blake Swihart (2-for-3 with two RBI and a homer) and Lindor, who also went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs and a stolen base.

Lindor is now 5-for-10 for the tournament, leading the team with five runs, four RBI and nine total bases.

"It felt pretty good to jump out on the pitcher," said the talented shortstop. "In the first game we didn't hit like we usually do but that's part of baseball, not every game we're going to get a lot of hits.

"I wasn't really looking for it [the home run]. In my mind I was thinking hit a line drive to the opposite side. Hopefully we keep hitting throughout the tournament like we're hitting now."

McRae said he thought his hitters were pressing a little in their first game with the Aussies but now that they're finding their groove, he thinks the sky is the limit for a junior national team that hasn't won a world title since 1999.

"I liked the fact they made adjustments and they were able to go gap to gap and stay within themselves and not try and do too much," he said. "Offensively, we know that if we can score some runs early that eases the pressure on our pitching staff.

"Our pitching is pretty damn good."

The U.S. continues its run towards the medal round on Tuesday afternoon when they take on Venezuela in Pool A action.

Caisononnet Baseball Betting News

<< Gaming: C-USA a one-team league in non-conference play
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Take away Houston's straight-up and against-the-spread non-conference records in 2009, and Conference USA was a meat market for its opposition. The Cougars were 3-1 both SU and ATS outside the conference, in

<< Calgary's Bryant highlights CFL Players of the Week
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Calgary wide receiver Romby Bryant, Montreal defensive end John Bowman, Winnipeg kick returner Jovon Johnson and Calgary running back Jon Cornish were selected as the CFL's top performers for Week 4 of the

<< Mainz adds striker Szalai from Real Madrid
Mainz, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mainz acquired striker Adam Szalai from Real Madrid on Tuesday. Szalai, 22, spent the second half of last season on loan with Mainz and agreed to a permanent switch through the 2012-13 season for an undisclo

<< Bolton signs Alonso from Real Madrid
Bolton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bolton signed 19-year-old left back Marcos Alonso from Real Madrid to a three-year contract on Tuesday. Alonso can also play on the left side of midfield, and joins Robbie Blake and Martin Petrov as new a

<< Islanders' LW Matt Moulson agrees to 1-year deal
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -New York Islanders left wing Matt Moulson has agreed to a one-year contract.The agreement was announced Tuesday by general manager Garth Snow and allowed the Islanders to avoid arbitration. Snow says Moulson played an ``integra

Broncos sign rookie WR Decker >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos came to terms with rookie wide receiver Eric Decker, the team announced on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Decker, who was taken in the third round -- 87th overall --

Indians recall Tomlin to make major league debut >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians recalled pitcher Josh Tomlin from Triple-A Columbus to make his major league debut in a start against the Yankees on Tuesday. Tomlin is 8-4 with a 2.68 earned run average in 2

Plenty of options remain in NHL free agent pool >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nearly a month after the doors to NHL free agency opened, the auction for the best up-for-grabs players has come to a screeching halt. On the first day of the highly anticipated off-season extravaganza, ow

Ambrose, JTG Daugherty Racing parting ways at season's end >>
Cornelius, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - JTG Daugherty Racing and driver Marcos Ambrose will part ways at the end of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, team officials announced on Tuesday. Ambrose has driven the No.47 Toyota for JTG

Former Buckeye, Raider Tatum dies >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hard-hitting linebacker/safety Jack Tatum has passed away at the age of 61 after suffering a heart attack on Tuesday. Nicknamed "The Assassin," Tatum played for Ohio State from 1968-70 and for the Oakland Rai

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.

MySportsbook.com is one of the most efficient and professional online sportsbook today. While some sportsbooks only excel during the busiest seasons, MySportsbook is an excellent choice for the player who wants year-round quality. From their baseball true dime line to their interactive wagering, MySportsbook makes sure their clients would miss them if they went elsewhere.

Players won’t find any novelties at this sportsbook. The site is clean and simple and most importantly, fast. Customer Service handles matters in an expedient manner and accounting does everything possible to assure players that they have full control of their funds. The online banking center is open 24/7 in which time Neteller payouts are processed.

Management’s background and understanding of sports gambling has helped make them pioneers in the online betting market. MySportsbook was the first betting site to offer sports wagering in the best form. Interactive wagering was first offered in 1997. Players who don’t stop wagering when the game begins consider this sportsbook a true asset.

Players who are looking for outstanding value, extensive wagering options and inexpensive payouts will appreciate what MySportsbook.com offers. Those who are looking for perks and high bonuses would be best suited in a sportsbook geared towards the regular player.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your sports betting needs.