Braves hold on to beat Nationals, extend win streak to five
Baseball Betting Lines
07/03/2009 -
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brooks Conrad's first home run of his career
was a pinch-hit, three-run shot to help the Atlanta Braves take a 9-8 win over
the Washington Nationals in the opener of a three-game set.
Chipper Jones, Yunel Escobar and Matt Diaz each had two RBI while Martin Prado
crossed the plate three times for the Braves, who are on a season-high five-
game winning streak.
Kenshin Kawakami started on the mound, but lasted just 4 1/3 innings as he was
charged with five runs -- four earned -- on six hits with three walks and six
strikeouts. Boone Logan (1-0) got the win for throwing 1 2/3 perfect innings.
Adam Dunn hit the 299th home run of his career while Nyjer Morgan went 0-for-4
with a walk, one stolen base and a run scored in his debut with the Nationals,
who have dropped four straight and six of seven.
Ross Detwiler was tagged for five runs on 10 hits with two walks and a
strikeout in just 3 1/3 innings. Jesus Colome (1-1) was saddled with the loss.
The game had gone back and forth through the first several innings, but the
Braves took the lead back in the seventh. With Colome on to start the inning,
Escobar led off with a walk. The next two batters recorded outs, but Casey
Kotchman kept the inning alive with a walk and Conrad launched a pitch into
the right field bullpen for an 8-5 lead.
Washington got a run back in the bottom of the frame with a sacrifice fly from
Cristian Guzman, but Atlanta got it back in the eighth when Diaz worked a
bases loaded walk to force home Prado.
Rafael Soriano came on in the ninth to close the game and issued walks to the
first two batters. He retired the next two, but Guzman ripped a double down
the right field line to make it a one-run game. However, Josh Bard grounded
out to first to end the game and give Soriano his eighth save of the season.
After making a nice catch to end the top of the first, Morgan led off the home
half of the frame with a walk and then stole second. The next two batters
recorded outs, but Dunn kept the inning alive with a walk and Josh Willingham
followed with a single to score Morgan for a 1-0 lead.
Atlanta, though, got the run back in the second as Brian McCann led off with a
double and later scored on a single from Diaz.
Washington grabbed the lead back in the second on RBI singles from Ross
Detwiler and Nick Johnson, but in the top of the third, Atlanta again tied the
game thanks to an RBI double from Jones and a run-scoring single off the bat
of Escobar.
Dunn led off the bottom of the third by drilling a 1-0 pitch into the upper
deck of right field for a 4-3 lead.
However, the Braves again answered in the fourth to take the lead back. With
Prado on second, Jones chipped a single to left bring him in. McCann then
singled and, after Tyler Clippard took over duties on the mound, Escobar
doubled to left to score Jones for a 5-4 lead.
The Nationals knotted the game again in the fifth. With one out, Willingham
was hit by a pitch. Guzman then hit a grounder that Kawakami fielded, but he
threw the ball away and the Nationals had runners at second and third. Josh
Bard then grounded out to bring home Willingham to tie the game.
Game Notes
Atlanta has won five of seven against the Nationals this season...Morgan was
acquired from the Pirates on Tuesday along with pitcher Sean Burnett for
outfielder Lastings Milledge and pitcher Joel Hanrahan...Atlanta stranded 13
men on base while the Nationals left eight on base...Morgan now has 19 stolen
bases on the season.
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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