McCann's homer caps Atlanta's comeback win over Marlins

Baseball Betting Lines

08/29/2010 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian McCann hit a game-ending home run to cap off a furious Braves rally, as Atlanta recovered from a five-run deficit in the eighth to stun Florida, 7-6, in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Leo Nunez (4-3) came in to protect a 6-4 lead in the ninth and walked Brooks Conrad on four pitches. Pinch-hitter Matt Diaz worked the count to 2-1 before blasting the game-tying home run to right.

The next two batters were retired by Nunez, but McCann ended the game with a shot that just cleared the right field wall. The umpires initially ruled it a double, but replays showed it clearly bounced back in play after clearing the fence.

The win helped the Braves increase their NL East lead over Philadelphia to 2 1/2 games. The Phillies are currently playing at San Diego.

Eric Hinske drove in two runs for Atlanta, which improved to 18-1-2 in series at home, losing only a series against the Phillies in April. Takashi Saito (2-3) grabbed the win for a scoreless ninth inning.

Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-2 with a three-run homer before leaving due to light-headedness for the Marlins, who have lost two straight following a three-game win streak. Josh Johnson was in line for the win before the bullpen's implosion, having given up just an unearned run, three hits and three walks in six frames while fanning eight.

Just as Atlanta got off to a quick start Saturday, the Marlins' offense grabbed the early lead Sunday.

Derek Lowe walked the leadoff hitter Emilio Bonifacio, and Logan Morrison singled to center, putting runners on the corners. Ramirez followed by belting a middle-in fastball on a line over the wall in left for the 3-0 lead.

Dan Uggla followed with a double, but Lowe limited the damage.

Uggla's throwing error to start the home half allowed Omar Infante to reach base, and Infante later scored on a two-out single by Hinske to cut Atlanta's deficit to two.

The Marlins loaded the bases with nobody out against Lowe in the third and added to their lead on a two-run single by Chad Tracy. Donnie Murphy's RBI triple in the fourth off Cristhian Martinez gave Florida a 6-1 advantage.

Atlanta rallied in the eighth off the Florida bullpen. With runners on first and third and one out, Hinske doubled off Will Ohman to deep center to score a run and cut the deficit to four. Clay Hensley came in to pitch and struck out Alex Gonzalez, but Melky Cabrera reached on an error by first baseman Gaby Sanchez, which allowed both runners to score for a two-run game.

Game Notes

Atlanta leads the season series, 7-5...Lowe lasted just three innings, giving up five runs, six hits and three walks...Ramirez is now 14-for-26 lifetime against Lowe, although he hit his first career home run against him...Marlins rookie Mike Stanton went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and is now mired in an 0- for-27 stretch with 13 punchouts...The Marlins' bullpen blew a Johnson lead for the seventh time this season and has 23 blown saves, the most in the majors. Nunez blew his eighth save in 2010...McCann recorded his first career game-ending home run.

Gambling-internet-gambling Baseball Betting News


<< Kirk gets 2nd Nationwide Tour win of season
Farragut, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Kirk fired a five-under 67 on Sunday to win the Knoxville Sentinel Open by two shots and capture his second Nationwide Tour victory of the season. Kirk, who also won the Fort Smith Classic, finished

<< Cardinals fall to Nats, lose ground in NL Central
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Lannan spun 7 2/3 solid innings and Mike Morse belted a two-run home run as Washington continued to put a crimp in St. Louis' playoff push with a 4-2 win Sunday to close a four-game series. Lannan

<< Reds make the most of error, take rubber game from Cubs
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Heisey scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error in the bottom of the eighth inning as Cincinnati coughed up a late lead and then came back to beat Chicago, 7-5, in the rubber match of a three-g

<< Maier, Royals clip Tribe
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mitch Maier homered and drove in two runs, helping the Kansas City Royals salvage a three-game series with a 6-2 win over the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Alex Gordon added two hits, while Ki

<< Rayburn's homers and Porcello's pitching help Tigers pound Jays
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rick Porcello spun seven solid innings and Ryan Raburn belted two home runs, finishing with four RBI, as the Detroit Tigers pounded Toronto, 10-4, to salvage a split of a four-game series at Rogers Centre.

Nationals extend Hernandez through 2011 >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Nationals pitcher Livan Hernandez agreed to a one-year contract extension on Sunday through the 2011 season. Hernandez is 9-9 this season with a 3.49 earned run average in 27 starts. Since re

Cervelli, Yankees take series from slumping White Sox >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Francisco Cervelli collected four hits and scored the decisive run on Brett Gardner's single in the top of the third inning, as the New York Yankees edged the Chicago White Sox, 2-1, in the rubber

Wie captures 2nd LPGA Tour win in Canada >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michelle Wie shot a two-under 70 Sunday to capture her second LPGA Tour win at the Canadian Women's Open. Wie, who entered the final round tied for the lead with Jiyai Shin, finished with a 12-under 276

Mourinho's Madrid held by Mallorca, Barca cruises >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Mourinho made his debut as Spanish La Liga power Real Madrid's boss in unspectacular fashion with a 0-0 draw at Mallorca on Sunday. Madrid was no doubt the better side for much of the day, but

Brewers down Pirates to complete sweep >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun went 4-for-4 with a two-run homer and scored three runs, as the Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with an 8-4 win at Miller Park. Chris Dickerson ch

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.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

Get free Sports Betting lines RSS feeds from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com