Nationals win two in a row, edge Braves

Baseball Betting Lines

04/21/2009 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shairon Martis now has two of Washington's three wins on the season, throwing six solid innings as the Nationals managed to slip by Atlanta, 4-3.

The 22-year-old Martis (2-0), who was credited with Washington's first win of the season against Philadelphia on April 16, scattered six hits and four walks while yielding three runs -- only two earned -- in the hard-fought win.

Joel Hanrahan had two blown saves last week but recorded his second save in as many nights with a very shaky ninth frame.

Austin Kearns tripled in the tying run and Josh Willingham plated the Nats' go-ahead tally during a three-run sixth inning for Washington, which has won back-to-back games after a 1-10 start to the year. Adam Dunn belted a solo homer for the victors.

Atlanta's Kenshin Kawakami (1-2) was the hard-luck loser, lasting five-plus innings and allowing four runs -- two earned -- on seven hits. Casey Kotchman had two hits and an RBI for the Braves, who have lost seven of eight.

The game was delayed 61 minutes due to rain.

After Dunn cut Washington's deficit to 3-2 with a leadoff homer in the sixth, a pair of fielding miscues by Atlanta helped the Nats take the lead.

Chipper Jones couldn't handle Elijah Dukes' shot to the hot corner, and Kearns followed with a line drive to left that Matt Diaz misplayed, causing Kearns to end up with an RBI triple.

Jeff Bennett then relieved Kawakami and got two quick outs, but Willingham's pinch-hit single to left plated the go-ahead run.

Another mental error for Atlanta, this time on the basepaths, kept the visitors from tying things in the seventh, as Martin Prado was thrown out trying to steal third with two away and Jones at the plate.

Hanrahan allowed a leadoff walk and a double to open the ninth, but the closer settled down, getting a groundout from pinch-hitter Greg Norton, a short fly out from Kelly Johnson and a sharp grounder to second from Yunel Escobar to end the game.

Consecutive two-out walks to Jones and Brian McCann proved costly for Martis in the first inning, as Kotchman followed with a run-scoring double. Jeff Francoeur then bounced a ball into the hole between short and third, causing Gonzalez to rush his throw to first. The throw got away from the first baseman and two runs came around for a 3-0 lead.

The Nationals got a run back in the second on Jesus Flores' RBI double.

Game Notes

Before the game, the Nats placed pitcher Joe Beimel on the 15-day disabled list and recalled pitcher Saul Rivera from Triple-A Syracuse...McCann returned to the lineup after being sidelined for two games with blurred vision...The Braves swept the Nationals at home in three games from April 10-12.

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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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