Braves eye playoff berth against NL East-winning Phils
Baseball Betting Lines
09/27/2011 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves could clinch a playoff berth with a win tonight coupled by a St. Louis loss. Standing in the way of that goal are the Philadelphia Phillies, who look to win this series with a victory Tuesday in the second portion of a three-game set at Turner Field.
The Braves dropped a 4-2 decision to the Phillies in Monday's series opener and remained a game ahead of the Cardinals for the National League Wild Card. Chipper Jones homered and Alex Gonzalez drove in a run to give Atlanta a short-lived 2-0 lead before the Phillies tacked on four unanswered runs.
"I thought we played a good ballgame and got off to a good start," Jones said on the team's site. "I thought we swung the bats pretty good. We just faced a pretty good pitcher out there and a pretty good team. They came back and got us. We had a couple opportunities and didn't cash in. But I'll take that kind of effort from the guys every day. Sometimes you just get beat."
Randall Delgado allowed two runs in five innings for the no-decision and Cristhian Martinez surrendered the go-ahead run in the sixth inning for the Braves, who have lost three straight and six of eight games.
Braves veteran right-hander Derek Lowe will toe the rubber Tuesday and is hoping to stop a personal four-start losing streak. He previously took the mound in Wednesday's 4-0 loss at Florida and was reached for three runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings, falling to 9-16 in 33 starts to go along with a 4.92 earned run average.
Lowe lost at Philadelphia on Sept. 5 and is 8-7 with a 3.39 ERA in 22 career games (18 starts) against the Phillies.
Before the Phillies rest for the playoffs they will try to end the regular season with a series triumph in Dixie. Owners of the best record in baseball at 100-60, the Phillies rallied behind Cliff Lee last night for their second straight win since a season-worst eight-game slide.
Raul Ibanez singled in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning and added an insurance RBI base hit in the eighth, while Jimmy Rollins homered and Lee fanned six over as many innings and gave up five hits and a pair of runs for the win. His career-high 238 strikeouts this year are the most for any Phillies left-hander since Steve Carlton struck out a major league-leading 275 in 1983. Lee is also the first lefty to compile 17 wins for the team since Shane Rawley finished with a 17-11 record in 1987.
The Phillies secured their third-ever 100-win season in franchise history, one shy of a club record (1976-77). The Phillies are the first National League team to post a 100-win season since the Cardinals in 2005. They also clinched the best record in the majors this season when the Yankees lost at Tampa Bay Monday night.
"It means we're a good team," Lee said of reaching 100 wins. "That's really it. I've never been on a team that's won 100 games. It's definitely the best team I've ever played on. That kind of proves it."
The NL East-champion Phillies also tied a franchise-record with their 48th road win, also accomplished in 1976 and 2009. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is one victory shy of tying Gene Mauch (645 wins from 1960-68) for first place on the club's all-time list.
Roy Oswalt draws the start for Philadelphia tonight and is 8-10 with a 3.86 earned run average through 22 starts. He has dropped two of his last three trips to the mound, including Thursday's 6-1 setback to Washington in which he permitted six runs and seven hits in 7 2/3 innings.
Oswalt has faced Atlanta 11 times in his career, 10 of which have been starts, and is 1-3 with a 5.15 ERA. The righty is 4-6 in 12 road outings this season.
Philadelphia leads the season series with Atlanta by a 10-6 count and has won the last five meetings between the two clubs.
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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
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Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.
Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.
MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .
''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''
Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.
He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.
''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''
Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.
Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.
With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.
Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.