Braves try to keep playoff hopes alive in finale with Marlins

Baseball Betting Lines

09/19/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Chuck James looks for his third win against Florida in four decisions tonight when the Atlanta Braves close out a three-game series with the Marlins at Turner Field.

The Braves, who won 4-3 on Tuesday, are still clinging to faint playoff hopes. They trail San Diego by 5 1/2 games in the National League's wild card race, as the Padres beat Pittsburgh, 5-3, on Monday.

James, who'll be 26 in November, pulled himself to the .500 mark for the season with a 9-2 defeat of Washington on September 8 in Atlanta. He was roughed up in his last start, also against the Nationals, allowing six hits and three runs in 3 2/3 innings, getting a no-decision in an 8-5 Atlanta win on September 14.

He's faced the Marlins four times in his career - three starts - and is 2-1 with a 1.54 earned run average in 23 1/3 innings.

Florida goes with lefty Dontrelle Willis, who halted a five-start winless streak in his last outing.

The 25-year-old Oakland native scattered seven hits and allowed five runs over six innings on September 14 at Colorado, defeating the Rockies, 7-6, to snap a skid that had resulted in three losses and two no-decisions since August 14.

He dropped a 7-4 decision to the Braves on August 29 in Florida, allowing eight hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings. Willis is 6-5 in 18 lifetime starts against Atlanta with a 4.92 ERA.

On Tuesday, Brian McCann singled in the eventual winning run, as the Braves downed the Marlins, 4-3.

Jo-Jo Reyes (1-2) allowed one run on three hits, with seven strikeouts and three walks over five frames in his eighth big-league start for Atlanta. Yunel Escobar had three hits, and Matt Diaz notched a pair of hits and a pair of runs scored.

Rafael Soriano tossed a perfect ninth for his seventh save this season.

Florida lefty Chris Seddon (0-1) allowed four runs -- three earned -- on nine hits over 4 2/3 innings in the second start of his career. Miguel Cabrera ended 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs for the Marlins, who lost their third straight.

The Braves have won three in a row over the Marlins and now lead the season series 9-8.

Socceronlinegamble Baseball Betting News

<< Ravens sign LB Greisen
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Ravens signed free agent linebacker Nick Greisen on Wednesday. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 28-year-old Greisen was released by Jacksonville on September 1

<< With cameras rolling, Pats don't disappoint
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the wake of the New England Patriots cheating scandal last week, pundits emerged on all sides of the issue to both defend and condemn the team and its coaches. YouTube videos were crafted, past victims cried bloody murder,

<< Davenport wins; Kuznetsova withdraws at China Open
Beijing, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lindsay Davenport continued her successful comeback to singles play with another victory on Wednesday, while defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova withdrew from the China Open. Davenport earned a 6-0,

<< Typhoon Wipha wipes out Wednesday's games
Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FIFA decided to move all four of Wednesday's games to Thursday based on the latest weather reports about typhoon Wipha. FIFA originally moved the Ghana-Norway and Denmark-Brazil co

<< Italy takes back top spot
Zurich, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The FIFA/Coca-Cola rankings for the month of September were released on Wednesday, and they saw Italy regain the top spot by moving ahead of both Argentina and Brazil. The Italians win over

NL West-leading Diamondbacks close out set with Giants >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks shoot for a series victory over the division-rival San Francisco Giants tonight in the finale of a three-game set from Chase Field. The Diamondbacks are one game ahead of San Diego

Padres try to extend win streak to six against Pirates >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NL wild card-leading San Diego Padres aim for their sixth straight win when they resume a four-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight at Petco Park. San Diego is 1 1/2 games ahead of Philadelphia in the wild c

LA hopes to rebound with Penny on the mound against Rockies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Penny will try to get the Los Angeles Dodgers back on track when he takes the mound this evening against the Colorado Rockies in the third test of a four-game series at Coors Field. The Dodgers opened the series with

Tigers try to avoid sweep at the Jake >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians try and move one step closer to their first AL Central title since 2001 this afternoon when they attempt to complete a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers at Jacobs Field. Cleveland reduced its m

Bengals ink LB Dhani Jones >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals signed veteran linebacker Dhani Jones to one-year contract on Wednesday. Terms of the deal were not released. Jones, an eight-year veteran, had eight tackles and a sac

MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.