Braves head to Pittsburgh for key set with Bucs

Baseball Betting Lines

09/06/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A loss today could push the National League East-leading Atlanta Braves out of first place for the first time since May 30.

They probably couldn't be happier to see the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Atlanta aims to maintain its edge in the division standings and beat Pittsburgh for a sixth time in seven meetings this year when the two clubs start off a three-game set this afternoon at PNC Park.

Losses in three of four games following five straight victories, as well as an 8-9 stretch since Aug. 19, have the Braves just one game up on the Phillies for first place. They could have entered this series tied with Philadelphia atop the standings after a 7-6 setback to Florida on Sunday, but the Phils were also defeated yesterday.

However, the Phillies are scheduled to play a doubleheader with the Marlins today, so a loss by the Braves tonight and a sweep by the Phils would knock Atlanta out of the top spot.

A loss by the Braves doesn't seem likely, though, as they took two of three in Pittsburgh from May 21-23 before capping the month with a three-game sweep over the Pirates at home. Atlanta has won eight of the last 11 overall meetings between the teams.

The Braves rallied from a 6-0 deficit on Sunday, tying the game with a five- run sixth inning before Eric O'Flaherty served up the game-winning run in the 10th frame. Nate McLouth drove in three runs for Atlanta and nearly had more, as he was robbed of a grand slam in the sixth inning on a great defensive catch.

Braves starter Mike Minor gave up six runs over just four innings of work.

"Overall, I couldn't hit a spot." he said. "Everything was basically towards the middle of the plate, and it's easy enough to hit the ball when it's towards the middle of the plate."

Tommy Hanson hopes to join in on the Braves' success over the Pirates when he faces the club for the first time in his young career this afternoon.

The 24-year-old Hanson is coming off his first victory since July 3, as he ended an 0-5 stretch over 10 starts with a win over the Mets on Wednesday. He gave up just one hit and one walk over seven scoreless innings, striking out three while allowing a run or less for the sixth time in his last eight starts.

"My pitches felt really good," said Hanson. "I worked really hard in between starts trying to get my fastball command going. I felt like I did that [Wednesday]."

The right-hander aims for consecutive winning starts for the first time since a three-game win streak from May 26-June 5 and is 9-10 with a 3.60 ERA this season.

Hanson will face a Pirates club that managed just a solo homer out of Pedro Alvarez in Sunday's 8-1 setback to Washington, Pittsburgh's seventh loss in nine games. Neil Walker did add three hits to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, a span in which he is hitting .415 (22-for-53) with four homers and 14 RBI.

Pittsburgh starter Charlie Morton lasted only 3 2/3 innings after yielding six runs -- two earned -- on eight hits with a pair of walks.

"A little more aggressive," Pirates manager John Russell said about Morton's outing. "For the most part I thought he was better. Still not where we'd like to get him, but it's a step in the right direction.

With Jeff Karstens unable to make the start tonight due to right shoulder soreness, Brian Burres will come out of the bullpen for the Pirates to his first start since May 29.

"It just doesn't feel right," Russell told Pittsburgh's website of Karstens shoulder. "It's been a long year for him, and it's a little cranky."

Burres faced the Braves in his last start, getting tagged for four runs over five innings to take the loss in his only career appearance against them. He was then demoted to the minors, but returned on Aug. 28.

The 29-year-old lefty has made four relief appearances since his return, allowing six runs over four innings. On the season, Burres is 2-3 with a 6.31 ERA in 14 games, including seven starts.

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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.

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