Braves edge Nats in ninth

Baseball Betting Lines

04/22/2009 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pitching duel between Atlanta's Jair Jurrjens and Washington's John Lannan was decided by the Nationals' bullpen, as Garrett Mock and Mike Hinckley loaded the bases in the top of the ninth inning, with the latter walking Kelly Johnson to force in the game's only run in a 1-0 Braves victory.

Jurrjens went 7 2/3 frames without giving up a run, scattering six hits and two walks while fanning four. Lannan had an almost identical line, giving up five hits and a pair of free passes, fanning four in seven scoreless innings.

Neither factored in the decision, as Mock (0-1) took the loss and Atlanta's Mike Gonzalez (1-0) got the win for recording the final out of the eighth.

Rafael Soriano closed the door with a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his second save of the season, snapping the Nationals' two-game winning streak and giving Atlanta its second win in nine games.

Matt Diaz's one-out single back up the middle got the Braves started in the ninth. Mock got Casey Kotchman to ground into a fielder's choice for the second out, but walked Jordan Schafer.

Washington then called upon Hinckley, who walked pinch-hitter Martin Prado before Johnson worked a five-pitch free pass to force in the only run.

Julian Tavarez came in from the bullpen and struck out Yunel Escobar to end the threat, but Soriano ended things with a perfect bottom half.

The Braves threatened to score first in the fourth, but Lannan fanned his counterpart with the bases loaded to end the inning.

The Nationals put a pair of runners on base in the fifth, but Alex Cintron grounded into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.

The hosts also wasted a leadoff double from Josh Willingham in the seventh. Ronnie Belliard moved the runner to third on a sacrifice bunt, but Chipper Jones made a diving stop before throwing out Jesus Flores, and Austin Kearns followed with a pop out to short to end the frame.

Game Notes

Washington had won nine of its last 11 at home versus Atlanta...Washington's Nick Johnson and Atlanta's Jeff Francoeur each had of their respective teams' six hits...Both teams went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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