Walker, Pirates shut down stumbling Braves
Baseball Betting Lines
09/06/2010 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Neil Walker's two-run homer in the sixth inning proved to be the difference, as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the Atlanta Braves, 3-1, in the opener of a three-game set at PNC Park.
Jose Tabata added a single, RBI and scored a run for Pittsburgh, which had dropped seven of nine entering the contest.
Brian Burres (3-3), starting for Jeff Karstens, who was unable to go due to right shoulder soreness, gave his club a solid six-inning outing. The lefty yielded one run on five hits, struck out three and did not walk a batter in making his first start since May 29. Joel Hanrahan worked a scoreless ninth to record his fourth save of the season.
Derrek Lee went 2-for-3 with a run scored on his 35th birthday, while David Ross supplied the only offense with a sacrifice fly for the Braves, who have lost four of five, but still sit atop the National League East by one game over Philadelphia. The Phillies dropped the opener of a day/night doubleheader to Florida on Monday.
Tommy Hanson (9-11) suffered the loss after allowing three runs -- two earned -- on four hits and a pair of walks in six innings. The right-hander struck out four.
Tabata's RBI groundout in the first scored Andrew McCutchen, who led off with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on an error by catcher Ross, giving the Pirates an early lead.
The Braves loaded the bases with nobody out in the second and pulled even on Ross' sac fly. Burres worked out of further damage by retiring the next two hitters.
Starting pitching limited the offensive chances, but Lee and Matt Diaz reached on back-to-back two-out singles in the sixth. After a brief mound visit by Pirates manager John Russell, Burres stayed in and got Alex Gonzalez to bounce into a fielder's choice to end the inning.
In the home sixth, Tabata led off with a single and scored when Walker hammered a fastball over the fence in straightaway center to put the Pirates up 3-1. It gave Walker a 13-game hitting streak.
Chris Resop took over for Burress in the seventh and proceeded to load the bases with two outs on a single and two walks, but Martin Prado grounded out weakly to third to end the threat.
The Braves put runners on second and third with two outs in the eighth off Evan Meek, but again came up empty when Nate McLouth grounded out to first.
Hanrahan came on for the top of the ninth and gave up a two-out single to Jason Heyward before setting down Prado on a fly ball to right that ended the game.
Game Notes
Despite the loss, Atlanta has still won eight of the last 12 overall meetings between the teams...The Braves went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10, while Pittsburgh left only three men on base.
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Pierzynski singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning, and the Chicago White Sox beat Detroit, 5-4, in the opener of a four-game series at Comerica Park. Pierzynski added a two-run singl
<< Mendez goes six strong in debut as Marlins down Phils
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adalberto Mendez pitched six shutout
innings in his major league debut, and the Florida Marlins beat the
Philadelphia Phillies, 7-1, in the first of two games Monday at Citizens Bank
Park.
<< Cummings named MLS Player of the Week
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Colorado Rapids striker Omar Cummings was
named the MLS Player of the Week for Week 23 on Monday as he had a hand in all
three of Colorado's goals in a 3-0 win over Chivas USA on Saturday.
Cummings is t
<< Djokovic cruises into U.S. Open quarters
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former runner-up Novak Djokovic
handled American Mardy Fish on Monday to reach the quarterfinals at the U.S.
Open.
The third-seeded Djokovic drubbed a lethargic 19th-seeded Fish in surgeon-like
6-3
<< Wells, Hill help Jays rout struggling Rangers
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vernon Wells hit a three-run homer and Aaron
Hill clubbed a two-run shot, as the Toronto Blue Jays earned a 7-2 decision
over the American League West-leading Texas Rangers in the opener of a four-
game se
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danny Espinosa had the best game of his very young career as he hit a grand slam and a solo home run to lead the Washington Nationals to a 13-3 rout of the New York Mets in the opener of a three-g
Team USA thumps Angola to reach quarterfinals >>
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chauncey Billups led a 121-66 rout of
Angola with 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point range, as Team USA
rolled into the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIBA World Championships.
Kevin Durant,
Roberts, Orioles top Yanks to start series in Bronx >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Roberts' seventh inning single drove in the
winning run as Baltimore downed New York, 4-3, in the opener of a three-game
set.
Roberts finished 3-for-5 with two RBI while Matt Wieters knocked in a run and
Kubel, Thome homer to help Twins edge Royals >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Kubel and Jim Thome both homered in
the bottom of the fifth inning, as the Minnesota Twins clipped Kansas City,
5-4, in the opener of a three-game series at Target Field.
Thome, who now has 585
Soto's homer in eighth lifts Cubs past Astros >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Geovany Soto's two-out homer in the eighth
proved to be the difference, as the Chicago Cubs opened a three-game series
against the Houston Astros with a 5-4 victory at Wrigley Field.
Soto launched his
Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends
We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS. Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned. For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go. As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190). Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet. For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction. On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later. Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick. Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com
New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors
Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season.
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls
Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times.
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons
Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season.
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS.
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”. With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit. Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.
About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your basketball sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.