Braun hits game-winner as Brewers edge Nationals

Baseball Betting Lines

07/24/2010 - Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Braun drove in Rickie Weeks with the game-winning run in the ninth inning, as the Milwaukee Brewers edged the Washington Nationals, 4-3, in the middle test of a three-game series.

Braun and Jim Edmonds each recorded a solo home run in Milwaukee's third straight win, which was credited to John Axford (6-1) despite his suffering his first blown save of the season.

After Adam Dunn's sacrifice fly tied it in the top of the ninth, Weeks reached on a one-out single off Drew Storen (2-2) in the bottom half. Joe Inglett took a payoff pitch off the plate to draw a walk, then Braun roped a line drive off the base of the left-field wall to bring in Weeks without a play at the plate.

Axford was perfect in 14 save chances coming in, but quickly loaded the bases on back-to-back singles and a perfectly-placed bunt down the third base line by pinch-hitter Nyjer Morgan.

Dunn came in to hit for Ivan Rodriguez and lofted a fly to short right-center that was caught by Carlos Gomez, whose throw home was not in time to nab Ryan Zimmerman.

Axford, appearing in his third game in as many nights, got out of the inning with the score tied by inducing a short flyout to right by pinch-hitter Wil Nieves and a harmless groundout by Alberto Gonzalez.

Manny Parra allowed two runs on four hits and three walks over a six-inning start for Milwaukee, while J.D. Martin lasted just 2 1/3 innings and gave up a run on three hits and three walks for Washington, which dropped the opener of this set, 7-5.

Braun's blast to right-center gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead in the first.

Despite failing to score with the bases loaded in the second and squandering a leadoff triple in the third, the hosts went up 2-0 in the fourth when Collin Balester served up a homer to Edmonds, who made a nice grab in the away half.

Parra faced the minimum through four frames, but walked Josh Willingham to open the fifth and yielded a single to Mike Morse. A flyout moved the lead runner up, and Ian Desmond hit a line drive that appeared to find the gap in right.

Edmonds, whose last of his eight Gold Gloves came in 2005, ranged over from center and made a diving catch. Morse was nearly at third when the catch was made, but Willingham scored before Morse was doubled off first.

Weeks was hit on the left ear flap of his helmet with a Balester pitch in the bottom half, but stayed in the game and was stranded on third.

Gonzalez singled leading off the sixth, and Roger Bernadina later brought him in with a sacrifice fly to left to tie the game. Parra left the bases full by striking out Morse.

Edmonds led off the bottom half with a single, moved to third on an Alcides Escobar base hit and scored when Jonathan Lucroy doubled off the center field wall. Edmonds then left the game with a tight right hamstring.

Game Notes

Balester had made 22 starts with Washington during the 2008-09 seasons but had spent the entire 2010 campaign in Triple-A Syracuse. The right-hander was recalled Saturday but is expected to be sent right back down, as Ross Detwiler is scheduled to be brought up from the minors to make Sunday's start opposite Dave Bush...Brewers outfielder Corey Hart sat out due to a right wrist injury he sustained during Friday's game...The Brewers have homered in 13 straight games...The Nationals have lost 12 straight one-run contests on the road and 11 of their last 13 overall at Miller Park.

Wwwkcasino Baseball Betting News

<< Orioles' Tatum leaves with hand injury
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Orioles catcher Craig Tatum left Saturday's 7-2 loss to Minnesota with a right hand injury. In the top of the seventh inning with the Twins' Jason Repko at the plate, Tatum was hit on the t

<< Conrad's slam during eight-run eighth helps Braves cook Fish
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brooks Conrad hit his second career grand slam during an eight-run eighth inning, as the Atlanta Braves rallied past the Florida Marlins, 10-5, in the second test of a three-game set between these two NL

<< Blue Jays edge Tigers, who lose Ordonez, Guillen
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Bautista knocked in two runs to back a solid outing from Shaun Marcum as Toronto clipped Detroit, 3-2, in the second of a four-game set from Comerica Park. Vernon Wells drove in the other for the

<< Rays finally end long losing streak in Cleveland
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Zobrist's replay-reviewed three-run homer began a stretch of six unanswered runs, and the Tampa Bay Rays finally snapped their losing streak in Cleveland with a 6-3 win over the Indians. Carlos Pena als

<< Young, Baker carry Twins over Orioles
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Delmon Young went 4-for-4 with a two-run homer to help back seven strong innings from Scott Baker, as the Minnesota Twins beat the Baltimore Orioles, 7-2, in the continuation of a four-game set. Bake

Busch outruns Edwards for ORP win >>
Clermont, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Busch put on a dominating performance, but had to hold off a furious challenge from Carl Edwards during a green- white-checkered finish to win Saturday's Kroger 200 Nationwide Series race at O'Reill

Padres rock Pirates in Matos' return >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Everth Cabrera and Oscar Salazar each drove in two runs and Mat Latos was solid in his return from the disabled list, as the San Diego Padres dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-2, in the second test of a th

Uribe hits grand slam as Giants rout D-Backs >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Uribe hit his fourth career grand slam and Aubrey Huff stayed hot, helping the San Francisco Giants to a 10-4 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In Friday's contest, Huff went 3-for-5 with two home runs

Giants sign LB Bulluck >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants have signed veteran linebacker Keith Bulluck. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Bulluck, who was originally drafted 30th overall by the Titans in t

Angels top Rangers to break out of slide >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ervin Santana was on top of his game in eight solid innings on the hill, as the LA Angels of Anaheim pulled out a much- needed 6-2 win over the Texas Rangers in the third meeting of a four-game series

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

Get free Sports Betting lines RSS feeds from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.