Lowe tries to lead Braves to series win in D.C.

Baseball Betting Lines

07/29/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves shoot for a series win this afternoon when they play the rubber match of their three-game series with the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.

A 3-0 loser in Tuesday's opener, Atlanta bounced back to even the set on Wednesday night when Chipper Jones drove in two runs and Tim Hudson was solid in 7 2/3 innings on the mound in a 3-1 triumph.

Hudson (11-5) gave up one run on seven hits to improve to 10-1 lifetime against the Nationals. He has won nine straight decisions against them since his lone loss on June 5, 2006. The right-hander also struck out seven and walked one.

Martin Prado went 3-for-5 with two runs scored for the Braves.

Mike Morse knocked in the lone run for Washington, which has lost four of five. Livan Hernandez (7-7) lasted just 4 1/3 frames in the start, allowing three runs on six hits.

The Braves hold a 3 1/2-game edge over Philadelphia in the National League's East Division, a bulge that's been trimmed significantly as of late with the Phillies' seven-game win streak.

Atlanta sends 37-year-old Derek Lowe to the mound for the starting assignment, as he tries to add on to what became his ninth career double-digit win season when he beat Milwaukee on July 18.

Lowe, who is 6-5 lifetime against the Nationals picked up one of the losses on June 29 in Atlanta when he dropped a 7-2 decision after allowing eight hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings.

The defeat started a three-game skid that ended when Lowe allowed eight hits and three runs in 5 1/3 innings while beating the Brewers. That win was No. 10 on the season and continued a streak that began when he won 21 games for the Boston Red Sox in 2002.

For the Nationals, lefty Scott Olsen returns to the majors for his first start since May 21.

The 26-year-old Michigan native fell to 2-2 on the season with a 5-3 loss to Baltimore that night, then subsequently went on the 15-day disabled list with left shoulder tightness.

He made four rehabilitation starts in the minor leagues to prepare for his return and posted a 3.21 ERA.

Olsen is 3-5 in 14 lifetime appearances against the Braves, including a no- decision on May 6 in which he allowed two hits and one earned run in 7 1/3 innings of Washington's 3-2 win.

These teams have split eight overall meetings this year, with the Nationals winning three of the four matchups held in Washington.

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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.

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