No Strasburg, no problem: Nationals shut out Braves

Baseball Betting Lines

07/27/2010 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miguel Batista, thrust into emergency duty after the late scratch to phenom Stephen Strasburg, hurled five scoreless frames as Washington downed Atlanta, 3-0, in the first of three games at Nationals Park.

Strasburg was a late scratch because he could not get loose during his bullpen session, putting Batista on the spot in front of a home crowd geared up to see the young hurler. Strasburg tugged at his right arm during his warm-up, constantly talking to trainers. He underwent an x-ray and MRI, both which showed no structural damage. The diagnosis was inflammation in the right shoulder, and the right-hander is day-to-day.

"He had instances of this as an amateur in his college days," Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said.

Batista (1-2) shined in his absence. The right-hander scattered three hits and one walk with six strikeouts. The Nationals bullpen followed with four solid frames and Matt Capps picked up his 25th save as the club snapped a three-game losing streak.

"Miguel has been a staff saver for us," Nationals manager Jim Riggleman said. "And tonight he was more than that. He was outstanding."

Ian Desmond finished 2-for-3 with two RBI in the victory.

Tommy Hanson (8-7) was the hard-luck loser, surrendering three runs -- one earned -- on six hits with eight strikeouts over six frames. The Braves have dropped three of four. Eric Hinske was 2-for-4 in defeat.

The Nationals broke in front thanks to speed in the home half of the first frame. Nyjer Morgan chopped a single to center, stole second then swiped third and raced home when Brian McCann's throw to third sailed high and wide right into left field.

Washington kept the pressure on and took advantage of another Braves miscue in the second. Roger Bernadina singled and raced around to third when Chipper Jones threw Ivan Rodriguez's grounder well wide of second base for an error. Desmond then drove both runners home with a single to center.

The Braves had a runner on second and one out in the fifth but failed to score, then put the leadoff man on base in the sixth, but McCann grounded into a double play in front of Hinske's double. He was stranded when Troy Glaus struck out swinging.

Game Notes

Washington has won four of seven meetings with Atlanta this season...Hanson fell to 1-4 in his last five decisions...Hinske now has 18 doubles on the season...The Braves went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position...Ryan Zimmerman clubbed his 22nd double of the season for the Nationals...Batista started for the first time since August 25, 2008 with Seattle.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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