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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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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