09/05/2008 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Brandon Jones highlighted a seven-run third inning with a three-run double, carrying Atlanta to a 10-5 win over the Washington Nationals.
Kelly Johnson had three hits, including a pair of doubles, and drove in two runs for the Braves, who have won the first two contests of this four-game series. It's the first time Atlanta has posted back-to-back wins since Aug. 7-9 at Arizona.
Jair Jurrjens (12-9) allowed six hits and a run over five innings to snap a four-start winless skid.
"Every time you win it shows like you're working hard," said Jurrjens. "Thank God my teammates had my back today. We scored a lot of runs to make it a little bit easier for me to pitch tonight."
Jason Bergmann (2-11) was pounded for five hits and seven runs in 2 1/3 innings for the Nationals, who had won eight of nine coming into this series.
Kory Casto had three hits and scored in a losing cause. Ryan Langerhans laced a two-run triple.
"We've just got to get back on track," said Langerhans. "We had a stretch where we were playing good ball. We've got to move on."
Jurrjens and Josh Anderson singled to start the big third inning. Johnson then stroked an RBI double and Chipper Jones walked before Brian McCann lofted a sacrifice fly to right.
Yunel Escobar and Casey Kotchman drew consecutive walks, accounting for another run and ending Bergmann's night on the mound. Marco Estrada then walked Jeff Francoeur before Brandon Jones cleared the bases by nailing an 0-2 pitch to the gap in right-center field for an 8-1 lead.
Johnson scored on an error in the fourth and he singled in a run in the fifth for a 10-1 margin.
Pinch-Hitter Aaron Boone singled in a run for the Nationals in the sixth before Langerhans trimmed the gap a bit in the seventh, and Wil Nieves added a sacrifice fly later in the inning.
After Jurrjens worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the away first, Anderson doubled and scored on Chipper Jones' groundout in the bottom half.
Washington tied the score in the third when Roger Bernadina tripled to right to score Ryan Zimmerman.
Game Notes
Washington leads the season series, 10-6...The Nationals left 10 men on base...Francoeur was on the hip by a pitch in the fifth inning and left the game...Jurrjens has allowed just 10 homers this season, the fewest among all rookies with at least 20 starts...Nationals pitcher Shawn Hill underwent season-ending surgery on his right elbow Friday. The Nationals also announced first baseman Ronnie Belliard has a right groin strain, which could sideline him for the remainder of the season
<< Leishman takes over top spot in Utah
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australia's Marc Leishman fired an eight-under 63
Friday to take a one-shot lead after two rounds of the Utah Championship.
Leishman completed two rounds at 14-under-par 128. His 63 matched the course
record f
<< Phillies blank Mets, tighten NL East race
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brett Myers dominated on the hill, hurling
eight shutout innings to lift the Phillies to a 3-0 win over the New York
Mets, tightening the gap in the NL East in the start of the final series
this se
<< Jays down Rays, continue spoiler role with sixth straight win
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rios hit a pair of home runs and Roy
Halladay threw seven effective innings, as the Toronto Blue Jays toppled Tampa
Bay, 6-4, in the first of three games with the Rays.
Halladay (18-9) gave up three
<< Nats' Hill has surgery; Belliard out with groin strain
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Nationals pitcher Shawn Hill
underwent season-ending surgery on his right elbow Friday.
Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery on Friday and removed spurs in the
posterior elbow.
Hill
Lowell, Beckett highlight BoSox rout of Rangers >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Lowell finished 3-for-5 with four runs
batted in, and Josh Beckett threw five shutout innings, as the Boston Red Sox
beat Texas, 8-1, in the first of three games with the Rangers.
Beckett (12-9) and
White Sox thump Halos to keep pace in AL Central >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Uribe belted a pair of two-run homers to
carry the Chicago White Sox to a 10-2 rout of the Angels in a battle of
division leaders.
Paul Konerko had three hits, including a solo homer, and Ken Grif
Big inning helps Indians blow out Royals >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Victor Martinez had two hits and two walks,
as the Cleveland Indians used a six-run fifth to defeat Kansas City, 9-3, in
the first of three games with the Royals.
Jamey Carroll and Asdrubal Cabrera each
Olajuwon, Ewing and Riley inducted into Hall of Fame >>
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Centers Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing,
forever linked from battles in college and the NBA, as well as five-time NBA
champion coach Pat Riley, were inducted into the Naismith Memorial National
Basketb
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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