Atlanta's three-run sixth enough to get by Phillies

Baseball Betting Lines

05/08/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Melky Cabrera drove in the game-winning run in the sixth to help Atlanta take a 4-1 win over Philadelphia in the second of a three-game set.

Troy Glaus, Eric Hinske and Omar Infante each drove in a run for the Braves, who had dropped three of four coming into the game.

Kris Medlen started on the mound, but last just 4 1/3 innings as he had given up a run and nine hits with three strikeouts. Six pitchers out of the bullpen combined to throw the final 4 2/3 innings and gave up just four walks with Eric O'Flaherty (2-1) getting the win.

Shane Victorino drove in the lone run while Placido Polanco went 3-for-4 for the Phillies, who had won six of seven coming in. Joe Blanton (0-2) went six innings in the start and was charged with three runs on five hits with a pair of walks and three strikeouts.

"We were limited in what we could do today cause the bench was short," said Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, who was guiding the team as manager Charlie Manuel missed the game due to his daughter's wedding. "Blanton pitched extremely well. He looked like he knew what he was doing. We had our opportunities, especially early, but we just couldn't get that spark. We didn't play bad, we just didn't produce."

Atlanta loaded the bases in the first on a pair of errors and a hit batter, but Blanton struck out Glaus and got Hinske to ground out and end the inning.

Philadelphia worked a run across in the second. With one out, Brian Schneider singled and, after Wilson Valdez struck out, Blanton singled to left. Victorino followed with a single to score Schneider for a 1-0 lead.

Blanton walked a pair of Braves in the third, but it was with two outs and he got Glaus to fly out and end the frame.

The Phils got their first two men on in the fourth, but were unable to put any across as the next three batters recorded outs.

Atlanta surged ahead in the sixth with a three-run frame. Chipper Jones led off with a single and Brian McCann followed with a single. After Glaus flied out, Hinske doubled to tie the game. Cabrera then singled home a run for the lead and Infante's sacrifice fly made it a 3-1 game.

With Craig Kimbrel on the mound in the sixth, Jayson Werth worked a leadoff, and, after Raul Ibanez flied out, Carlos Ruiz drew a walk. Peter Moylan then took the mound and forced Valdez to hit into a double play to end the inning.

The Phils got back-to-back one-out walks in the seventh, and a ground out from Polanco left two runners in scoring position. Jonny Venters took over on the mound and got Ryan Howard to fly out to shallow right to end the inning.

Takashi Saito set down the Phils in order in the eighth, and the Braves added an extra run in the ninth on Glaus' RBI single to center for a 4-1 lead.

Billy Wagner set down the final three batters in order in the ninth for his fourth save of the season.

Game Notes

Schneider left the game in the fourth with a left Achilles strain. He will have an MRI done to determine the extent of the injury...Manuel is expected to be back for Sunday's finale...Kenshin Kawakami will take the mound for Atlanta on Sunday and will be opposed by Cole Hamels...Philadelphia had won six of eight against Atlanta coming into the game...Atlanta left 11 men on base while Philadelphia stranded nine.

Vagescasinoonline Baseball Betting News

<< Cubs activate P Caridad from DL
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs on Saturday activated pitcher Esmailin Caridad from the 15-day disabled list. Caridad, who was put on the DL on April 14 with a right forearm strain, is 0-1 with a 13.50 earned run a

<< Westwood on top at Sawgrass; Woods, Mickelson trail big
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lee Westwood managed a two-under 70 Saturday to remain atop the leaderboard after three rounds of The Players Championship. Westwood completed 54 holes at 14-under-par 202, for a one-stroke lead over

<< Dementieva among first-round winners in Madrid; Kuznetsova ousted
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva was a first-round winner, while fellow countrywoman and fifth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova was bounced on Day 1 at the $4.5 million Madrid Open, a clay-court French

<< Danes upend Finland, Swiss win at Worlds
Cologne, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Frederik Andersen stopped 36-of-37 shots as Denmark shocked Finland, 4-1, at the 2010 World Ice Hockey Championship on Saturday. Frans Nielsen tallied twice, with Peter Regin and Julian Jakobsen scoring

<< Blackhawks shoot for series win
CHICAGO (AP) -The Vancouver Canucks are searching for their composure and a way to avoid losing in the Western Conference semifinals to the Chicago Blackhawks for second straight year.After dropping the series opener, Chicago has won three straight

West Ham's Zola poised for crucial talks >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - West Ham United manager Gianfranco Zola is preparing for make-or-break talks with the Upton Park club's owners next week, after ensuring Premier League survival for the Hammers. Zola's position has been c

Novikovas commits to Hearts >>
Edinburgh, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Teenage winger Arvydas Novikovas has penned a new three-year contract with Hearts. The 19-year-old Lithuanian has made 12 first-team appearances for the Tynecastle outfit this season and is

Tottenham's Redknapp named manager of the year >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has been named Premier League Manager of the Year after guiding his side to a top-four finish this season. The Londoners clinched a Champions League qualific

Sheets helps A's down Rays >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Sheets tossed 6 1/3 solid innings as the Oakland Athletics took down the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-2, in the second test of a three-game series at the Coliseum. Sheets (2-3) struck out eight, while allowin

Barca, Real title race heads to final week >>
Seville, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lionel Messi scored his La Liga-leading 32nd goal Saturday, and Barcelona held off Sevilla 3-2 to maintain a one-point lead over Real Madrid atop the standings entering the final week of the season. Bojan Kr

Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.