Braves hope to keep fading playoff hopes alive versus Nats

Baseball Betting Lines

09/08/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta gave its fans some excitement in yesterday's game with John Smoltz's no-hit bid. That excitement could be gone by season's end, however. The Braves will try to strengthen their fading playoff chances tonight when they play the middle portion of a three-game series with the Washington Nationals at Turner Field.

Smoltz threw seven no-hit innings in Friday's 7-1 victory over the Nationals, but allowed a hit to Ronnie Belliard to open the eighth inning, ending his historic bid and evening.

It was the closest Smoltz has come to a no-hitter since April 30, 1999, when he tossed a one-hitter against Cincinnati. It also would've been the second no-no in the majors in less than a week, after Clay Buchholz became the 16th Red Sox pitcher and first rookie in club history to toss a no- hitter last Saturday.

Chipper Jones had three hits, including a three-run homer, and scored three runs for Atlanta, which has won three of its last four games and sits 4 1/2 games behind San Diego in the National League wild card race. The Braves are also a distant 7 1/2 games behind the NL East-leading New York Mets.

The Braves activated shortstop Edgar Renteria from the 15-day disabled list prior to the game, though he didn't play in the contest. Renteria had been sidelined because of a sprained right ankle.

Joel Hanrahan (4-3) allowed five runs -- four earned -- on four hits in just 3 1/3 innings in the loss for the Nationals, who committed a season-high five errors, including three by third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.

Ryan Church had a pinch-hit RBI, as the Nationals saw their five-game winning streak come to an end.

Matt Chico will try to start another one and get his first victory since July 31 in the process when he starts tonight for Washington. The left-hander has gone 0-1 in four starts since, though he was very good in his last start on Sunday. Chico held the Giants to one run on four hits over seven frames, but didn't factor into the decision of his team's 2-1 victory.

Chico, who is 5-7 with a 4.78 earned run average this year, has made three career starts against the Braves and is 2-1 with a 2.87 ERA against them. He bested the club when he faced them on May 17.

Tonight's starter for Atlanta, Chuck James, is winless in his last four starts and has dropped back-to-back games. He took the loss on August 16 against the Giants before getting handed a defeat on Saturday versus the Mets. The left- hander allowed three runs on five hits in five innings against New York, falling to 9-10 with a 4.27 ERA.

James is 2-2 with a 4.13 ERA in six career starts versus Washington.

Atlanta holds an 8-5 edge over Washington this season and has won six of seven at Turner Field.

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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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