Late surge sends Braves past Mets

Baseball Betting Lines

04/23/2007 - Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kelly Johnson homered twice -- including a three-run shot in the eighth that put the Braves ahead for good -- as Atlanta topped the New York Mets, 9-6 in the rubber match of a three-game series at Shea Stadium.

Johnson finished 3-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored for Atlanta, which has won two of three. Edgar Renteria hit a three-run homer and Jeff Francoeur had a two-run single.

Facing his former teammate and best friend, Braves starter John Smoltz did not factor in the decision. He allowed six runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out three. Ex-Met Tyler Yates (1-0) pitched a perfect seventh for the win, while Bob Wickman picked up his sixth save in as many chances.

Tom Glavine, who spent the first 16 years of his career in Atlanta, also had a shaky outing. He surrendered three runs on seven hits over six innings for the Mets. He did not walk a batter and struck out five but continued to struggle against his former team since signing with the Mets before the start of the 2003 campaign.

Shawn Green hit a solo home run, while Jose Reyes added a bases-clearing triple for New York, which has dropped two of three.

"That's what makes them so good -- their lineup has no soft spots," Smoltz said.

With the game tied at 1-1, Glavine labored through the sixth. Andruw Jones started a two-out rally with a single to left before Brian McCann doubled to put runners at second and third. Francouer poked a hit through the right side, plating two, but was caught stealing for the final out as the Braves held a 3-1 lead.

Carlos Delgado opened the bottom half of the frame with a base hit for New York, and after David Wright struck out looking, Moises Alou flared one to center to put two on. Then, after walking Green to load the bases, Smoltz questioned the strike zone of home plate umpire Paul Emmel, bringing manager Bobby Cox out of the dugout. Cox was promptly ejected for arguing balls and strikes and the pitcher couldn't work his way out of the jam.

Jose Valentine's bloop single cut it to 3-2 and Mets skipper Willie Randolph called on Julio Franco to pinch hit for Glavine. Franco lofted a shallow fly ball to right, holding the runners on, but Reyes smacked a bases-clearing triple to put the Mets in front by a 5-3 margin.

"Back and forth -- we answered, they answered, and they got the best of us," said New York's David Wright.

Paul Lo Duca followed with a single to score Reyes, chasing Smoltz as New York held a 6-3 edge. Steve Colyer got Carlos Beltran on a fly ball to stop the bleeding.

The Braves rallied to put three on the board in the seventh, stunning the sun- drenched capacity crowd. Scott Thorman started things off with a two-out double, and Scott Schoeneweis came on in relief of Ambiorix Burgos. Johnson drew a free pass and Renteria followed with a wind-blown three-run homer to right, knotting the score at 6-6.

The offensive onslaught continued in the eighth, as Atlanta claimed a 9-6 lead.

Francoeur reached on an error, then Matt Diaz went to first on a fielder's choice which erased the lead runner. After Craig Wilson was hit by a pitch, Ryan Langerhans went down swinging for the second out. Johnson came up, and after getting ahead two balls and no strikes, launched a deep fly ball that landed in the seats beyond the right field wall.

The Mets brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth, but were held off the scoreboard. Wickman allowed a hit in the ninth before retiring Green on a grounder to end it.

Atlanta got the jump on Glavine early, as Johnson took the very first offering -- a fastball up and over the plate -- and drilled it over the right field wall for a 1-0 lead.

The Mets tied it up in the fifth on Green's leadoff homer. Smoltz then got the next two outs before running into further trouble, as Reyes singled and Lo Duca hit a ground-rule double to right-center. The veteran opted to face Beltran -- who had four RBI in Saturday's game -- and caught him looking at a tailing fastball to retire the side.

Game Notes

McCann was hit in the left hand attempting to bunt in the ninth inning, but stayed in the game...Atlanta has won four of six from the Mets this season...The Mets host Colorado for a three-game set starting Monday...The Braves continue their 10-day, nine-game road trip with a three-game series in Florida, also starting Monday...Braves right-hander Lance Cormier began an injury rehabilitation assignment today at single-A Rome. He has been out of action since suffering a strained right triceps on March 26 against Houston at Kissimmee, FL...It was Johnson's first career two-homer game.

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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year

Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.

Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

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