Braves top Padres to extend Maddux's winless streak
Baseball Betting Lines
07/13/2008 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlie Morton was effective on the hill through 5 1/3 frames, out-dueling Greg Maddux, who took the loss in extending his winless stretch to 12 consecutive starts, as Atlanta bested San Diego, 4-1, in the middle contest of a three-game series at PETCO Park.
Morton (2-2) held the Padres to one run on four hits and three walks while striking out four.
Maddux (3-8) pitched well, surrendering three runs on six hits and two walks while fanning three, but was saddled with the loss. The 42-year-old has not won since earning career victory No. 350 on May 10. The winless stretch is his longest since he went 13 starts without a win while with the Chicago Cubs from May 11-July 14, 1990.
Brent Lillibridge homered and doubled, while Jeff Francoeur had two hits and two RBI for Atlanta, which snapped a two-game slide. Chipper Jones came through with a 3-for-4 effort with a run a run scored to maintain his MLB-best .378 average.
Jody Gerut knocked in San Diego's lone run, one of just four hits for the Padres who have lost two of their last three.
Atlanta put a run on the board in the third. Lillibridge started things with a double to right, moved to third on a sacrifice from Morton and was chased home on a Gregor Blanco sacrifice fly.
San Diego tied things up in the fourth. Adrian Gonzalez drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on a two-out double to the gap in left-center from Gerut.
The Braves picked up a pair of runs in the sixth for a 3-1 lead. Jones and Mark Teixeira had back-to-back two-out singles and Brian McCann worked a walk to load the bases. Francoeur followed with a two-run single to left.
Atlanta padded its lead off Joe Thatcher in the ninth. Lillibridge cranked a solo home run to left-center, his first of the year.
Mike Gonzalez came on for the ninth and retired the Padres in order for his third save of the season.
Game Notes
Atlanta leads the season series 4-1. The Braves swept a three-games set with San Diego at home from May 6-8 and have won 17 of their last 22 versus the Padres, including eight of the last 11 at PETCO Park...Sunday's scheduled starters are Jorge Campillo (3-4) for Atlanta and Randy Wolf (5-8) for San Diego...Prior to the game, San Diego celebrated the 10th anniversary of its 1998 National League Championship team.
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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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