Diaz helps Braves slip past slumping Phils
Baseball Betting Lines
07/02/2009 -
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Diaz belted a go-ahead RBI double in a
three-run eighth, as the Atlanta Braves recorded their first home sweep of the
Phillies since 2005 with a 5-2 victory at Turner Field.
Garret Anderson added a two-run homer in that fateful inning, as the Braves
swept Philadelphia for the first time at home since April 22-24, 2005. It was
the first sweep of the reigning World Series champs since April 2-5, 2007.
Diaz finished the game 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored, while Casey
Kotchman went 2-for-2 with a two-run homer, as the Braves have now won a
season-high four straight games. Mike Gonzalez (3-0) pitched a scoreless
eighth to earn the win, and Rafael Soriano earned his seventh save of the
season.
Javier Vazquez got a no-decision after yielding two runs on seven hits with
five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Jimmy Rollins snapped a career-worst 0-for-28 skid with a 2-for-4 night, but
it was of no use, as the Phillies fell into a virtual tie with the Marlins for
first place atop the NL East standings after losing three straight and 14 of
18 overall.
J.A. Happ pitched well in the start, allowing only two runs on seven hits and
a pair of walks, with five strikeouts. in seven strong innings.
The Phillies inserted Ryan Madson (2-4) to keep the game tied in the home
eighth, but the Braves forged ahead. Brian McCann led off with a single after
an 0-2 count, and Yunel Escobar sacrificed pinch-runner Jair Jurrjens to
second. Diaz followed with an RBI double to deep center field to give Atlanta
a 3-2 lead.
After Diaz stole third, Anderson hit a towering home run to right field
for a comfortable 5-2 edge. Soriano set the Phillies down in order to finish
the win.
The Braves put runners on first and third with nobody out in the second for
the game's first scoring chance. Happ, though, was up to the task, striking
out Jeff Francoeur and Vazquez amidst a Kotchman walk to load the bases. A
fielder's choice groundout by Gregor Blanco ended the frame.
Vazquez held the Phillies off the board for the first four innings, and
Atlanta finally scored in the home half on Kotchman's two-run homer far beyond
the wall in right field.
Happ's first career hit in the fifth helped Philadelphia put two runners on
base with two outs, but Shane Victorino lined out sharply to shortstop Escobar
to end the threat.
The Phillies finally got to Vazquez in the sixth, knocking him out of the
game. Chase Utley led off with a single and moved to second two batters later,
as Jayson Werth was hit by a pitch. Greg Dobbs followed with a double to deep
center, although Utley barely scored after the center fielder Blanco acted as
if he would catch the ball before it bounced over his head.
Vazquez was pulled in favor of Peter Moylan, who allowed an the tying RBI
groundout by Pedro Feliz before getting out of the inning.
The Braves put runners on the corners with two outs in the seventh for Chipper
Jones, who flied out weakly on a 3-1 pitch to help Happ escape from yet
another jam.
Philadelphia nearly pushed across the go-ahead run in the eighth. Werth drew a
one-out walk, and, with two outs, stole second and moved to third on a
throwing error by the catcher McCann. A wild pitch sent Werth scrambling for
home, but McCann got the ball as it bounced off the backstop and tossed it to
Gonzalez, who was able to tag out Werth in time to end the inning.
Game Notes
After going 14-4 against Atlanta last season, the Phillies are 6-9 against
them this year...Philadelphia outfielder Raul Ibanez will not join the team
this weekend against the Mets after having his rehab start pushed back to
Friday...It was Anderson's first career pinch-hit homer...Atlanta will begin a
10-game road trip on Friday against Washington.
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Trout, who played his high school ball
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Big Ten Conference odds
Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa
Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.
Should be in:
Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?
Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.
Work left to do:
Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.
Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.
Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.
Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.
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