Braves complete sweep of punchless Phillies

Baseball Betting Lines

06/02/2010 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Omar Infante drove in the game-winning run in the eighth as the Atlanta Braves completed a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies with a 2-1 win at Turner Field.

Infante, who replaced Chipper Jones in the fifth inning after Jones left with inflammation on his right ring finger, went 2-for-2 while Martin Prado added two hits and a run scored for the Braves, who have won eight straight for the first time in almost seven years.

The last time the Braves had an eight-game winning streak was a run from July 4-11, 2003. That team went on to win 101 games that season.

Derek Lowe (8-4) won his third straight start as he was charged with just one run on six hits with a walk and seven strikeouts over eight innings of work.

Jayson Werth drove in the lone run while Brian Schneider scored that run for the Phillies, who have dropped nine of their last 11 games during which the team has scored just 14 runs.

Kyle Kendrick went seven innings in the start and was charged with just one run on five hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Jose Contreras (2-2) was tagged with the loss.

With the score tied in the eighth, the Braves grabbed the lead with Contreras on the mound. Nate McLouth led off with a walk and moved to second on a sac bunt from pinch-hitter Melky Cabrera. After Prado struck out, Jason Heyward was issued an intentional walk. Infante followed with a bloop single to right just over the head of Chase Utley to bring home McLouth for a 2-1 lead.

Billy Wagner worked around a two-out walk to Ben Francisco in the ninth to pick up his ninth save of the season.

The Braves struck in the first inning as, with men on first and third and no outs, Jones hit into a double play that scored Prado.

Atlanta nearly took a 2-0 lead in the second as Troy Glaus hit a long fly ball to left, but Raul Ibanez leapt at the wall and got his glove on the ball to keep it from going out, limiting Glaus to a double. Eric Hinske then struck out and Yunel Escobar lined out back to the mound with Kendrick turning the double play to escape the inning.

Philly got the run back in the third on an RBI single from Werth that plated Schneider. Wilson Valdez followed with a bunt single to load the bases, but Utley hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

After giving up a leadoff single to Ryan Howard in the fourth, Lowe got Francisco to pop out and Raul Ibanez to hit into a double play. Lowe then retired the next nine batters in order.

Greg Dobbs led off the eighth with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Schneider. Pinch-hitter Ross Gload then grounded out to move Dobbs to third and Werth was issued an intentional walk, but Valdez flied out to end the inning.

Game Notes

The Braves are 12-7 in day games this season, including a perfect 9-0 at home...Atlanta now embarks on a season-high 11-game road trip, starting with a four-game set in Los Angeles on Thursday...The Braves are an MLB-best 19-6 at home this season...Despite the loss, the Phils lead the National League in road wins with 15, compared to 14 losses...The Phils fell to 9-10 in days games this season...Philly just finished a road trip with a 2-7 mark for the first time since 2006. The team returns home to face San Diego for a four-game set starting on Friday.

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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