Nats rally in the eighth off Braves bullpen

Baseball Betting Lines

07/04/2009 - Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Dunn hit his 300th career home run and drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single during a four-run eighth, as Washington topped Atlanta, 5-3, halting the Braves' season-high win streak at five games.

John Lannan (6-5) was sharp in posting his fourth straight victory. The lefty tossed eight innings and yielded three runs on nine hits and a walk. Mike MacDougal earned his fourth save of the year with a scoreless ninth.

Ryan Zimmerman had a two-run single and Josh Willingham added an RBI single in the pivotal eighth frame. The Nationals snapped a four-game slide and won for just the second time in eight games.

Tommy Hanson, searching for a fifth straight victory, was superb on the hill for Atlanta. The rookie right-hander limited the Nats to a single run and three hits, walking one and fanning five in seven innings.

However, the Braves bullpen wasted the effort and was tagged for four runs on four hits and two walks in the eighth. Nate McLouth, Chipper Jones and Garret Anderson knocked in the runs for Atlanta.

The visitors took a 3-1 lead into the eighth but Mike Gonzalez (3-1) proceeded to load the bases with one out, walking two and giving up a single. Peter Moylan entered from the pen to allow Zimmerman's game-tying two-run single to center.

Eric O'Flaherty came on in relief and immediately gave up the lead with RBI singles by Dunn and Willingham allowing for a 5-3 Washington lead. O'Flaherty struck out the next two batters to hold the deficit at two but the Nationals' bullpen held firm as MacDougal worked around a pair of walks in the ninth to nail down the win.

The Braves got on the board in the third when Brooks Conrad led off with a base hit, moved up a bag on Hanson's sacrifice and raced home on McLouth's single to center.

Atlanta padded its lead by two in the sixth. McLouth walked and Martin Prado put runners at second and third with a double to left. Jones and Anderson hit back-to-back run-scoring singles to center for a 3-0 margin.

Hanson, meanwhile, retired 18 of the first 20 batters he faced and did not allow a runner past first base until Dunn smoked a leadoff home run out to right in the seventh. Hanson set down the next three, though, before giving way to Gonzalez in the eighth.

Game Notes

Atlanta has won five of its eight matchups with the Nats this season after Washington took 12 of the 18 meetings a year ago...Since allowing six runs in his major league-debut on June 7, Hanson has surrendered just three earned runs 30 innings. His recent accolades earned him National League Rookie of the Month honors for June...It was also Dunn's 22nd home run of the season...McLouth and Anderson had two hits apiece in defeat...Atlanta ended 3- for-10 with runners in scoring position.

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El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

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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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