NL East-leading Braves send Kawakami to hill in Florida

Baseball Betting Lines

09/03/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kenshin Kawakami returns to the Atlanta Braves this evening, as they try to hold onto their dwindling advantage in the National League East in the opener of a three-game set against the Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium.

Kawakami, who will be filling in for the injured Derek Lowe, has not pitched in the majors since a relief appearance back on July 16, but was 1-9 in 15 starts. Lowe has been battling elbow pain and received a cortisone shot last weekend.

"I didn't think I was going to miss a start," said Lowe, who should resume pitching in a few days. "So I can't say it's going to feel better in three days, a week or whenever. It's unfortunate. It's [my] turn to pitch, and I've never missed [a start]. But you've got to be honest with yourself and true to your team."

Kawakami, who has pitched to a 4.75 earned run average in his 16 big league appearances this season, had been 0-1 with a 4.29 earned run average in five starts for Triple-A Gwinnett.

The Japanese right-hander lost to the Marlins earlier in the year and is just 1-4 lifetime against them with a 5.55 ERA in five games, four of which have been starts.

Atlanta was denied a sweep in its four-game set with the New York Mets on Thursday, as it dropped a 4-2 decision in the finale on Thursday at Turner Field. Brian McCann went 3-for-4 with a solo home run while Martin Prado drove in the other run for the Braves, who had a five-game winning streak stopped.

Tim Hudson (15-6), who was named the National League Pitcher of the Month earlier in the day on Thursday, had a six-game winning streak halted as he was charged with four runs -- three earned -- on eight hits with a walk and four strikeouts over seven innings.

The loss shortened Atlanta's lead in the NL East to two games over Philadelphia, which held off Colorado on Thursday for a 12-11 win.

"It's tight out there," said Hudson about the playoff race. "We knew that the Phillies weren't going to go away. We just gotta go out there and keep playing and just keep doing what we do."

Florida, meanwhile, will need a strong showing this weekend if it wants to keep its fleeting postseason hopes alive. The Marlins enter the weekend set 10 games back of the Braves in the division and eight behind the wild card- leading Phillies.

The Marlins rolled to a 16-10 win against Washington on Wednesday, but the game will likely be remembered for a wild brawl that took place in the sixth inning when Nationals center fielder Nyjer Morgan charged the mound and punched Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad.

Both players were ejected.

Florida was ahead 15-5 with one out in the inning when Volstad threw a pitch behind Morgan, who was hit on the right side by an offering in the fourth frame. The Marlins were ahead 14-3 in the fourth, but Morgan stole second and third base during the inning.

In the sixth, though, Morgan became upset and immediately threw down his bat and charged the mound. Volstad tossed down his glove and Morgan connected with a left to the pitcher's neck.

Marlins first baseman Gaby Sanchez then raced in and delivered a clothes-line hit to Morgan, who immediately tumbled to the ground. Players for both teams scuffled near the mound and then Pat Listach, the third base coach for the Nationals, joined the fray by piling on Volstad and possibly throwing a punch.

"Obviously, he's not coming out there to talk," Volstad said. "I had to defend myself and not to get hurt."

Suspensions and fines should be handed out on Friday.

"I've been part of a few bench-clearings, and this one was pretty up there as far as the amount of intensity and physical actions on the field," Helms said. "It's going to happen. It's part of the game. It's not a bad thing, it's just going to happen, it doesn't happen often. Tonight was one of those nights where it got out of hand."

Heading to the hill for the Marlins this evening will be left-hander Andrew Miller, who has yet to record a decision in three appearances (one start) this season, but has pitched to a 4.50 ERA. Miller last pitched out of the bullpen on Monday against Washington and yielded a run in one inning of work.

Miller has faced the Braves six times (three starts) and is 2-0 against them with a 3.32 ERA.

On the injury front, the Marlins could get second baseman Dan Uggla back this weekend. Uggla, who has been hampered by a groin strain, is one home run shy of 30, which would make him the first second baseman in Major League history to reach the mark four seasons in a row.

He is 4-for-9 lifetime against Kawakami with a home run and three walks.

Atlanta has won seven of its 12 matchups with the Marlins this season.

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Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds

Will he or won't he?  Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.

Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.

"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."

Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.

Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.

But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.

Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback.  It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.

Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1


Atlanta Falcons 50-1


Baltimore Ravens 15-1


Buffalo Bills 50-1


Carolina Panthers 18-1


Chicago Bears 10-1


Cincinnati Bengals 15-1


Cleveland Browns 100-1


Dallas Cowboys 15-1


Denver Broncos 15-1


Detroit Lions 100-1


Green Bay Packers 50-1


Houston Texans 100-1


Indianapolis Colts 6-1


Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1


Kansas City Chiefs 30-1


Miami Dolphins 40-1


Minnesota Vikings 75-1


New England Patriots 10-1


New Orleans Saints 18-1


New York Giants 20-1


New York Jets 30-1


Oakland Raiders 100-1


Philadelphia Eagles 18-1


Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1


Saint Louis Rams 60-1


San Diego Chargers 6-1


San Francisco 49ers 75-1


Seattle Seahawks 20-1


Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1


Tennessee Titans 40-1


Washington Redskins 50-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook credit cards needs.

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

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