Braves outlast Marlins, rain in Florida

Baseball Betting Lines

05/28/2010 - Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Prado went 3-for-6 with two runs batted in and David Ross knocked in a pair, as the Atlanta Braves handled the Florida Marlins, 8-3, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Sun Life Stadium.

Yunel Escobar contributed two hits, an RBI and two runs scored for the Braves, who took the last two games in the set and have now won 12 of their last 16 overall.

Tim Hudson worked four innings before rain halted play and did not return to the mound after a one hour and 17 minute delay. The right-hander allowed two runs on five hits with a pair of walks and struck out a batter. Peter Moylan (2-0) earned the win for pitching a scoreless fifth inning after play resumed.

Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored, while Jorge Cantu knocked in a run for Florida, which has dropped five of the last seven.

Ricky Nolasco (4-4), like Hudson worked four frames prior to the stoppage, and yielded eight hits and three runs while fanning three without issuing a walk. Nolasco also chipped in with an RBI single.

Chipper Jones' double off the left-field wall in the top of the first plated Jason Heyward, who tripled to straightaway center.

In the home half, Ramirez was hit by a pitch with two outs, stole second and crossed the plate on Cantu's single to center.

The Braves picked up a pair of two-out runs in the fourth to go back in front. Escobar started things with a single and came around to score on Ross' double into the left-field corner. Hudson reached on an infield single before Prado grounded a base hit through the left side for a 3-1 game.

Through a steady rain in the home half, Nolasco helped his own cause with an RBI single with the bases loaded. Hudson was able to limit the damage by striking out Chris Coghlan and retiring Gaby Sanchez on a line out to center.

The grounds crew put the tarp on the field prior to starting the fifth, and after the lengthy rain delay, Nolasco was pulled in favor of Jay Buente, who tossed a perfect frame in making his major league debut

Buente did give up an RBI single to Prado in the sixth to make it a 4-2 game. Escobar then added a run-scoring double in the seventh off Tim Wood.

Florida got a run back off Eric O'Flaherty in the home seventh on a fielder's choice groundout by Ramirez. After Cantu was hit by a pitch, Takashi Saito came in and struck out Dan Uggla and Cody Ross to end the inning.

However, the Braves tacked on three more in the eighth on Eric Hinske's double-play ground ball, an RBI infield single by Melky Cabrera and bases- loaded walk to David Ross that stretched the lead to 8-3.

In the bottom of the ninth, Billy Wagner surrendered a one-out triple to Ramirez, then fanned Cantu and Uggla to polish off the win.

Game Notes

The Marlins won 10 of the 18 matchups a year ago and are 5-3 in the previous eight contests in this series. Florida made several roster moves prior to the game. The club recalled pitchers Taylor Tankersley, Buente and veteran infielder Mike Lamb from Triple-A New Orleans, optioned pitcher Burke Badenhop to New Orleans and placed reliever Renyel Pinto on the 15-day disabled list with a left hip strain...Braves catcher Brian McCann missed the game with a strained right quadriceps muscle and is day-to-day.

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Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

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