05/13/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jayson Werth finished 3-for-4 with four runs batted in, as the Philadelphia Phillies downed National League East rival Atlanta, 5-4, in the initial contest of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park.
Werth won the game with his bat -- tying a career high with four RBI -- then nearly lost it in the field.
With Mark Kotsay on second and Chipper Jones on first in the ninth, Brad Lidge faced Brian McCann with two outs. McCann lofted a line drive to center, but Werth froze and the ball flew over his head, scoring Kotsay with the first earned run surrendered by Lidge this season.
Lidge followed that with a four-pitch walk to injury-replacement Greg Norton, but Jeff Francoeur flied out to Shane Victorino in right to end the game. Kyle Kendrick (3-2) managed his way through six frames despite 11 baserunners and only two strikeouts.
Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell each finished 2-for-4 and Victorino also collected two hits for the Phillies, who have split their last eight games.
Jones added three more hits to his all-world start, raising his league-leading batting average to .415. Francoeur drove in a pair of runs for the Braves, who have dropped four of five and fell to a mind-boggling 1-11 in one-run games despite holding the best batting average and team earned run average in the NL entering Tuesday's contest. Atlanta has lost its last 16 one-run contests on the road.
Jo-Jo Reyes (1-1) took the loss after surrendering five runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
The Phillies showed their mettle in battling back from a 3-0 deficit.
Kendrick worked out of trouble in the second and third frames amid a mounting pitch count before a relatively quick 1-2-3 fourth frame. The Phillies rewarded their young right-hander with a two spot in the home half.
Chase Utley pulled a single just out of the reach of second baseman Kelly Johnson and Howard stayed on a fastball, driving it off the base of the center-field fence for extra bases. Werth picked up Burrell, who struck out looking, with a two-run single to center.
Howard's second hit of the night, a bullet through the shift and into right scored Victorino with the tying run in the bottom of the fifth. Victorino doubled earlier in the frame and Burrell added to the hit parade with a single to center following Howard's RBI base hit. Werth's single to left kept the rally going, and Howard chugged home standing for a 4-3 lead.
The Braves literally ran themselves out of a possible big inning in the sixth. Manager Bobby Cox's managerial decision didn't help.
Johnson singled and Gregor Blanco walked with one out, but Cox stuck with Reyes, who had thrown 79 pitches through five frames, likely due in part to the Braves tired bullpen after Atlanta's doubleheader in Pittsburgh on Monday.
Reyes bunted through the first pitch, and Johnson was inexplicably caught wandering off second for the second out. Reyes then shattered his bat on a chopper back to Kendrick, who tossed the ball to Howard and held the Braves scoreless in his final five frames.
J.C. Romero, who gave up the game-winning home run in San Francisco on Sunday, struck out Norton with two runners on base to end the threat in the seventh.
Werth's fourth RBI of the game gave the Phillies an insurance tally in the seventh. Burrell doubled with two outs and pinch-runner Eric Bruntlett easily crossed the plate on Werth's pop fly that dropped just out of the reach of a diving Blanco.
The Braves, thanks in part to the red-hot Jones, tagged Kendrick for three runs in the game's first at-bat. Yunel Escobar singled to start the game before Kendrick issued a free pass to Kotsay. Jones then did his part, hitting a looping single into center, plating Escobar with the game's first run.
After recording two straight outs, Kendrick failed to see his way completely out of the self-inflicted pickle. Francoeur slapped a two-run single down the line in right, scoring the remaining baserunners for a 3-0 advantage.
Game Notes
Tom Gordon has posted a 1.06 earned run average since his Opening Day outing (five runs in one-third of a frame)...The Phillies pounded out 13 hits without a home run...Romero lowered his earned run average to 1.65...Kendrick hasn't recorded a loss in five straight starts...Johnson finished 2-for-4 in defeat...Lidge's save was his 10th of the season...Attendance was 44,101 on Dollar Dog Night at the ballpark, the ninth sellout at Citizens Bank Park this season...The Phillies recorded their 13th come-from-behind victory this season and improved to 16-1 when leading after eight frames...The Braves dropped to 5-15 away from home this season.
<< Reds SS Keppinger breaks kneecap
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Reds shortstop Jeff Keppinger
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left knee, an injury later revealed to be a broken kneecap in the leg.
Keppinger, f
<< Pistons reach East finals for sixth straight year
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richard Hamilton scored 31 points, and
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holding
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New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The U.S. Davis Cup team will head to Madrid to
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The Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid will be the site for the matches.
Spain lost to the U.S. in the
<< New indictment against Bonds unsealed
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Federal prosecutors have filed a new
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Volquez strong again; Reds down Marlins >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edinson Volquez continued his strong rookie
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over Florida came coupled with the loss of shortstop Jeff Keppinger, who left
with a
Greene's blast powers Padres over Cubs >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Khalil Greene's three-run home run off Jason
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Field.
The Padres literally slipped past the Cubs on a chilly, rainy night in t
Scott homers as Orioles hold off Red Sox >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luke Scott ripped the go-ahead three-run
homer and the Orioles touched Josh Beckett for five runs, lifting Baltimore to
a 5-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox in the opener of a brief two-game
series.
Church continues torrid start as Mets double up Nationals >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Church homered, doubled and drove in four
runs, as the New York Mets surged past the Washington Nationals, 6-3, in the
second of a four-game series at Shea Stadium.
Brian Schneider went 3-for-4, knocke
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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