Braves send Hanson to hill against Washington

Baseball Betting Lines

07/04/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie phenom Tommy Hanson looks for a fifth straight victory today when the Atlanta Braves visit our nation's capital for a holiday afternoon game with the host Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.

Hanson, who'll turn 23 later this month, was called to the majors earlier this season upon the release of veteran southpaw Tom Glavine.

He was touched for six hits and six runs against Milwaukee in his no-decision debut on June 7, but has been stellar since while allowing just two runs in 23 innings.

The effort earned him National League Rookie of the Month honors for June.

The two runs came in a 7-2 defeat of Baltimore on June 12 and three straight scoreless outings have since followed, in which Hanson has beaten Cincinnati, the New York Yankees and Boston while surrendering nine hits in 17 1/3 innings.

The Braves have outscored their opposition in those games, 13-1.

For the Nationals, lefty John Lannan goes for his own fourth straight victory.

The Long Beach, N.Y. native was just 2-5 after a 4-2 loss at Philadelphia on May 31 before going 3-0 with two no-decisions in five June starts.

He got to .500 with a 5-3 win at Baltimore on June 28, in which he gave up six hits and three runs in 7 1/3 innings.

Lannan faced the Braves twice in his initial four starts this season, going 0-1 while giving up 14 hits and four runs in 13 innings. Lifetime against Atlanta, he is 2-2 with a 3.30 earned run average.

The Nationals are 6-10 in games he's pitched.

On Friday, Brooks Conrad's first home run of his career was a pinch-hit, three-run shot to lift the Braves to a 9-8 win, extending their win streak to a season-best five games. .

Chipper Jones, Yunel Escobar and Matt Diaz each had two RBI while Martin Prado crossed the plate three times for Atlanta, which can get back to .500 with a win today.

Kenshin Kawakami started on the mound, but lasted just 4 1/3 innings as he was charged with five runs -- four earned -- on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

Boone Logan (1-0) got the win for throwing 1 2/3 perfect innings.

Adam Dunn hit the 299th home run of his career while Nyjer Morgan went 0-for-4 with a walk, one stolen base and a run scored in his debut with the Nationals, who have dropped four straight and six of seven.

Ross Detwiler was tagged for five runs on 10 hits with two walks and a strikeout in just 3 1/3 innings. Jesus Colome (1-1) was saddled with the loss.

Atlanta has won five of its seven matchups with the Nats this season after Washington took 12 of the 18 meetings a year ago.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.