McCann's homer caps Atlanta's comeback win over Marlins

Baseball Betting Lines

08/29/2010 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian McCann hit a game-ending home run to cap off a furious Braves rally, as Atlanta recovered from a five-run deficit in the eighth to stun Florida, 7-6, in the rubber match of a three-game series.

Leo Nunez (4-3) came in to protect a 6-4 lead in the ninth and walked Brooks Conrad on four pitches. Pinch-hitter Matt Diaz worked the count to 2-1 before blasting the game-tying home run to right.

The next two batters were retired by Nunez, but McCann ended the game with a shot that just cleared the right field wall. The umpires initially ruled it a double, but replays showed it clearly bounced back in play after clearing the fence.

The win helped the Braves increase their NL East lead over Philadelphia to 2 1/2 games. The Phillies are currently playing at San Diego.

Eric Hinske drove in two runs for Atlanta, which improved to 18-1-2 in series at home, losing only a series against the Phillies in April. Takashi Saito (2-3) grabbed the win for a scoreless ninth inning.

Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-2 with a three-run homer before leaving due to light-headedness for the Marlins, who have lost two straight following a three-game win streak. Josh Johnson was in line for the win before the bullpen's implosion, having given up just an unearned run, three hits and three walks in six frames while fanning eight.

Just as Atlanta got off to a quick start Saturday, the Marlins' offense grabbed the early lead Sunday.

Derek Lowe walked the leadoff hitter Emilio Bonifacio, and Logan Morrison singled to center, putting runners on the corners. Ramirez followed by belting a middle-in fastball on a line over the wall in left for the 3-0 lead.

Dan Uggla followed with a double, but Lowe limited the damage.

Uggla's throwing error to start the home half allowed Omar Infante to reach base, and Infante later scored on a two-out single by Hinske to cut Atlanta's deficit to two.

The Marlins loaded the bases with nobody out against Lowe in the third and added to their lead on a two-run single by Chad Tracy. Donnie Murphy's RBI triple in the fourth off Cristhian Martinez gave Florida a 6-1 advantage.

Atlanta rallied in the eighth off the Florida bullpen. With runners on first and third and one out, Hinske doubled off Will Ohman to deep center to score a run and cut the deficit to four. Clay Hensley came in to pitch and struck out Alex Gonzalez, but Melky Cabrera reached on an error by first baseman Gaby Sanchez, which allowed both runners to score for a two-run game.

Game Notes

Atlanta leads the season series, 7-5...Lowe lasted just three innings, giving up five runs, six hits and three walks...Ramirez is now 14-for-26 lifetime against Lowe, although he hit his first career home run against him...Marlins rookie Mike Stanton went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and is now mired in an 0- for-27 stretch with 13 punchouts...The Marlins' bullpen blew a Johnson lead for the seventh time this season and has 23 blown saves, the most in the majors. Nunez blew his eighth save in 2010...McCann recorded his first career game-ending home run.

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.