Cellar-dwellers wrap up set at PNC Park

Baseball Betting Lines

09/05/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of struggling one-win pitchers square off today at PNC Park when the host Pittsburgh Pirates and visiting Washington Nationals meet in the rubber game of a three-game weekend series.

The Nationals dropped Friday's opener but came back to win game two on Saturday, as Ivan Rodriguez hit a two-run homer and knocked in four en route to a 9-2 verdict. John Lannan (7-6) struck out seven in seven strong innings, walked one and allowed a run on five hits to win for the fifth time in six starts for the Nationals, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Ian Desmond added three hits and an RBI to the win.

Paul Maholm's (7-14) troubles continued, as the southpaw slid to a fifth loss in six starts after surrendering eight hits and seven runs in 4 1/3 frames.

Andrew McCutchen's 13th home run of the season highlighted the Pirates' offense on the way to their sixth loss in the last eight games. Pittsburgh, which has not finished a season above .500 since 1992, has now lost at least 90 games for the sixth straight season.

New Jersey-born right-hander Charlie Morton gets the call for Pittsburgh with a chance to earn his first since early May. The 26-year-old defeated the Chicago Cubs to improve to 1-5 back on May 5, but has since gone 0-5 while also spending time in the minors.

He was recalled in time for an Aug. 29 outing at Milwaukee, in which he was ripped for nine hits and eight runs in just 3 1/3 innings of an 8-4 loss.

Morton, a third-round pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2002, lost his lone career start against Washington after allowing six hits and four runs in six innings.

For the Nationals, fellow former Atlanta draft pick Jason Marquis also aims for his second win of 2010. Marquis, a supplemental draft selection of the Braves in 1996, was a 15-game winner for Colorado last season before signing a deal with Washington as a free agent. It hasn't worked out so well on the East Coast, with Marquis battling injury and ineffectiveness while going 1-7 through eight starts.

He did win in his most recent outing, however, scattering seven hits and allowing three runs in 5 2/3 innings of a 9-3 triumph at Florida on Aug. 30. It was just the third time in eight starts that Marquis pitched at least five innings.

He is 10-6 lifetime against the Pirates in 25 appearances with a 3.66 earned run average.

Washington swept a three-game set from the Pirates back in June .

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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.