Nats use defense to nip Mets

Baseball Betting Lines

05/15/2008 - Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Harris made a spectacular diving catch in left field to rob the Mets of a potential tying run in the ninth inning, and the Nationals doubled Carlos Beltran off third base to end the game to hold on for a 1-0 victory at Shea Stadium.

Felipe Lopez hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth, an inning after the Nationals broke up Mike Pelfrey's no-hit bid, as Washington won three of the four games in the series.

Jason Bergmann (1-1) struck out nine over seven innings to get the victory. He allowed three hits and walked two. Jon Rauch threw the eventful ninth inning for his ninth save.

Pelfrey (2-4) was charged with three hits and the run over 7 2/3 innings for the Mets, who have never had a no-hitter in their history. He walked three and struck out four.

Luis Castillo had two of the five hits for the Mets, losers of two in a row.

Jesus Flores doubled to left-center field to star the Washington eighth. Harris then pinch hit and put down a sacrifice bunt before Lopez lofted his sacrifice fly to left field.

Beltran started the ninth with a single to right field. Ryan Church then sent a fly ball toward the left field line, but Harris dove to make a back-handed grab. Beltran then stole second and eased into third when catcher Flores threw the ball into center field.

With Washington's infield playing in, Carlos Delgado hit a low line drive to Aaron Boone at first base. Beltran scooted off third though, and Boone's throw across the diamond was in plenty of time for the game-ending double play.

Boone, who had two hits, broke up Pelfrey's no-hitter with a line single to right to start the seventh.

The Mets had runners at the corners in the third, but Beltran flied out to end the threat. They had two runners on again in the fifth, but David Wright popped up for the third out.

Game Notes

Pelfrey has allowed two runs or less in four of his of his five home starts this season...The Nationals start a three-game series at Baltimore on Friday, while the Mets play the Yankees in the Bronx.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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