Astros play second of three in DC

Baseball Betting Lines

07/12/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After an extended night for the team's bullpen, the Houston Astros will be counting on some quality innings out of Wandy Rodriguez in tonight's middle test of a three-game set with the host Washington Nationals.

Roy Oswalt left Friday's series opener after just one inning due to a left hip abductor strain, an injury that also caused the Astros ace to miss his last scheduled turn in the rotation. Houston's relief corps failed to step up in Oswalt's absence, as Washington battered the bullpen en route to a 10-0 victory.

Most of the damage came against Dave Borkowski, with the right-hander surrendering seven runs on five hits -- including a pair of homers -- in just two innings of work. Chad Paronto, who replaced Oswalt in the bottom of the second, received the loss after allowing three runs on six hits over 2 1/3 frames.

Ronnie Belliard led the Nationals' offensive eruption with a pair of home runs, a two-run shot off Paronto in the second and a three-run blast against Borkowski in the fifth. Austin Kearns also homered in the rout and finished 2- for-2 with three RBI, while Jesus Flores added a two-run single for Washington, which won for only the second time in its last nine games.

Tim Redding (7-3) cruised through the first six innings for the Nationals, with the ex-Astro scattering seven hits and striking out six without a walk. Steven Shell completed the shutout by throwing the final three frames to earn his first career save.

Houston has now dropped eight of its last 10 contests and is 2-5 thus far on a nine-game road trip.

The Astros would be bolstered by a long outing out of Rodriguez this evening, although the Dominican southpaw hasn't pitched more than 5 2/3 innings in three of his last four starts. He hasn't lost during that stretch, however, posting one win and three no-decisions despite Houston losing all three of those contests he did not factor in.

Rodriguez was in line for his fourth victory of the season during Sunday's start at Atlanta, where he allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings while leaving with a 6-3 lead. However, the Houston bullpen gave up three late runs and Rodriguez was stuck with a no-decision.

The 29-year-old owns a 2-1 record with a 5.34 ERA in five lifetime starts against Washington, with tonight's tilt marking his first career appearance at the brand-new Nationals Ballpark.

The Astros will get their first look tonight at Washington rookie Collin Balester, who's delivered mixed results through two starts as a major leaguer.

Considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Nationals' system, Balester did not disappoint in his big league debut on July 1. The lanky 22- year-old held Florida to one run and a single hit over five innings to pick up the victory in Washington's 9-6 triumph at Dolphin Stadium.

Balester took a step back in Sunday's matchup at Cincinnati, where the young right-hander was roughed up for five runs in 5 2/3 innings to suffer the loss in the Nationals' 6-5 setback.

This will also be the first start at Nationals Ballpark for Balester, who has yielded just five hits through his first 10 2/3 innings pitched in the majors.

Houston won two of three matchups with the Nats at Minute Maid Park back in May, but Washington is 10-4 in its last 14 clashes against the Astros. Houston has also lost six of its last seven in D.C.

BC-AAN;PREVIEW-HOU-WAS

=== Astros play second of three in DC ===

(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After an extended night for the team's bullpen, the Houston

Roy Oswalt left Friday's series opener after just one inning due to a left hip abductor strain, an injury that also caused the Astros ace to miss his last scheduled turn in the rotation. Houston's relief corps failed to step up in Oswalt's absence, as Washington battered the bullpen en route to a 10-0 victory.

Most of the damage came against Dave Borkowski, with the right-hander surrendering seven runs on five hits -- including a pair of homers -- in just two innings of work. Chad Paronto, who replaced Oswalt in the bottom of the second, received the loss after allowing three runs on six hits over 2 1/3 frames.

Ronnie Belliard led the Nationals' offensive eruption with a pair of home runs, a two-run shot off Paronto in the second and a three-run blast against Borkowski in the fifth. Austin Kearns also homered in the rout and finished 2- for-2 with three RBI, while Jesus Flores added a two-run single for Washington, which won for only the second time in its last nine games.

Tim Redding (7-3) cruised through the first six innings for the Nationals, with the ex-Astro scattering seven hits and striking out six without a walk. Steven Shell completed the shutout by throwing the final three frames to earn his first career save.

Houston has now dropped eight of its last 10 contests and is 2-5 thus far on a nine-game road trip.

The Astros would be bolstered by a long outing out of Rodriguez this evening, although the Dominican southpaw hasn't pitched more than 5 2/3 innings in three of his last four starts. He hasn't lost during that stretch, however, posting one win and three no-decisions despite Houston losing all three of those contests he did not factor in.

Rodriguez was in line for his fourth victory of the season during Sunday's start at Atlanta, where he allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings while leaving with a 6-3 lead. However, the Houston bullpen gave up three late runs and Rodriguez was stuck with a no-decision.

The 29-year-old owns a 2-1 record with a 5.34 ERA in five lifetime starts against Washington, with tonight's tilt marking his first career appearance at the brand-new Nationals Ballpark.

The Astros will get their first look tonight at Washington rookie Collin Balester, who's delivered mixed results through two starts as a major leaguer.

Considered one of the top pitching prospects in the Nationals' system, Balester did not disappoint in his big league debut on July 1. The lanky 22- year-old held Florida to one run and a single hit over five innings to pick up the victory in Washington's 9-6 triumph at Dolphin Stadium.

Balester took a step back in Sunday's matchup at Cincinnati, where the young right-hander was roughed up for five runs in 5 2/3 innings to suffer the loss in the Nationals' 6-5 setback.

This will also be the first start at Nationals Ballpark for Balester, who has yielded just five hits through his first 10 2/3 innings pitched in the majors.

Houston won two of three matchups with the Nats at Minute Maid Park back in May, but Washington is 10-4 in its last 14 clashes against the Astros. Houston has also lost six of its last seven in D.C.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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