Astros make first trip to Nationals Park
Baseball Betting Lines
07/11/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of last-place teams start up a three-game series tonight at Nationals Park, where the Houston Astros make their first appearance at the new venue to take on the struggling Washington Nationals.
Houston enters the nation's capital with a 42-50 overall record, the worst among National League Central clubs, and has lost seven of nine games to begin the month of July. Washington is in even worse shape, having compiled a poor 35-58 mark thus far, and heads into this set having dropped seven of its last eight matchups.
The Astros do come in on a positive note, however, as the team avoided a three-game sweep in Pittsburgh with Wednesday's 6-4 decision over the Pirates. Kaz Matsui, in his first game back from a stint on the disabled list, had an RBI double for Houston during a two-run seventh inning that snapped a 4-4 deadlock.
Geoff Blum belted a three-run homer in the first inning for the Astros, while both Ty Wigginton and Michael Bourn finished 2-for-5 with a run scored. Matsui, who had been sidelined with a strained right hamstring, also collected a pair of hits on the evening.
Brian Moehler (5-4) notched the win after working the first six innings and allowing four runs on seven hits. Chris Sampson followed with two scoreless frames in front of closer Jose Valverde, who shut the Pirates out in the ninth to record his 23rd save of the year.
Houston is 2-4 thus far on a nine-game road trip and 20-29 as the visitor this season.
The Astros hope to be buoyed by tonight's return of ace Roy Oswalt. The standout right-hander missed his last turn in the rotation due to a strained left hip and a nerve problem in his lower back, injuries that forced him to exit a June 30 start against Los Angeles after six innings.
Oswalt was terrific before leaving that game, as he limited the Dodgers to one run on six hits and racked up nine strikeouts to lead the Astros to a 4-1 win. The 30-year-old did throw a bullpen session on Tuesday and came through without any setbacks.
The three-time All-Star is 3-1 with a 2.63 earned run average in nine games (7 starts) against the Washington/Montreal franchise. Oswalt faced the Nationals in Houston on May 7 and permitted three runs while striking out nine in a seven-inning no-decision.
Oswalt will be opposed tonight by former teammate Tim Redding. The Washington right-hander began his pro career in the Houston organization and pitched four seasons with the Astros from 2001-04.
Redding is now in his second season with the Nationals and has posted a 6-3 record with a respectable 4.06 ERA through 19 starts this year. He has not received a decision in any of his last nine outings, but Washington has gone 7-2 in those nine Redding starts.
The 30-year-old pitched well enough to win this past Saturday in Cincinnati, where he held the Reds to one run on eight hits over six innings. It marked the third time in his last five starts that Redding has surrendered two runs or less.
Redding faced the Astros twice last season, producing a win and a loss while yielding just three runs over a span of 14 innings.
After snapping a six-game losing streak with Wednesday's 5-0 home win over Arizona, the Nationals failed to sustain the momentum in last night's series finale with the Diamondbacks. Stephen Drew hit a go-ahead RBI double in the top of the 11th inning and Arizona tacked on another run later in the frame to come away with a 7-5 decision.
Washington extended the game by scoring in both the bottom of the ninth and 10th innings. The Diamondbacks put up three runs in the top of the 10th to grab a 5-2 lead, but a Willie Harris single and Austin Kearns' two-run double drew the Nationals back even.
The Nats sent the game into extras when Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds misplayed a ball off the bat of Kearns, which allowed two runners to cross the plate.
Kearns ended with three RBI in the loss, while Nationals All-Star Cristian Guzman finished 3-for-5 with a run scored.
Luis Ayala (1-5) was dealt a defeat after giving up two runs on three hits in the top of the 11th. Washington starter Jason Bergmann permitted only two runs on six hits over the first seven innings.
Houston won two of three matchups with the Nats at Minute Maid Park back in May, but Washington is 9-4 in its last 13 clashes against the Astros. Houston has also lost five of its last six in D.C.
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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl
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.
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.