Happ tosses shutout as Astros beat struggling Cardinals
Baseball Betting Lines
08/30/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.A. Happ tossed a two-hit shutout to lift the Houston Astros to a 3-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a three-game set.
Happ (5-2) walked just one and struck out four for the Astros, who have won seven of their last nine. Brett Wallace went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored while Hunter Pence had two hits and a run scored in the win.
Jake Westbrook (1-3) went seven innings and was charged with three runs on nine hits and a walk for the reeling Cardinals, who have dropped six of their last seven and, coupled with Cincinnati's 10th-inning win over Milwaukee, fell to six games back of the Reds for first place in the NL Central.
Houston struck in the first inning, as Pence hit a two-out single and came home to score on a Carlos Lee double for a 1-0 lead.
After Randy Winn hit a one-out single in the first, Happ dominated the Cardinals. He allowed only one more baserunner over the next six innings, a leadoff walk to Colby Rasmus in the third inning.
Happ retired 15 straight batters through the seventh inning, including striking out Matt Holliday to end the seventh.
Houston then solidified its lead in the bottom of the seventh. Chris Johnson led off with a single and Wallace followed with an RBI double. After an infield single from Tommy Manzella, Jason Castro hit into a double play that plated Wallace for a 3-0 lead.
With one out in the eighth, Yadier Molina hit a single, but Colby Rasmus lined into a double play to end the inning.
Happ then set the Cardinals down in order in the ninth for his first shutout and complete game of the season.
Game Notes
Happ has tossed three shutouts and four complete games in his career. He is now 1-2 in four career starts against St. Louis...Houston has won eight of the 13 games against St. Louis this season...Westbrook fell to 0-2 in three career starts against Houston...Houston center fielder Michael Bourn went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to nine games...Holliday had his 11-game hitting streak broken with an 0-for-3 performance.
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - C.J. Wilson turned in 7 2/3 scoreless innings to lead Texas over Kansas City, 3-0, in the first of three between the clubs at Kauffman Stadium. Wilson (14-5) allowed just two hits and fanned six again
<< Heyward powers Braves past Mets
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Heyward finished 4-for-5 with a three-run
home run, four RBI and three runs scored as Atlanta dominated New York, 9-3,
in the opener of a four-game series.
Martin Prado added three RBI on two hits while
<< Clijsters, Venus win U.S. openers
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning champion Kim Clijsters and
Venus Williams were both straight-set opening-round winners Monday at the U.S.
Open.
The second-seeded former world No. 1 Clijsters got past Hungarian Greta Ar
<< U.S. Soccer gives Bradley four-year extension
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States men's national soccer team
has announced a four-year contract extension for head coach Bob Bradley.
The 52-year-old Bradley engineered the U.S. to an unbeaten mark in group play
at this y
<< U.S. Soccer
Agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension with head coach Bob Bradley.
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano each had three hits, including a home run, as the New York Yankees powered past the Oakland Athletics, 11-5, in the opener of a four-game series. Nick Swisher went 3-for-4 wi
Reds build lead in NL Central with win over Brewers >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jay Bruce's single in the bottom of the 10th
inning scored pinch-runner Brandon Phillips, as the National League Central
Division-leading Cincinnati Reds edged the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-4, in the
opener
Four-run 11th gets White Sox past Indians >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brent Lillibridge hit the tie-breaking home
run in a four-run top of the 11th as Chicago coughed up a late lead only to
come back to beat Cleveland, 10-6, to begin a three-game series.
Lillibridge, fill
Zambrano returns to rotation, helps Cubs crush Pirates >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aramis Ramirez drove in four runs and Carlos
Zambrano returned to the rotation with 5 1/3 solid innings and a home run as
Chicago crushed Pittsburgh, 14-2, to begin a three-game set.
Marlon Byrd and Jeff B
Federer and Roddick roll at U.S. Open >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second seeded and five-time champion
Roger Federer along with birthday boy and former champion Andy Roddick were
easy opening-round winners Monday at the U.S. Open.
The reigning Australian Open
Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Football Betting
NFL Football Betting OnlineThe San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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