07/23/2008 - (Baseball Betting) - The road hasn't been very kind to the Pittsburgh Pirates this season, but the team usually seems to enjoy its stay in Houston.
The Pirates will attempt to nail down a three-game sweep of the Astros when the National League Central foes go head-to-head again this afternoon at Minute Maid Park.
Pittsburgh entered this set having lost seven consecutive road games but has overpowered the Astros in each of the first two tests. The Bucs rolled to a 9-3 victory in Monday's opener, then socked three home runs en route to an 8-2 triumph last night.
Ryan Doumit had a three-run homer and both Freddy Sanchez and Nate McLouth belted solo shots for Pittsburgh, which had dropped five in a row prior to Monday's win. Sanchez added an RBI single on the night and finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored.
Paul Maholm (7-6) was also sharp on the mound for the Pirates, as the left- hander held the Astros to one run and five hits in eight innings of work.
Pittsburgh has now won six of its last seven meetings with the Astros and is 8-3 at Minute Maid Park since the start of last season. The Pirates are also 16-7 against Houston since the beginning of the 2007 campaign.
The Pirates are just 17-32 on the road in 2008, however, and haven't swept a three-game series as the visitor since doing so in San Francisco from August 10-12 of last season.
Jack Cassel (1-1), called up from Triple-A Round Rock prior to game with the Houston rotation currently short-handed due to injuries, surrendered five runs on nine hits over 4 2/3 innings to suffer the loss on Tuesday.
The Astros did address their issues in the starting pitching department on Tuesday, acquiring veteran Randy Wolf from San Diego in exchange for minor league pitcher Chad Reinke. Wolf is expected to make his Houston debut when the club visits Milwaukee on Sunday.
Brian Moehler gets the call for the Astros this afternoon and hopes to duplicate the results of his most recent start. The journeyman hurler limited the Cubs to one run and four hits over seven innings on Friday, although he didn't factor in the decision of his team's 2-1 win.
Moehler has done a solid job since being inserted into the Houston rotation in early May, as the right-hander has compiled a 5-4 record and a 3.72 earned run average in 13 starts this season.
One of Moehler's five wins in 2008 came recently against the Pirates. On July 9 at PNC Park, the 36-year-old helped the Astros to a 6-4 victory by working six innings and allowing four runs on seven hits.
Moehler is 4-4 lifetime against Pittsburgh with a 4.72 ERA in 11 games, eight of which have been starts.
Ian Snell tries to put his season-long road woes behind him when he takes the mound for the Pirates today. The disappointing righty is just 1-6 with an ugly 7.71 ERA in 10 starts away from home this year, and opponents are hitting .342 against him on the road.
Snell did pitch fairly well at Colorado's Coors Field this past Thursday, giving up four runs -- three earned -- and six hits over six innings in one of baseball's best hitter's parks. It still wasn't enough to prevent him from receiving the loss in Pittsburgh's 5-2 setback.
The 26-year-old is 2-3 with a 3.81 ERA in 10 career appearances (9 starts) against Houston. Snell faced the Astros on July 8 and allowed one run before having his start cut short after 3 2/3 innings due to a rain delay.
<< Diamondbacks shoot for sweep of crumbling Cubs
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Chicago has lost the first two tests
<< Shell-shocked Mets continue big set with first-place Phils
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It will be hard to top the drama the New York Mets and
Philadelphia Phillies put forth in the opener of this series, but the two NL
East rivals will go at it again tonight in the second test of a three-game set
at Shea
<< 2008 Receiving Threats
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last two weeks we have looked over
the top QBs and RBs coming into the 2008 campaign. This week will complete the
"skill position" landscape with the top wide receivers across the country.
GO-TO-GUYS
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Sabathia wi
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Mussina, who is one win beh
Rays wrap up set vs. Oakland at the Trop >>
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Tampa had its divi
Richard makes debut for White Sox against Texas >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Clayton Richard makes his major league debut this afternoon
when the Chicago White Sox play the rubber match of their three-game series
with the Texas Rangers at U.S. Cellular Field.
Richard, who started the All-Star
Report: Hawks lose Childress to Greek team >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks have reportedly lost the
services of swingman Josh Childress to the Greek franchise Olympiakos.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Wednesday that Childress, 25, turned
down a five
Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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