Astros roll past Pirates

Baseball Betting Lines

04/24/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wandy Rodriguez worked 7 1/3 effective innings and was backed by a season-high 13 hits, as Houston topped Pittsburgh, 5-2, at Minute Maid Park.

Rodriguez (1-2) struck out seven, walked one and limited Pittsburgh to five hits and two runs, only one of those earned, to gain his first win of the season.

Hunter Pence had two hits and two RBI and Pedro Feliz stroked a two-run homer for the Astros, who have won seven of nine since starting 0-8. Matt Lindstrom worked out of trouble in the ninth to post his sixth save this season.

Pittsburgh starter Chris Jakubauskas (0-1) faced only four batters in his first appearance of 2010 after being struck in the head by a Lance Berkman line drive. Jakubauskas needed to be carted off the field and was ultimately charged with a pair of hits and two runs in his abbreviated outing.

Jason Jaramillo hit a solo homer and Andrew McCutchen had an RBI single for Pittsburgh, which suffered its fourth consecutive loss.

Jakubauskas had given up a leadoff single to Michael Bourn and retired the next two batters before Berkman stepped to the plate. The unfortunate infield hit kept the inning alive, however, and the newly inserted D.J. Carrasco went on to allow a two-run double down the left-field line by Pence.

An error helped open the door for a Pittsburgh rally in the third. Feliz botched a grounder at third to put Ronny Cedeno aboard, Akinori Iwamura walked and Bobby Crosby singled to load the bases with one out.

McCutchen then ripped a single back through the middle, scoring Cedeno easily, but Bourn's throw in from center was on the money to nail Iwamura at the plate. Garrett Jones struck out to end the rally.

The Astros were back at it in the fourth, loading the bases with nobody out on three straight singles. Humberto Quintero took a base hit back up the middle to score one, but it was McCutchen this time who came up with a strong throw to nail Cory Sullivan at the plate.

Carrasco then fumbled a sacrifice bunt by Rodriguez to re-load the sacks and bring on Javier Lopez from the bullpen. However, the fleet of foot Bourn grounded into a rare double play to end the inning.

Jack Taschner entered for Pittsburgh in the fifth and promptly handed the 'Stros a 5-1 lead as Jeff Keppinger led off with a double and Feliz followed with a two-run homer to left.

Jaramillo got one back for the Bucs with a two-out longball in the seventh, but that would be as close as it got. Brandon Lyon came on for Houston with one out in the eighth and stranded a runner at second, and Lindstrom was able to work through a shaky ninth.

A pair of two-out hits left runners at the corners and Lindstrom walked pinch- hitter Delwyn Young to load the bases. But Lindstrom buckled down to get Cedeno on a fly out to end the game.

Game Notes

Pittsburgh's Andy Laroche had two of the seven Pirate hits...Pittsburgh is winless thus far (0-2) on a 10-game road trip, while Houston moved to 4-1 on its nine-game homestand...Sunday's finale to this three-game series will feature Brett Myers on the mound versus Charlie Morton of the Pirates...The Astros bullpen had retired 22 straight batters before Lindstrom encountered trouble in the ninth...Jakubauskas went to nearby Methodist Hospital and will remain there overnight for further evaluation...Following the game, Houston activated pitcher Sammy Gervacio from the 15-day disabled list and optioned pitcher Wilton Lopez to Triple-A Round Rock. The club also announced pitcher Yorman Bazardo has accepted his outright assignment to Round Rock.

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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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