Rodriguez solid as Astros shut down Cardinals

Baseball Betting Lines

09/01/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wandy Rodriguez combined with three other pitchers in a three-hit shutout as the Houston Astros blanked the reeling St. Louis Cardinals, 3-0, in the second of three games.

Rodriguez (11-12) gave up two hits and two walks with five strikeouts over seven innings for the Astros, who also blanked the Cardinals by a 3-0 score in the opener on Monday and have won eight of their last 10. Hunter Pence went 2- for-4 with two RBI and a run scored while Chris Johnson drove in the other run.

"It's becoming a nice habit to say that our starting pitching did an outstanding job," said Houston manager Brad Mills. "And again, Wandy did a great job again tonight. He's been outstanding for the past two or three months."

Chris Carpenter (14-5) was tagged for three runs -- two earned -- and six hits with two walks and three strikeouts over seven innings for the Cardinals, who have dropped four straight and seven of their last eight.

"Unfortunately it's not going well for us right now," said Carpenter. "We gotta come out tomorrow and do everything we can and try to salvage something from this series."

St. Louis now sits seven games back of Cincinnati for first place in the NL Central as the Reds beat Milwaukee on Tuesday.

St. Louis put runners on first and second with one out in the third, but Colby Rasmus struck out and Albert Pujols flied out to end the inning.

With no score in the fourth, the Astros surged ahead. Michael Bourn reached base to start the inning on a Skip Schumaker error. Angel Sanchez followed with a single and Pence drilled a triple to center to score both runners. Johnson's single later in the frame made it a 3-0 game.

In the seventh, Yadier Molina reached base to start the inning on a Johnson error, but Pedro Feliz struck out, Schumaker hit into a fielder's choice and Brendan Ryan grounded out to end the inning.

With Tim Byrdak on the mound to start the eighth, Aaron Miles drew a leadoff walk. But Wilton Lopez took the mound and set down the next three batters.

Matt Holliday led off with a double off of Brandon Lyon in the ninth and a walk to Schumaker with two outs brought the tying run to the plate, but Lyon struck out Randy Winn to pick up his 10th save of the season.

Game Notes

Molina, who went 0-for-4, had an eight-game hitting streak snapped...Houston has taken nine of 14 games against St. Louis this season...Rodriguez has won his past two starts. He is now 5-11 in 19 games against St. Louis...Carpenter fell to 7-5 in 17 starts against Houston...St. Louis went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight men on base.

Webmiilion Baseball Betting News

<< Giants top Rockies with late rally, inch closer in NL West race
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andres Torres sparked a three-run eighth inning with a solo homer, as the San Francisco Giants defeated the Colorado Rockies, 5-2, in the second test of a three-game series at AT&T Park.

<< Kennedy, Diamondbacks beat reeling Padres
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ian Kennedy pitched seven solid innings and the Diamondbacks used a balanced offensive attack to defeat the reeling San Diego Padres, 7-4, in the second of three games at Chase Field. Kennedy (9-9) allowed t

<< Moore helps Mariners top Angels in Seattle
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Moore's two-out RBI single in the eighth lifted the Seattle Mariners to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the second of three games at Safeco Field. Moore finished the game wit

<< Twins rally to down Detroit
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Delmon Young's RBI single in the seventh put Minnesota ahead for good, and the Twins rallied with two two-run innings to down Detroit, 4-3, and maintain a four-game lead in the AL Central. Young finis

<< Royals edge Texas on wild pitch
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pinch-runner Willie Bloomquist scored the game-winning run on Alexi Ogando's wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth, as the Kansas City Royals snuck past the Texas Rangers, 10-9, in the second test of a th

Wozniacki cruises into second round at U.S. Open >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki had no trouble advancing through to the second round at the 2010 U.S. Open, while former world No. 1s Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova were also among Tuesday

Red Sox release Hermida from minor league assignment >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox released outfielder Jeremy Hermida from his minor league assignment after it became apparent he would not be recalled to the major league club when rosters expand on September 1. Hermida h

Howard, Schneider power Phils past Dodgers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard and Brian Schneider each hit a three-run home run as the Philadelphia Phillies downed the Los Angeles Dodgers, 8-4, in the second of three games. Carlos Ruiz added a two-run single f

Leafs sign Hanson >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday signed restricted free agent forward Christian Hanson to a one-year contract. In 32 games for Toronto last season, Hanson recorded two goals and seven assists.

Preseason finale a chance for Packers' backup QBs >>
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Aaron Rodgers knows from experience that it isn't easy to live life as an understudy in the NFL.Now that Rodgers finally has broken free from Brett Favre's shadow to become an elite starting quarterback, he sees a little bit o

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard