Carpenter hopes to pitch slumping Cards past Astros
Baseball Betting Lines
08/31/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Even with stud right-hander Chris Carpenter on the mound tonight, the St. Louis Cardinals will not be guaranteed a win over the Houston Astros in the second portion of a three-game series between NL Central inhabitants at Minute Maid Park.
St. Louis has lost three straight and 11 of its last 15 contests to fall six games behind Cincinnati for the division lead, but did remain three games in back of Philadelphia for the Wild Card in the Senior Circuit. In Monday's series-opening 3-0 loss at Houston, Jake Westbrook was dealt the hard-luck defeat for yielding all three runs and nine hits in seven innings.
"The first inning was tough for me," said Westbrook. "It was some tough luck out there and the seventh inning was all me, it was all my fault out there."
Westbrook gave up two runs in the seventh frame to put his team in an even bigger hole, while Randy Winn and Yadier Molina had the Cardinals' only two hits on the night. Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, two of St. Louis' top sluggers, both finished 0-for-3 in the loss.
Carpenter will shoot for his 15th win of the season tonight and has won five of his last six decisions, but did not factor in the outcome of last Thursday's 11-10 loss at Washington. He allowed six runs -- three earned -- and 10 hits over six innings to remain at 14-4 with a 2.93 ERA in 28 starts.
The righty and 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner is 4-1 in 12 road starts and will face Houston for the third time this season. He owns a 1-1 mark with a 3.52 ERA over the first two matchups and is 7-4 in 16 lifetime starts against the Astros.
Houston starter J.A. Happ has been solid since coming over from Philadelphia as part of the Roy Oswalt deal and delivered a two-hit shutout last night. Happ struck out four batters and allowed one walk to improve to 5-2 this season. It was the third shutout of his career and first this season.
"It's been a while since I felt that comfortable throwing first strikes," said Happ. "I was feeding off that confidence. [The Cardinals] were putting the ball in play and we were making the plays out there tonight."
Brett Wallace went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored while Hunter Pence had two hits and a run scored for the Astros, who have won seven of their last nine games, including a four-game sweep in Philadelphia before the weekend.
Houston starter Wandy Rodriguez has been impressive over the past two months and is slated to take the mound Tuesday. Rodriguez is 7-2 with a 1.79 earned run average in his last 12 starts and recently defeated the Phillies last Thursday with seven innings of one-run ball in a 5-1 victory.
The lefty will now face St. Louis for the fourth time this season and is 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA over the initial three starts. In 18 career matchups (17 starts) with the Cardinals, Rodriguez is only 4-11 with a 4.30 ERA.
Rodriguez is 6-5 in 13 starts at Minute Maid Park this season.
Houston has won eight of 13 meetings with the Cardinals this season.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies are up to their old tricks again. Known for late-season surges, the Rockies appear to be headed in that direction and will try to stay hot Tuesday in the second installment of a three-game series again
<< 2010 World Basketball Championship update - August 31st
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
Halftime - Group C: Russia 34, Ivory Coast 30 (Ankara)
Halftime - Group D; New Zealand 51, Lebanon 32 (Izmir)
Group C: Puerto Rico vs. China, 11:30 a.m. (Ankara)
Group D: France vs. Canada, 11:30 a.m. (Izmir)
Gro
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING
NCAA Football BettingMany 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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