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06/03/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros are finding out the hard way just how quickly fortunes can change.
A week ago, they sat at seven games above .500, and were just 1 1/2 games back of the National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs. Since then, however, those two have drifted in different directions.
The Cubs have ripped off eight straight wins and they now own the best record in the majors. Meanwhile, the Astros have gone on to lose five straight, and just like that, Houston has fallen seven games off the pace in the division standings.
Manager Cecil Cooper knows these sorts of stretches are bound to happen over a 162-game schedule. And though he said it's taking quite a bit of effort on his part, he is trying to keep an even keel.
"I can't just wallow in it," he said. "If I did, then they would start to do that, too. So I can't do that. I have to bite my lip, bite my tongue, do what I have to do and do it and not let it bother me, at least to a point where they know it's bothering me."
Offensively, things have gotten, well, downright offensive. During their five- game skid, the Houston lineup has produced a grand total of six runs. The Cubs, to put that in perspective, are averaging about six runs per game on the season.
The misery began on Wednesday in St. Louis, against the club that has since taken over second place in the division. After beating the Cardinals in Tuesday's series opener, St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright stymied the Astros bats to just one run on three hits in eight innings of work.
Home runs by Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman accounted for Houston's only two runs on Thursday, as St. Louis put the stamp on the series with a 3-2 win.
Things went from bad to worse this weekend in Milwaukee, where in the three games, the Astros were outscored, 19-3.
In Friday's opener, Houston starter Brandon Backe allowed five runs in five innings, while the Astros offense managed just one run on seven hits for the game. On Saturday it was Ben Sheets' turn to quiet the Astros' bats. Sheets pitched 8 2/3 innings of one-run ball, as the Brewers went on to notch a 4-1 victory. Sunday's 10-1 loss was just downright ugly. Starter Shawn Chacon was chased after just one inning of work, having allowed four runs to cross the plate. Meanwhile, Brewers starter Dave Bush scattered just four hits and one run over seven innings.
"Nothing worked (Sunday)," Cooper said. "Nope. It was a bad day at the office. We didn't hit, didn't pitch very well, for the most part, and even threw it around a little bit. Nothing worked."
With their nine-game road trip now making its stop in Pittsburgh, the best the Astros can hope for is a 4-5 ledger on the trip. But first, they might just want to start with a multi-run game.
BERKMAN REWARDED WITH NL PLAYER OF THE MONTH
Despite the team's recent struggles, the one constant has been Berkman. During the month of May, Berkman hit .471 with nine home runs. Not surprisingly, he was named the NL Player of the Month for May. During his tear, Berkman also racked up 11 doubles, 22 RBI and scored 31 runs. He had 16 multi-hit games, and hit safely in 17 straight games.
"I didn't know he was the greatest hitter in the history of baseball until this guy showed up for the last month or so," Astros general manager Ed Wade said on the team's Web site. "It's like watching a guy play big league baseball, only he's playing tee ball. That's how easy he's making it. You know how difficult this game is, and he's simplified it to the 'nth degree."
For the season, Berkman ranks second in the majors in batting average (.385), second in home runs (17), and fifth in RBI (47).
GEARY READY FOR ACTION
Reliever Geoff Geary was activated from the 15-day disabled list following Sunday's loss. He had spent the last two weeks on the DL with a strained groin.
Geary, acquired in the offseason from Philadelphia as part of the Brad Lidge trade, reported no pain while throwing a simulated game on Saturday. He has been one of the steadies arms out of the bullpen this season, posting a 1.47 ERA in 19 games.
To make room for Geary, the club optioned Jack Cassel to Triple-A Round Rock. Cassel surrendered six runs on Sunday, though he was likely headed back down to the minors regardless of that outing.
WHO'S HOT
Berkman. Is any elaboration really needed anymore when you're hitting .475 over the past month?
WHO'S NOT
Neither of the catchers, J.R. Towles and Brad Ausmus. Over the past month, Ausmus is hitting .150, while Towles is batting .096.
A LOOK AHEAD
Opening up the Pirates series will be left-hander Wandy Rodriguez (1-1, 2.89), who struggled in his first outing since coming off the DL. He will face Phil Dumatrait (2-2, 3.52). On Wednesday, Roy Oswalt (4-5, 5.45) will square off with Zach Duke (2-4, 4.41). And on Thursday, Backe (4-6, 4.54) looks to get back on track against Paul Maholm (3-5, 4.74).
<< Cards send Lohse to hill in DC
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unlikely standout Kyle Lohse can get a second 2008 victory
over Washington tonight when the St. Louis Cardinals head to Nationals Park to
open a three-game series with the homestanding Nationals.
Lohse, a three-game winne
<< Papi-less Red Sox welcome first-place Rays to Fenway
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The unlikeliest of first-place battles commences tonight
at Fenway Park when the Tampa Bay Rays head to Boston for the first of three-
games with the defending World Series champion Red Sox.
Long the doormat of the Americ
<< Big Brown has final Belmont Stakes workout
Elmont, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Big
Brown had his only official workout Tuesday morning for Saturday's Belmont
Stakes. The leading three-year-old worked five furlongs on the Belmont Park
track i
<< NHL's Longest Stanley Cup Finals
Longest Stanley Cup finals that have gone past two overtimes, with date, score, round, time of overtime and game-winning goal:May 15, 1990 - Edmonton 3, Boston 2, final, 55:13, Petr Klima.June 19, 1999 - Dallas 2, Buffalo 1, Stanley Cup winner, 54:5
Diamondbacks send Big Unit to hill to battle Brewers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time Randy Johnson took the mound the bullpen blew
his solid performance. Tonight, the Big Unit will try again to lead the
Arizona Diamondbacks to victory in the second test of a three-game series
against the Milwauk
Willis returns to starting role, as Tigers tangle with A's >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dontrelle Willis makes his first start in nearly two months
this evening when the Detroit Tigers play the middle tilt of their three-game
series with the Oakland Athletics at McAfee Coliseum.
Willis, who is 0-1 with a 7.50
Indians send Mastny to hill at Texas >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Mastny makes his first major league start this evening
when the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers play the second of four games at
Rangers Ballpark.
Mastny gets the call tonight in place of Jake Westbrook, who
Manager Guillen, White Sox open series vs. Royals >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After getting a day to rest and cool off, Ozzie Guillen and
the Chicago White Sox go back to work tonight with the first of three
consecutive meetings with the Kansas City Royals from U.S. Cellular Field.
The Whit
Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup
September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com. The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans.
Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to name a few. Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR. They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.
The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer. Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your golf sportsbook needs.
Ryder Cup Odds| Europe Tie USA |
4-5 10-1 6-5 |
| Tiger Woods Jim Furyk Phil Mickelson Chris DiMarco David Toms Stewart Cink Chad Campbell Scott Verplank Zach Johnson Vaughan Taylor JJ Henry Brett Wetterich |
9-4 4-1 5-1 7-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 |
| Sergio Garcia Luke Donald Padraig Harrington Colin Montgomerie Darren Clarke David Howell Lee Westwood Paul Casey Henrik Stenson Jose Maria Olazabal Paul McGinley Robert Karlsson |
5-1 5-1 6-1 13-2 8-1 9-1 9-1 11-1 12-1 12-1 20-1 25-1 |
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com
March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
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To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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