Happ tosses shutout as Astros beat struggling Cardinals

Baseball Betting Lines

08/30/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.A. Happ tossed a two-hit shutout to lift the Houston Astros to a 3-0 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a three-game set.

Happ (5-2) walked just one and struck out four for the Astros, who have won seven of their last nine. Brett Wallace went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored while Hunter Pence had two hits and a run scored in the win.

Jake Westbrook (1-3) went seven innings and was charged with three runs on nine hits and a walk for the reeling Cardinals, who have dropped six of their last seven and, coupled with Cincinnati's 10th-inning win over Milwaukee, fell to six games back of the Reds for first place in the NL Central.

Houston struck in the first inning, as Pence hit a two-out single and came home to score on a Carlos Lee double for a 1-0 lead.

After Randy Winn hit a one-out single in the first, Happ dominated the Cardinals. He allowed only one more baserunner over the next six innings, a leadoff walk to Colby Rasmus in the third inning.

Happ retired 15 straight batters through the seventh inning, including striking out Matt Holliday to end the seventh.

Houston then solidified its lead in the bottom of the seventh. Chris Johnson led off with a single and Wallace followed with an RBI double. After an infield single from Tommy Manzella, Jason Castro hit into a double play that plated Wallace for a 3-0 lead.

With one out in the eighth, Yadier Molina hit a single, but Colby Rasmus lined into a double play to end the inning.

Happ then set the Cardinals down in order in the ninth for his first shutout and complete game of the season.

Game Notes

Happ has tossed three shutouts and four complete games in his career. He is now 1-2 in four career starts against St. Louis...Houston has won eight of the 13 games against St. Louis this season...Westbrook fell to 0-2 in three career starts against Houston...Houston center fielder Michael Bourn went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to nine games...Holliday had his 11-game hitting streak broken with an 0-for-3 performance.

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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.

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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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