Pirates try for more success against Astros

Baseball Betting Lines

07/20/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh hasn't had much success this season, except for when it plays against Houston. The struggling Pirates shoot for their seventh straight win versus the Astros this year in the opener of a three-game series at PNC Park.

The Pirates got their season off to a promising start when they swept the Astros in Houston from April 2-4 to open the season. The club then hosted Houston from April 24-26 and took all three games of that set as well.

It was a quick turnaround for a Pirates team that lost 13 of the 16 games they played against the Astros last season. That included seven losses in 10 home games in 2006.

While the Pirates will be trying to extend a winning streak against the Astros, they will also be attempting to halt a six-game losing streak on the season. The club comes into this series having been swept in three games at Atlanta and then in three games at home against Colorado.

Against the Rockies on Wednesday, Adam LaRoche and Freddy Sanchez both homered in a 5-3 setback. Ian Snell (7-7) was tagged for five runs on five hits with six strikeouts and a walk in six innings.

Tom Gorzelanny will shoot for his fourth straight winning decision with tonight's start for Pittsburgh. The left-hander is 3-0 over his last five outings and received a no-decision on Saturday at Atlanta. On that day, Gorzelanny allowed four runs on six hits with seven strikeouts over six innings of work.

The 25-year-old is 9-4 on the year with a solid 3.24 earned run average.

Gorzelanny is just 1-3 in four career starts against the Astros while pitching to a 4.84 ERA against them. His lone victory versus Houston came this season in the left-hander's first start of the year on April 4.

Houston will send Roy Oswalt to the hill tonight. Oswalt is coming off a horrid outing that saw him allow a career-high eight earned runs (nine total) on 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings in a loss to the Cubs on July 14. The setback dropped the right-hander to 8-6 on the season with a 3.91 ERA.

The All-Star then made a relief appearance on July 17, recording the final out of the seventh inning of his club's 4-2 win over the Nationals.

The 29-year-old is 10-5 with a 2.67 ERA in 20 games (19 starts) lifetime against Pittsburgh. That includes a no-decision against the club on April 2 of this season.

Houston has lost five of its last six games and sits dead last in the NL Central. However, the club is only a half-game back of Pittsburgh for fifth place in the standings.

The Astros just lost two of three to Washington, including a 7-6 setback on Wednesday that saw Houston plate four runs in the seventh inning to get within one, only to fall short.

Mike Lamb and Luke Scott each homered and scored twice in the setback, while Jason Jennings (1-6) was tagged for seven runs on eight hits through five innings.

The loss dropped Houston to 1-5 on its current nine-game road swing.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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