Rodriguez leads Houston in blanking of Reds

Baseball Betting Lines

07/25/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wandy Rodriguez spun seven innings of one-hit ball and received home run support from Hunter Pence and Chris Johnson, as the Astros shut down Cincinnati, 4-0, to salvage the last of a three-game set.

Rodriguez (8-11) walked two, struck out seven and did not allow a runner past first base in leading Houston to its' first win in six tries against the Reds at Minute Maid Park this season.

Mike Leake (7-2) suffered the loss after yielding all four runs on seven hits while walking three and fanning three over 6 1/3 innings for the Reds, who lead the season series, 7-2.

Pence led off the home second with a home run to left field to get the scoring started.

The Astros put runners at first and second with nobody out in the fourth but could not score after Johnson bounced into a 5-3 double play and Jonny Gomes made a diving catch on a Jason Castro fly ball to shallow left.

Johnson hit his longball with one out in the seventh to make it a 2-0 game. Castro then singled and moved to third base on a pinch-hit double by Jason Michaels before Michael Bourn doubled to left to plate both runners and chase Leake from the game.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez allowed only a walk to the high-powered Reds offense during the second through fourth innings and retired the last nine batters he faced after a leadoff walk to Miguel Cairo in the fifth.

Brandon Lyon and Matt Lindstrom each allowed one hit in a scoreless frame each to finish off the blanking.

Game Notes

Cincinnati third baseman Scott Rolen, who missed his ninth straight game on Sunday, is expected to return during the team's next series in Milwaukee that begins on Monday...The Reds were shutout for a 12th time this season...Joey Votto had two of the Reds hits and Ryan Hanigan had the other...Rodriguez evened his career record against the Reds at 7-7 in 18 starts...Johnson extended his hitting streak to a career-high nine games...Bourn finished with three of Houston's nine hits...Patrick Patterson, taken by the Houston Rockets with the 14th pick in the NBA Draft last month, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.

Wwwwon Baseball Betting News

<< Ravens rookie Kindle suffers head injury
Owings Mills, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Ravens rookie linebacker Sergio Kindle suffered injuries to his head after it is believed he fell down two flights of stairs at a private residence in Austin, Texas. The Ravens released a

<< Kubel's slam powers Twins past O's
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Kubel belted his seventh career grand slam and Nick Punto had three hits with an RBI as Minnesota blasted Baltimore, 10-4, to conclude a four-game series. Delmon Young and Jim Thome hit back-to-back

<< Brigman wins in Columbus
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.J. Brigman fired a seven-under 64 on Sunday to come from behind and win the Children's Hospital Invitational at The Ohio State University Scarlet Course. Brigman finished at 10-under 274 and won by a str

<< Mets' Dickey departs start against Dodgers
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey left Sunday's start against Los Angeles in the sixth inning. Dickey landed awkwardly while delivering a pitch to Russell Martin but the veteran right-hander recovered t

<< Pettersson comes from behind for Canadian Open win
Etobicoke, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sweden's Carl Pettersson posted a three-under 67 on Sunday to come from behind and win the Canadian Open at St. George's Golf & Country Club. Pettersson finished at 14-under 266 and won by a singl

Helms' hit in 11th gives Marlins win over Braves >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wes Helms hit a run-scoring single in the bottom of the 11th inning, as the Florida Marlins edged the Atlanta Braves, 5-4, in the rubber match of a three-game series at Sun Life Stadium. Helms ended with two

Dawson, Herzog take their spots in Hall of Fame >>
Cooperstown, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andre Dawson became the second member of the Baseball Hall of Fame with a Montreal Expos cap on his plaque when he was inducted Sunday afternoon. Others joining the induction party were former manager White

Rodriguez leaves Sunday's game >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rodriguez left Sunday's game in the eighth inning after being hit in the top of the left hand by a pitch. Rodriguez, still seeking his 600th career home run, came to the plate with the bases loaded and one o

Twins put Hudson on DL >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Twins have placed second baseman Orlando Hudson on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain. The move is retroactive to July 24. The Twins will recall catcher Jose Mora

Brewers sweep Nats >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Casey McGehee hit a three-run homer and Rickie Weeks clubbed a two-run shot, as the Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the Washington Nationals with an 8-3 victory at Miller Park.

Football Betting Lines

The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.

Bet NFL Sports Lines

Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.

Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.

A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.

Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.

Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.

And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.

2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win

Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1

Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1

Donald Brown (IND) 5/1

Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1

Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1

Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1

Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1

Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1

Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1

Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1

Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1

Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1

Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1

Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1

Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1

Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1

Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1

LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1

Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1

Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1

Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1

Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1

Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1

Jason Smith (STL) 40/1

Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1

Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1

Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1

Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2

Pat White (MIA) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 9/1

Betting Line

To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.

For sports betting with credit cards site go to BettingExpress.com as well.

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.