Cubs hope to stay hot versus Astros

Baseball Betting Lines

07/19/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The confidence level in the Windy City has to be high after how easily the Chicago Cubs handled the two-time defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies this weekend at Wrigley Field.

Chicago's chances of keeping the spirits high just got a bit easier with the lowly Houston Astros in town Monday for the opener of a three-game series between NL Central inhabitants. The Cubs took three of four contests from the Phillies and are coming off Sunday's 11-6 beating behind big contributions from Alfonso Soriano and Geovany Soto.

Soriano and Soto both finished 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and three RBI off Phils ace Roy Halladay, while Derrek Lee drove in three runs for Chicago, which has won seven of its last 11 games and is 3-1 on a 10-game homestand. Tyler Colvin and Starlin Castro both had three hits in a winning cause.

"We swung the bats really well today off a good pitcher," Cubs manager Lou Piniella said on the team's site. "You put six runs on the board against Roy Halladay, and you have to feel good about your offense."

Tom Gorzelanny took the hill for the Cubs last night and evened his mark at 5-5 after holding the Phillies to three runs -- two earned -- on five hits and five walks over 6 2/3 innings.

The Cubs will attempt for more success tonight with Carlos Silva on the hill, but he's only 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA over his last six starts since opening the 2010 campaign 8-0 over his first 11 trips to the mound. Silva lasted just 1 1/3 innings his last time out on July 11 against the Los Angeles Dodgers and gave up six runs on six hits in a 7-0 loss.

Silva fell to 9-3 overall and raised his earned run average to 3.45. The righty will take on the Astros again this season and beat them on April 16 by allowing just two unearned runs over seven innings of a 7-2 victory. Silva is 2-0 with a 3.12 ERA in seven career games (2 starts) against Houston.

The Astros lost the last two portions of a three-game series at Pittsburgh and have dropped four of six games overall. In Sunday's 9-0 drubbing at PNC Park, Pirates starter Paul Maholm threw a three-hit shutout to stymie Houston's lineup.

Angel Sanchez had a team-high two hits and Chris Johnson recorded the other base hit for Houston, which lost starter Roy Oswalt to a left ankle issue after the right-hander was struck by a line drive. He lasted four innings and gave up two runs and seven hits with five strikeouts.

"I couldn't really finish pitches," Oswalt said on Houston's website. "Couldn't really get through pitches, and left two balls kind of spinning in the plate, and got a few hits."

Oswalt, who is probable for his next start, remains one win shy of Joe Niekro's franchise record 144 victories. The bullpen did no better in relief on Sunday, as Chris Sampson and Wilton Lopez both allowed two runs and Casey Daigle was reached for three more.

Wandy Rodriguez hopes to get a bit more support when he makes his 19th start of the season tonight. Rodriguez had a personal three-game winning streak stopped on July 11 in a 4-2 loss versus St. Louis, as he surrendered three runs on four hits in six innings of work.

Rodriguez, who is 2-6 in nine road starts this season, fell to 6-11 this season to go along with a 4.97 earned run average. He faced the Cubs in a 3-2 win on April 18, but did not figure into the decision after giving up two runs and six hits in seven innings. The lefty is 4-4 with a 3.74 ERA in 14 career starts against Chicago.

Houston has won four of six matchups with Chicago this season, one year after the Cubs took 11 of 17 matchups between the two clubs.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.