Astros head to Colorado hoping to continue strong stretch

Baseball Betting Lines

06/07/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Offense hasn't been the Houston Astros' strength this season, but they were able to swing the bats well over a recently-completed homestand.

That has Houston looking for a sixth victory in seven games this evening, when it begins a four-game series versus the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

The Astros head to Denver after a 5-2 homestand in which they scored five runs or more five times. Not bad for a club that ranks 28th in the majors with just 188 runs scored, ahead of only the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Houston capped its residency with a 6-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday in the rubber match of a three-game series. Carlos Lee highlighted a three-run first inning with a two-run homer, while Pedro Feliz knocked in a pair of runs during a three-run sixth.

"It was a good homestand for us," Lance Berkman told Houston's website. "If we want to get ourselves back to respectability, we have to capitalize on our home-field advantage, and we did that this homestand."

Starter Brett Myers backed the offense with 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball, striking out six batters. Matt Lindstrom closed things out with his 13th save of the season.

Houston will try to remain hot in the opener of a 10-game road trip, but the Astros are just 8-15 as the guest this year and have dropped nine of their last 11 on the road.

They did win two of three from the Rockies in their lone visit to Colorado last year and split a two-game series at home versus the Rockies from May 19-20. Overall, the Astros have won six of their last eight versus the Rockies.

Wandy Rodriguez will try to win consecutive outings for the first time this season after the Astros left-hander snapped a three-start losing streak Wednesday versus Washington. He held the Nationals to just a run on five hits and three walks over five innings, while striking out a season-high eight in his first victory since May 12.

Rodriguez improved to 3-7 with a 5.07 earned run average on the season, but the 31-year-old is a mere 1-4 with a 5.85 ERA in six road starts. In nine career starts versus the Rockies, Rodriguez is 4-2 with a 4.31 ERA.

Though the Astros have struggled on the road this year, the good news is that they'll miss Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez in this set after the righty picked up his major-league leading 11th victory in a 3-2 triumph over the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Jimenez ran his scoreless-innings streak to 33 straight frames before allowing a two-run homer to Conor Jackson in the eighth inning, but he still leads all of baseball with a 0.93 ERA and helped his club snap a three-game slide in Sunday's finale of a three-game series.

"It's obviously another unbelievable performance," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. "I don't have a lot of words to describe to you what this man is doing up to this point and time in the season."

Carlos Gonzalez drove in two runs while Troy Tulowitzki added a solo homer for the Rockies, who hope that Jason Hammel can turn in a third straight strong outing this evening.

The right-hander beat the Diamondbacks with 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball on May 27 and then limited the Giants to a run on seven hits without a walk over 6 2/3 innings on Tuesday. However, he got a no-decision in his team's 2-1 extra-inning victory.

Hammel is 2-3 with a 6.09 ERA this season, and the 27-year-old has split two career starts versus the Astros with a 2.19 ERA.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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