Astros try to remain hot in Chicago

Baseball Betting Lines

09/06/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Recently red-hot lefty Wandy Rodriguez and his similarly streaking Houston teammates try to make it three straight wins when the Astros head to Wrigley Field today for the first of three consecutive games with the host Chicago Cubs.

A 31-year-old Dominican, Rodriguez was 6-11 on the season after a 4-2 loss to St. Louis on July 11, but has since won five of seven decisions over nine starts while lowering his earned run average more than a run, from 4.97 to 3.71.

The first start in that stretch came against the Cubs on July 19, when Rodriguez allowed eight hits and five runs in six innings to get the win in Houston's 11-5 rout at Wrigley. The victory moved him to 5-4 in 15 lifetime starts against Chicago.

The Astros come into this series after winning two of three against Arizona and five of six overall. Hunter Pence's three-run home run in the first inning stood up as the deciding hit as Houston won, 3-2, over the Diamondbacks Sunday at Chase Field.

Pence finished 2-for-4 and Jeff Keppinger added a hit and a run scored for the Astros.

J.A. Happ (6-2) continued his fine pitching since being acquired from Philadelphia, as he yielded two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out seven over seven frames to grab the win. Astros closer Brandon Lyon worked around a one-out double in the ninth to register his 13th save.

The Cubs counter Rodriguez with rookie right-hander Casey Coleman, a 2008 draft pick who'll start for the fourth time in his eighth major-league appearance.

The Fort Myers, FL native, a product of the fledgling program at Florida Gulf Coast University, debuted in the majors with 2 1/2 innings of relief against Milwaukee on Aug. 2. He made all seven career appearances in the month, including a 9-1 win at Washington on Aug. 23 in which he allowed three hits and a run in 6 1/3 innings.

One start since yielded a no-decision in Cincinnati, where Coleman allowed eight hits and four runs in six innings of the Cubs' 7-5 loss on Aug. 29

In 25 overall innings, Coleman has given up 27 hits and 16 runs. He has never faced the Astros.

The Cubs will be trying to bounce back from Sunday's lopsided loss to the Mets, in which Ike Davis finished a triple shy of the cycle, drove in three runs and scored three times as New York Mets dominated Chicago, 18-5, at Wrigley.

Aramis Ramirez hit a two-run homer and knocked in a total of three runs for Chicago, which saw a three-game win streak come to an end. Geovany Soto also homered in the loss.

Cubs starter Ryan Dempster (12-10) got rocked over 4 2/3 frames, giving up seven runs -- three earned -- on nine hits to suffer his second straight loss. He fanned five batters and walked four.

Houston has got the better of the Cubs for much of this season, having taken eight of 12 previous meetings between the clubs in 2010. The Astros have won four of the six matchups held at Wrigley Field as well.

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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.