Astros escape Pittsburgh with a win after holding off Pirates

Baseball Betting Lines

07/09/2008 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Geoff Blum hit a three-run home run, and the Houston Astros recovered from giving up a four-run lead to notch a 6-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates and avoid a three-game sweep at PNC Park.

Kaz Matsui, in his first game back after being placed on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, doubled twice and knocked in a run for the Astros, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Ty Wigginton and Michael Bourn each went 2-for-5 and scored a run.

Brian Moehler (5-4) allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings to pick up the win, while Jose Valverde notched his 23rd save.

Nate McLouth doubled three times and scored twice for the Pirates, who had won two straight. Adam LaRoche, Jason Bay, Ryan Doumit and Freddy Sanchez each knocked in a run.

Sean Burnett (0-1) allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings to take the loss in relief of John Van Benschoten, who was tagged for four runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 frames, walking six and striking out six.

The Astros opened up a 4-0 lead in the first, but the Pirates rallied to tie the game heading into the seventh.

Bourn led off with a single against Burnett, and after Brad Ausmus bunted him to second, Tyler Yates got the call from the bullpen. Pinch-hitter Mark Loretta then reached on a fielder's choice when Bourn beat out Doumit's throw to third, and Hunter Pence grounded out to plate Bourn with the go-ahead run. Matsui followed with an RBI double to right-center that gave Houston a two-run gap.

Chris Sampson worked a pair of scoreless innings before Valverde shut the door in the ninth.

After retiring the first two batters of the game, Van Benschoten put himself in trouble by plunking Lance Berkman and walking Carlos Lee before Blum golfed a low fastball into the seats in right for his sixth homer of the year. Wigginton and Bourn followed with singles to put runners at the corners, and Ausmus dumped a single in front of McLouth in center for a 4-0 lead.

Xavier Nady smashed a triple to right-center to lead off the second, then scored on LaRoche's groundout.

The Pirates continued to chip away in the third, as McLouth doubled, then scored on Doumit's single before Bay drove in Doumit with a double to left.

The Astros had runners at second and third with nobody out in the fifth after doubles by Jack Wilson and McLouth, and while Wilson was retired trying to score on a wild pitch, McLouth came in with the tying run on Sanchez's sacrifice fly.

Game Notes

The Astros won despite leaving 14 men on base and going 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position...To make room for Matsui, the Astros optioned pitcher Chad Reineke to Triple-A Round Rock...The Astros are off on Thursday and open a three-game set in Washington on Friday...Pittsburgh hosts the Yankees in a rescheduled game on Thursday before starting a weekend series with the Cardinals.

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Stanley Cup betting

New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.

The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.

MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.

Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.

Stanley Cup Odds    

 Ottawa Senators
Detroit Red Wings 
Carolina Hurricanes  
San Jose Sharks     
Anaheim Ducks    
Philadelphia Flyers 
Calgary Flames     
New Jersey Devils 
Buffalo Sabres   
Dallas Stars    
New York Rangers  
Nashville Predators  
Vancouver Canucks 
Colorado Avalanche  
Minnesota Wild    
Tampa Bay Lightning    
Boston Bruins    
Florida Panthers   
Montreal Canadiens   
Atlanta Thrashers 
Toronto Maple Leafs  
Edmonton Oilers      
Phoenix Coyotes    
Los Angeles Kings      
New York Islanders   
Columbus Blue Jackets  
St. Louis Blues      
Pittsburgh Penguins 
Washington Capitals   
Chicago Blackhawks    
7-1
10-1
10-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
12-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
25-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
80-1
80-1
100-1
100-1 

NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games 

Team     
Ottawa Senators      
Anaheim Ducks 
Detroit Red Wings   
Nashville Predators 
San Jose Sharks 
Calgary Flames     
Philadelphia Flyers    
New Jersey Devils     
Buffalo Sabres    
Carolina Hurricanes       
Dallas Stars          
New York Rangers   
Minnesota Wild     
Atlanta Thrashers     
Montreal Canadiens    
Team        
Los Angeles Kings           
Tampa Bay Lightening   
Vancouver Canucks 
Boston Bruins       
Colorado Avalanche 
Edmonton Oilers  
Phoenix Coyotes  
Toronto Maple Leafs   
Florida Panthers 
Columbus Blue Jackets   
New York Islanders   
Chicago Blackhawks  
St. Louis Blues  
Washington Capitals 
Pittsburgh Penguins  
Over/Under
108.5
106.5
104.5
104.5
103.5
101.5
100.5
99.5
97.5
97.5
97.5
95.5
94.5
93.5
92.5
Over/Under
91.5
91.5
91.5
89.5
89.5
88.5
88.5
86.5
84.5
82.5
80.5
72.5
72.5
72.5
71.5

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey sportsbook needs.