Astros vie to continue mastery of Buccos

Baseball Betting Lines

07/17/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros can continue a season's worth of success against the Pittsburgh Pirates tonight, when the teams get together for the middle game of a three-game series at PNC Park.

Houston made it seven in a row against the Pirates in Friday's series opener, as Jeff Keppinger homered and drove in three runs to support 7 2/3 sturdy innings from Brett Myers in a 5-2 win.

Hunter Pence singled twice, scored two runs and walked, while Jason Bourgeois scored a pair of runs and swiped two bases for the Astros.

Myers (7-6) allowed two runs on five hits for Houston, which has won five of its last seven games.

He walked one and struck out four in extending his franchise record to 19 straight starts of six innings or more to open the season. Matt Lindstrom retired the side in order in the ninth to nail down his 22nd save of the season.

Zach Duke (3-9) suffered the loss in his first start since June 16, yielding a pair of runs on five hits over five frames, while fanning five for the Pirates, who have dropped seven straight overall.

Right-hander Bud Norris, who beat the Pirates in his lone matchup against them as a rookie last season, gets the call for the Astros Saturday.

The 25-year-old former sixth-round draft pick allowed six hits and a run in six innings against Pittsburgh in 2009, but has gone without a win this season since a 4-1 triumph in St. Louis on May 13.

In five starts since, he's 0-2 with three no-decisions, including an 8-0 loss to the Cardinals in his most recent outing on July 9.

In that game, Norris was touched for seven hits and five runs in 7 2/3 innings.

He is 2-2 in six road starts with a 4.76 earned run average.

For Pittsburgh, righty Ross Ohlendorf makes his ninth career appearance against the Astros while still searching for his first victory.

The 27-year-old Austin, Texas native was a hard-luck 2-0 loser to Houston in his last start on July 8, scattering seven hits and striking out five while his lifetime mark against the team fell to 0-6.

Ohlendorf scored his lone win of 2010 one start earlier, tossing seven scoreless innings in a 2-0 victory over Philadelphia on July 2.

The Princeton University product is 1-3 in seven starts at home, where he sports a 4.15 ERA in 39 innings.

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MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect

LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.

Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.

Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.

Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game

How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).

Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.

The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).

Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

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