Astros make first trip to Nationals Park

Baseball Betting Lines

07/11/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of last-place teams start up a three-game series tonight at Nationals Park, where the Houston Astros make their first appearance at the new venue to take on the struggling Washington Nationals.

Houston enters the nation's capital with a 42-50 overall record, the worst among National League Central clubs, and has lost seven of nine games to begin the month of July. Washington is in even worse shape, having compiled a poor 35-58 mark thus far, and heads into this set having dropped seven of its last eight matchups.

The Astros do come in on a positive note, however, as the team avoided a three-game sweep in Pittsburgh with Wednesday's 6-4 decision over the Pirates. Kaz Matsui, in his first game back from a stint on the disabled list, had an RBI double for Houston during a two-run seventh inning that snapped a 4-4 deadlock.

Geoff Blum belted a three-run homer in the first inning for the Astros, while both Ty Wigginton and Michael Bourn finished 2-for-5 with a run scored. Matsui, who had been sidelined with a strained right hamstring, also collected a pair of hits on the evening.

Brian Moehler (5-4) notched the win after working the first six innings and allowing four runs on seven hits. Chris Sampson followed with two scoreless frames in front of closer Jose Valverde, who shut the Pirates out in the ninth to record his 23rd save of the year.

Houston is 2-4 thus far on a nine-game road trip and 20-29 as the visitor this season.

The Astros hope to be buoyed by tonight's return of ace Roy Oswalt. The standout right-hander missed his last turn in the rotation due to a strained left hip and a nerve problem in his lower back, injuries that forced him to exit a June 30 start against Los Angeles after six innings.

Oswalt was terrific before leaving that game, as he limited the Dodgers to one run on six hits and racked up nine strikeouts to lead the Astros to a 4-1 win. The 30-year-old did throw a bullpen session on Tuesday and came through without any setbacks.

The three-time All-Star is 3-1 with a 2.63 earned run average in nine games (7 starts) against the Washington/Montreal franchise. Oswalt faced the Nationals in Houston on May 7 and permitted three runs while striking out nine in a seven-inning no-decision.

Oswalt will be opposed tonight by former teammate Tim Redding. The Washington right-hander began his pro career in the Houston organization and pitched four seasons with the Astros from 2001-04.

Redding is now in his second season with the Nationals and has posted a 6-3 record with a respectable 4.06 ERA through 19 starts this year. He has not received a decision in any of his last nine outings, but Washington has gone 7-2 in those nine Redding starts.

The 30-year-old pitched well enough to win this past Saturday in Cincinnati, where he held the Reds to one run on eight hits over six innings. It marked the third time in his last five starts that Redding has surrendered two runs or less.

Redding faced the Astros twice last season, producing a win and a loss while yielding just three runs over a span of 14 innings.

After snapping a six-game losing streak with Wednesday's 5-0 home win over Arizona, the Nationals failed to sustain the momentum in last night's series finale with the Diamondbacks. Stephen Drew hit a go-ahead RBI double in the top of the 11th inning and Arizona tacked on another run later in the frame to come away with a 7-5 decision.

Washington extended the game by scoring in both the bottom of the ninth and 10th innings. The Diamondbacks put up three runs in the top of the 10th to grab a 5-2 lead, but a Willie Harris single and Austin Kearns' two-run double drew the Nationals back even.

The Nats sent the game into extras when Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds misplayed a ball off the bat of Kearns, which allowed two runners to cross the plate.

Kearns ended with three RBI in the loss, while Nationals All-Star Cristian Guzman finished 3-for-5 with a run scored.

Luis Ayala (1-5) was dealt a defeat after giving up two runs on three hits in the top of the 11th. Washington starter Jason Bergmann permitted only two runs on six hits over the first seven innings.

Houston won two of three matchups with the Nats at Minute Maid Park back in May, but Washington is 9-4 in its last 13 clashes against the Astros. Houston has also lost five of its last six in D.C.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.