Sanchez, Rodriguez help Astros blank Brewers

Baseball Betting Lines

07/31/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Angel Sanchez drove in two runs and Wandy Rodriguez tossed eight scoreless innings, as the Houston Astros dominated the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-0, in the second test of a three-game series at Minute Maid Park.

Rodriguez (9-11) allowed five hits, struck out nine and walked one to win his third straight start. The left-hander is 6-1 over his last seven starts, allowing one earned run or fewer in five of those games.

Chris Johnson, Jeff Keppinger, Jason Michaels, and Michael Bourn each had an RBI for the Astros, who have won four in a row. First baseman Brett Wallace went 0-for-4 in his MLB debut.

Earlier Saturday, Houston traded veteran first baseman Lance Berkman and cash to the New York Yankees in exchange for pitcher Mark Melancon and infielder Jimmy Paredes.

Dave Bush (5-9) got rocked in five frames, giving up six runs on 10 hits for the Brewers, who have dropped four straight games. The right-hander fell to 1-3 in his last four starts.

After the Brewers stranded runners on the corners in the top of the first, the Astros plated two runs in the home half. Bourn walked, stole second, and scored on Sanchez's base hit. Keppinger followed with a single to put men on first and second. Hunter Pence grounded out to move the runners up a base, and a Michaels sacrifice fly made it 2-0.

Houston got three more runs off Bush in the second to build a 5-0 lead. Johnson and Jason Castro started things with consecutive singles. Bourn hit an RBI double two batters later. Sanchez's RBI groundout and Keppinger's run- scoring single capped the scoring in the frame.

Johnson's RBI double in the fifth extended the Astros' margin to six.

Rodriguez retired nine straight batters before giving up a leadoff double to Ryan Braun in the seventh. Casey McGehee struck out and Jonathan Lucroy flied out in front of Alcides Escobar's walk. Carlos Gomez, though, struck out to end the threat.

Houston reliever Tim Byrdak loaded the bases with one out in the ninth. Nelson Figueroa then took over on the hill and struck out Escobar and pinch-hitter Joe Inglett.

Game Notes

The Astros lead the season series with the Brewers, 5-3...On Thursday, Houston acquired pitcher J.A. Happ and minor leaguers Jonathan Villar and Anthony Gose from the Phillies in exchange for pitcher Roy Oswalt. The Astros then made a second deal, sending Gose to Toronto for Wallace, who had his contract purchased from Triple-A Round Rock prior to Saturday's game. Houston also transferred pitcher Felipe Paulino from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list...Johnson extended his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest by an Astros rookie since Julio Lugo's 14-game run in 2000...Milwaukee lost 5-0 in the series opener on Friday and is 0-for-19 with runners in scoring position over the first two games of this set.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

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