Howard, Phillies rally past winless Astros

Baseball Betting Lines

04/10/2010 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Howard belted the go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, leading the hot-hitting Philadelphia Phillies to a 9-6 decision over the winless Houston Astros.

Shane Victorino also had a two-run homer and three RBI, and Jayson Werth drove in three runs for the Phillies, who have grabbed the opening two contests of this three-game set. It also assured the Phillies of winning a series at Minute Maid Park for the first time since 2006, when they swept a three-game set, September 15-17.

The Phillies have double-digit hits in each of their first five games, tying the club record from 1926. They have 63 hits thus far this season.

It was an up-and-down contest for Phillies starter Jamie Moyer (1-0), who was charged with nine hits and five runs over six innings. The 47-year-old Moyer, who started his 24th major league season, retired the first eight batters he faced before seeing eight straight men reach base in the third when Houston scored five times to grab its first lead of the season.

The Phillies, though, rallied and won for the fourth time, while preventing Houston manager Brad Mills from posting his first victory.

Jason Michaels had a two-run homer and ended with three RBI, while Hunter Pence also drilled a two-run shot for Houston. The Astros are 0-5 for the first time since 1983, when they started the season at 0-9. Houston finished that season 85-77.

Felipe Paulino gave up four hits and four runs over five innings in the start for the Astros.

Brandon Lyon (0-1) retired the first two batters of the seventh inning, but Chase Utley walked. Howard then smashed a 2-1 pitch 434 feet, off the facade beyond the wall in left-center field for his third homer of the season and a 6-5 Phillies lead.

Werth and Raul Ibanez singled to put runners at the corners, and Victorino made it 7-5 with an RBI ground single to right field.

Victorino homered to right with Werth on base in the eighth. The hit came off Matt Lindstrom.

Michaels singled in Michael Bourn in the bottom of the ninth.

Howard's first time up, leading off the second inning, he hit a ball off the wall in left. The ball caromed off the shoulder of Carlos Lee and Howard ended up with a triple. Werth followed with a sacrifice fly to left-center.

The Phillies tacked on three more runs in the next inning. Howard walked on a high and outside pitch with the bases full and two outs. Werth then doubled to left field.

Moyer was cruising until the third when Paulino doubled to start Houston's big parade to the plate. Michaels then homered to left on a first pitch. Jeff Keppinger walked on four pitches and Pence hammered a ball over the wall in left to tie the game. Singles from Lee, Pedro Feliz and Chris Johnson loaded the bases, and Tommy Manzella hit a ball on a short-hop off the glove of third baseman Placido Polanco, giving Houston a 5-4 edge.

Manzella flied out in the fifth, leaving runners at the corners.

Game Notes

Each team had 11 hits...This was the 100th start in a Phillies uniform for Moyer, who became just the eighth starting pitcher in MLB history to start a game in four different decades. The seven previous pitchers to do so were Mike Morgan (1978-2001), Nolan Ryan (1966-1993), Jerry Reuss (1969-1990), Jim Kaat (1959-1982), Early Wynn (1939-1963), Bobo Newsom (1929-1953) and Jack Quinn (1909-1931)...Sunday will mark the battle of the Roys as Roy Halladay pitches for the Phillies against Roy Oswalt...The teams wore uniforms similar to those during the 1965 season...Pence has nine homers and 19 RBI in 19 career games against the Phillies.

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Betting Football

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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.