MLB Betting Odds: Roy Oswalt, Astros Battle Reds
The Houston Astros will send their ace Roy Oswalt to the mound at Minute Maid Park tonight hoping to avoid being broomed at home by Bronson Arroyo and the Cincinnati Reds.
Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt spent the better part of three days earlier this week helping to clean up the mess left by the tornado that swept through his hometown of Weir, Miss., last Saturday. On Thursday he will try and clean up the mess left behind by Houston dropping the first two games of this series to the Reds.
Oswalt (2-2, 2.42) and Houston are favorites in the 160-170 range in the series finale against Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo (2-2, 7.44). The total opened at 7 ½.
After dropping the series opener on Tuesday, 6-2, the Astros' rally effort fell short for a 6-4 loss Wednesday. The win lifted the Reds into second in the NL Central at 10-11, four games behind St. Louis and down a unit at the window on the season. Houston dropped into the division's basement at 8-12, minus 2.2 units.
The 'over' nine cashed, just the sixth time in 20 Astros games that has happened, with two 'pushes.' The Reds stand 11-7-3 'over' on the year.
Arroyo had a strong season debut but has since messed his knickers with 18 earned runs crossing the plate in his last 15 innings of work. He can take some comfort in knowing he will be facing a Houston team he dominated in 2009. The Reds righty made three starts opposite the Astros, all of them Cincinnati wins. In 23 innings versus Houston, Arroyo allowed just five earned runs and only two homers. The long balls were back-to-back jacks by Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee in an April '09 assignment.
Berkman has had success when facing Arroyo, batting .298 (14-for-47) with five career knocks. Lee (13-for-38, .342, 1 HR) and Hunter Pence (9-24, .375) have also fared well.
Houston's ace has been a Reds assassin over his career, compiling a 23-1 lifetime record and 2.58 ERA against Cincinnati in 30 starts and a pair of relief outings. However, Oswalt recorded four no-decisions in 2009 versus Dusty Baker's bunch, thanks in part to the Astros' weak offense. The right-hander worked a total of 24 innings and allowed nine runs. Houston could manage to win just one of the games.
Mike Reilly, now in his 34th season, is scheduled to call the balls and strikes. In his five plate assignments in 2010, visitors are 3-2 and the 'over' is 4-1. With the total set at eight or lower, the 'over' is 3-1.
He worked one game that Oswalt pitched in 2009, an August battle at Wrigley Field that Houston won by a 5-3 count.
All signs point to the roof being open at Minute Maid Park for this one, though that could change. The expected afternoon high is in the low-to-mid 80s, and sunny skies will give way to a cloudy evening. It is going to be a windy day in the Houston area, however, with gusts over 40 mph in the afternoon. The winds should die down a bit, but are still listed at 15-25 mph out of the SSE in the evening (out to right-center).
NOTE: The W-L records shown for starting pitchers are their team's W-L mark when they started games in the 2010 season. Statistical sources for this article were Retrosheet.org, Baseball-Reference.com, ESPN.com and, of course, S-BEE-R-dot-com!
The Houston Astros will send their ace Roy Oswalt to the mound at Minute Maid Park tonight hoping to avoid being broomed at home by Bronson Arroyo and the Cincinnati Reds.
Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt spent the better part of three days earlier this week helping to clean up the mess left by the tornado that swept through his hometown of Weir, Miss., last Saturday. On Thursday he will try and clean up the mess left behind by Houston dropping the first two games of this series to the Reds.
Oswalt (2-2, 2.42) and Houston are favorites in the 160-170 range in the series finale against Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo (2-2, 7.44). The total opened at 7 ½.
After dropping the series opener on Tuesday, 6-2, the Astros' rally effort fell short for a 6-4 loss Wednesday. The win lifted the Reds into second in the NL Central at 10-11, four games behind St. Louis and down a unit at the window on the season. Houston dropped into the division's basement at 8-12, minus 2.2 units.
The 'over' nine cashed, just the sixth time in 20 Astros games that has happened, with two 'pushes.' The Reds stand 11-7-3 'over' on the year.
Arroyo had a strong season debut but has since messed his knickers with 18 earned runs crossing the plate in his last 15 innings of work. He can take some comfort in knowing he will be facing a Houston team he dominated in 2009. The Reds righty made three starts opposite the Astros, all of them Cincinnati wins. In 23 innings versus Houston, Arroyo allowed just five earned runs and only two homers. The long balls were back-to-back jacks by Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee in an April '09 assignment.
Berkman has had success when facing Arroyo, batting .298 (14-for-47) with five career knocks. Lee (13-for-38, .342, 1 HR) and Hunter Pence (9-24, .375) have also fared well.
Houston's ace has been a Reds assassin over his career, compiling a 23-1 lifetime record and 2.58 ERA against Cincinnati in 30 starts and a pair of relief outings. However, Oswalt recorded four no-decisions in 2009 versus Dusty Baker's bunch, thanks in part to the Astros' weak offense. The right-hander worked a total of 24 innings and allowed nine runs. Houston could manage to win just one of the games.
Mike Reilly, now in his 34th season, is scheduled to call the balls and strikes. In his five plate assignments in 2010, visitors are 3-2 and the 'over' is 4-1. With the total set at eight or lower, the 'over' is 3-1.
He worked one game that Oswalt pitched in 2009, an August battle at Wrigley Field that Houston won by a 5-3 count.
All signs point to the roof being open at Minute Maid Park for this one, though that could change. The expected afternoon high is in the low-to-mid 80s, and sunny skies will give way to a cloudy evening. It is going to be a windy day in the Houston area, however, with gusts over 40 mph in the afternoon. The winds should die down a bit, but are still listed at 15-25 mph out of the SSE in the evening (out to right-center).
NOTE: The W-L records shown for starting pitchers are their team's W-L mark when they started games in the 2010 season. Statistical sources for this article were Retrosheet.org, Baseball-Reference.com, ESPN.com and, of course, S-BEE-R-dot-com!
