Oswalt leaves early in Houston's win at Pittsburgh

Baseball Betting Lines

07/21/2007 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Lee's first-inning, two-run home run proved enough for Houston to edge Pittsburgh, 2-1, and prevent the struggling Pirates from getting their seventh straight win versus the Astros this year.

Chris Burke finished 2-for-4 and scored a run for the Astros, who have won two of three. Mark Loretta and Morgan Ensberg both added a pair of hits in the win.

Astros starting pitcher Roy Oswalt (9-6) left in the seventh inning with a chest injury. After he gave up a lead-off double to Ronny Paulino, Oswalt complained of chest discomfort to manager Phil Garner and a trainer. Oswalt had been performing well from the mound prior to the exit, and allowed one run on seven hits with four strikeouts.

Adam LaRoche and Paulino both had a pair of hits for the Pirates, who lost their seventh straight, coming into this series having been swept in three games at Atlanta and then in three games at home against Colorado.

Tom Gorzelanny (9-5), shooting for his fourth straight winning decision, allowed two runs on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts over seven innings for the Bucs.

In the ninth, Pittsburgh loaded the bases on Brad Lidge, who actually received a payoff from having them each occupied. Paulino singled and got replaced by pinch-runner Rajai Davis on the basepaths. Jack Wilson then bunted him over to second before pinch-hitter Xavier Nady walked and Nate McLouth got hit by a pitch with one out.

Lidge then struck out Matt Kata swinging, and Freddy Sanchez but the ball got away from catcher Brad Ausmus, who gathered it just in time to step on home plate for the game-ending forceout and Lidge's second save of the season.

Houston put up two runs in the first when Burke singled and scored on Lee's two-run shot to left field on a 3-1 pitch.

Pittsburgh got on the board with a run in the fourth, as Sanchez lined a lead- off double before Jason Bay singled him home.

Game Notes

The Pirates got their season off to a promising start when they swept the Astros in Houston from April 2-4 to open the season. The club then hosted Houston from April 24-26 and took all three games of that set as well. It was a quick turnaround for a Pirates team that lost 13 of the 16 games they played against the Astros last season. That included seven losses in 10 home games in 2006...Oswalt has 107 wins, tying him with J.R. Richard for fourth place on the club's list. He's 11-5 lifetime against Houston.

Wwwsportinglife Baseball Betting News

<< Mets' Valentin breaks tibia
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets second baseman Jose Valentin suffered a fractured right tibia when he fouled a ball off his leg in the fourth inning of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This is the secon

<< Dolphins' Porter fined by NFL
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter was fined three game checks by the NFL for his part in a Las Vegas scuffle with Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Levi Jones. Porter punched Jones on March 1

<< Heat extend Pfund
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat signed general manager Randy Pfund to an undisclosed contract extension on Friday. Miami posted a 44-38 mark last season, winning the Southeast Division title before losing to the Chicago Bulls

<< It was the Butler, with a bat at Comerica: Royals thump Tigers
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Billy Butler went 4-for-5 with four RBI as the Kansas City Royals pounded the Detroit Tigers, 10-2, in the opener of a three- game series at Comerica Park. Mark Grudzielanek also had four hits and scored four

<< Ogilvie leads U.S. Bank Championship
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Ogilvie fired a seven-under 63 Friday to take the lead after two rounds of the U.S. Bank Championship, the PGA Tour event playing opposite the British Open. Ogilvie was at 10-under 130, heading to th

Scherrer leads suspended Nationwide event >>
Springfield, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Forty players had still not teed off when the second round of the Nationwide Tour's Price Cutter Charity Championship was suspended Friday due to inclement weather. Tom Scherrer had a hole-in-one and

Nebraska WR Purify suspended for first game >>
Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nebraska wide receiver Maurice Purify was suspended for the season opener in light of his second arrest in a month span. Cornhuskers coach Bill Callahan met with the wide receiver on Friday and disc

Lofton leaves in third inning >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Rangers center fielder Kenny Lofton left Friday's game against Cleveland after fouling a pitch against his right foot in the third inning. Lofton then got replaced by Desi Relaford, who grounded into

O's activate Trachsel >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles activated pitcher Steve Trachsel from the 15-day disabled list, and he's slated to start Saturday's game against the Oakland Athletics. Trachsel has been on the DL since June 30 du

Packers CEO resigns >>
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers' executive committee accepted the resignation of chief executive owner John Jones Friday. Jones departs the organization after an eight-year career that began in Febr

Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.