MLB Mon, Aug 8, 2005
Sharp ‘baffled’ why Nats are favored Tuesday
Josh Hansen
They’re not playing the Atlanta Braves. Nor are the Yankees in town. But somehow, some way, the Houston Astros, one of the league’s top home teams, opened as a +105 underdog for today’s game against the dried up Washington Nationals.
“Basically, it`s all about the pitching in this case,” Bodog.com linesmaker Todd Allen said. “[John] Patterson is 5-3 with an ERA of 2.42 and can be dominant while [Ezequiel] Astacio is 2-4 with a 6.33 ERA. This is Astacio`s first year and taking it on the chin.”
Still, backing the Astros at home has been a gold mine for bettors and an easy target for sharps this season. Houston has suffered just 15 losses at Minute Maid Park, tying them with the Atlanta Braves as baseball’s top home team.
That is, until you look at the 17.04 units Houston has stuffed into the mouths of their home supporters. The majority of the credit goes to an impressive July tear Houston went on in July, which included a 12-2 home record.
Sure they’ve settled down since the calendar rolled to August, posting a 3-3 record. But all six of those games were on the road where the Astros own one of baseball’s worst records.
“Sometimes a line just jumps out at you and completely baffles you,” says Covers Expert Matt Fargo, who admits he was caught off guard by the price.
“But the books know more than we do, so that’s why we don’t win all the time.”
The Washington Nationals know all about that. Once the league’s hottest teams, Washington has cooled off like an Antarctic breeze. With just six wins since the All-Star break and the league`s worst offense, Washington has spiraled into third place in the National League East – a division they owned for the majority of the season.
“Houston is on a bit of a winning streak so I can see the line moving a little in their favor,” added Allen. “And Washington is on a losing streak at the moment. However I do not expect any big line moves.”
Fargo doesn`t mind.
“Absolutely, these are two teams heading in opposite directions."
The total opened at eight runs.
Sharp ‘baffled’ why Nats are favored Tuesday
Josh Hansen
They’re not playing the Atlanta Braves. Nor are the Yankees in town. But somehow, some way, the Houston Astros, one of the league’s top home teams, opened as a +105 underdog for today’s game against the dried up Washington Nationals.
“Basically, it`s all about the pitching in this case,” Bodog.com linesmaker Todd Allen said. “[John] Patterson is 5-3 with an ERA of 2.42 and can be dominant while [Ezequiel] Astacio is 2-4 with a 6.33 ERA. This is Astacio`s first year and taking it on the chin.”
Still, backing the Astros at home has been a gold mine for bettors and an easy target for sharps this season. Houston has suffered just 15 losses at Minute Maid Park, tying them with the Atlanta Braves as baseball’s top home team.
That is, until you look at the 17.04 units Houston has stuffed into the mouths of their home supporters. The majority of the credit goes to an impressive July tear Houston went on in July, which included a 12-2 home record.
Sure they’ve settled down since the calendar rolled to August, posting a 3-3 record. But all six of those games were on the road where the Astros own one of baseball’s worst records.
“Sometimes a line just jumps out at you and completely baffles you,” says Covers Expert Matt Fargo, who admits he was caught off guard by the price.
“But the books know more than we do, so that’s why we don’t win all the time.”
The Washington Nationals know all about that. Once the league’s hottest teams, Washington has cooled off like an Antarctic breeze. With just six wins since the All-Star break and the league`s worst offense, Washington has spiraled into third place in the National League East – a division they owned for the majority of the season.
“Houston is on a bit of a winning streak so I can see the line moving a little in their favor,” added Allen. “And Washington is on a losing streak at the moment. However I do not expect any big line moves.”
Fargo doesn`t mind.
“Absolutely, these are two teams heading in opposite directions."
The total opened at eight runs.