OK, this is my highest rated play since the White Sox defeated the Indians 5-4 on May 26. I like this play a lot and so I'm going to play it much higher than normal. Whether it pans out for me, who knows. I'm hopeful it works out!
Houston Astros -1.5 +175
Houston Astros ML -120
First, let's get a few things out of the way. The Astros have not won consecutive games in three weeks, and they haven't won consecutive home games since early May. There have been all sorts of reasons for the Astros' inconsistencies this season. Early on, they had the worst hitting in the league. Lately, the bullpen has been a complete disaster. The Astros blew a save last night before winning (luckily) in the 9th. Bottom line: the Astros have been unable to put it all together at once, and that's why they are 18-34 and dead last in the National League.
But, I really think the Astros are going to start turning a corner. The reason for that is because I think their offense comes to life behind Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee, their big boppers who have struggled all year. I don't care who your offense is, if your 3 and 4 hitters aren't producing you are going to struggle to win games. A few weeks ago, the Cubs had seven hitters batting .300 or above. But guess what: Derrek Lee was batting .210 and Aramis Ramirez was batting .170. Ramirez is down to .162 now, and the Cubs offense continues to sputter. The Cubs are five games below .500.
Carlos Lee has three multi-hit games in his last six with three doubles, and has hits in five of his last six. He's 6 of 12 with a HR against John Lannan.
Lance Berkman has raised his batting average from .220 to .241 over his last 10 games and has three multi-hit games with a HR and 9 RBI. He also has 10 walks, an indication that he's starting to see the ball better after being in the .100s for much of the early season. Berkman went 3 for 5 with 5 RBI last night and is 5 of 9 lifetime against John Lannan. Berkman is a streaky hitter, especially at Minute Maid Park.
Lannan has a 4.91 ERA in four career starts against the Astros, and has more walks (9) than strikeouts (7). He's only lasted 22 innings in those four starts, meaning he's not even getting through the sixth on average. He's 2-2 with a 5.01 ERA on the season and has put together three GREAT starts in a row -- allowing 2 runs, 1 run and 1 run. With a 5.08 road ERA, I'm willing to bet he can't do it again, and I think he comes back to reality tonight.
Several Astros hit him well:
--Berkman 5 of 9
--Lee 6 of 12
--Feliz 7 of 17
--Pence 4 of 10
--Keppinger 4 of 11
--Blum 2 of 3
On the other side, Wandy Rodriguez has a 5.37 ERA, but he's not as bad as his numbers indicate. He gave up 8 runs in his last start at Cincy, and his ERA went from 4.30 to 5.37. And, well, you know ... the more I look at Wandy (career 5.55 ERA against the Nationals), the more I find it difficult to get behind Houston tonight.
hno:
I am still going to make a play on the Astros, but it will be smaller.
:lolBIG: :lolBIG:
Houston Astros -1.5 +175
Houston Astros ML -120
First, let's get a few things out of the way. The Astros have not won consecutive games in three weeks, and they haven't won consecutive home games since early May. There have been all sorts of reasons for the Astros' inconsistencies this season. Early on, they had the worst hitting in the league. Lately, the bullpen has been a complete disaster. The Astros blew a save last night before winning (luckily) in the 9th. Bottom line: the Astros have been unable to put it all together at once, and that's why they are 18-34 and dead last in the National League.
But, I really think the Astros are going to start turning a corner. The reason for that is because I think their offense comes to life behind Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee, their big boppers who have struggled all year. I don't care who your offense is, if your 3 and 4 hitters aren't producing you are going to struggle to win games. A few weeks ago, the Cubs had seven hitters batting .300 or above. But guess what: Derrek Lee was batting .210 and Aramis Ramirez was batting .170. Ramirez is down to .162 now, and the Cubs offense continues to sputter. The Cubs are five games below .500.
Carlos Lee has three multi-hit games in his last six with three doubles, and has hits in five of his last six. He's 6 of 12 with a HR against John Lannan.
Lance Berkman has raised his batting average from .220 to .241 over his last 10 games and has three multi-hit games with a HR and 9 RBI. He also has 10 walks, an indication that he's starting to see the ball better after being in the .100s for much of the early season. Berkman went 3 for 5 with 5 RBI last night and is 5 of 9 lifetime against John Lannan. Berkman is a streaky hitter, especially at Minute Maid Park.
Lannan has a 4.91 ERA in four career starts against the Astros, and has more walks (9) than strikeouts (7). He's only lasted 22 innings in those four starts, meaning he's not even getting through the sixth on average. He's 2-2 with a 5.01 ERA on the season and has put together three GREAT starts in a row -- allowing 2 runs, 1 run and 1 run. With a 5.08 road ERA, I'm willing to bet he can't do it again, and I think he comes back to reality tonight.
Several Astros hit him well:
--Berkman 5 of 9
--Lee 6 of 12
--Feliz 7 of 17
--Pence 4 of 10
--Keppinger 4 of 11
--Blum 2 of 3
On the other side, Wandy Rodriguez has a 5.37 ERA, but he's not as bad as his numbers indicate. He gave up 8 runs in his last start at Cincy, and his ERA went from 4.30 to 5.37. And, well, you know ... the more I look at Wandy (career 5.55 ERA against the Nationals), the more I find it difficult to get behind Houston tonight.
hno:I am still going to make a play on the Astros, but it will be smaller.
:lolBIG: :lolBIG:
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