Pirates go with Maholm in finale vs. Astros

Baseball Betting Lines

07/18/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lefty Paul Maholm can establish a rarity for the 2010 Pittsburgh Pirates -- a win streak -- when they host the Houston Astros in the finale of a three-game weekend series today at PNC Park.

The Pirates had lost seven straight games around the All-Star break before Saturday night, when Neil Walker collected three hits, scored three times and knocked in a pair of runs as Pittsburgh pounded out 17 hits in a 12-6 win.

Jose Tabata and Lastings Milledge each had two hits and knocked in a pair of runs, while Garrett Jones, Pedro Alvarez, Erik Kratz and Ronny Cedeno also had two hits apiece.

Javier Lopez (2-1) earned the win by recording the final out in the fifth inning.

Brendan Donnelly, Evan Meek, Joel Hanrahan and Octavio Dotel then combined to retire the final 12 Houston hitters in succession to sew up Pittsburgh's first win over Houston in eight tries this season.

Bud Norris (2-7) took the loss after being charged with seven runs -- four earned -- on nine hits while walking two and striking out four over 4 2/3 innings for Houston, which has dropped three out of five.

Maholm, a product of Mississippi State University and a first-round draft pick (eighth overall) in 2003, is 8-5 lifetime against the Astros, but dropped a 4-3 decision in an April 23 matchup at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

In that game, he allowed six hits and two earned runs in seven innings, walking two batters and striking out three in his fourth start of the season.

He's won four of nine decisions in 14 outings since, including a 12-4 loss to Philadelphia on July 3 that was followed by seven strong innings - three hits, two runs - in a no-decision at Milwaukee six days later.

Maholm is 3-5 in eight home starts and the Pirates are 8-10 in games he's pitched.

For Houston, veteran ace Roy Oswalt looks for a second defeat of Pittsburgh in as many starts.

He beat the Pirates, 2-0, on July 8, going the distance while surrendering a single hit and striking out eight batters. It raised his lifetime mark against Pittsburgh to 15-7 and lowered his earned run average against the Buccos to 2.50.

Oswalt also downed the Pirates - and Maholm - in the aforementioned April 23 game, scattering four hits and allowing a pair of earned runs in seven innings.

The 32-year-old Mississippi native has allowed just 41 earned runs in 120 innings this season and is the subject of some trade talk now that the Astros have plunged out of contention in the National League's Central Division.

Houston is 7-11 in the games Oswalt has pitched.

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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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