Basketball Betting

Astros send Myers to hill in St. Louis

Baseball Betting Lines

05/11/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The last time Brett Myers took the hill, he helped the Astros snap an eight-game losing streak.

Tonight, Myers will try to pitch Houston to consecutive wins for the first time in just over two weeks when his club kicks off a three-game series against the National League Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

Myers was the starting pitcher last Wednesday, when the Astros notched a 4-2 victory over the Diamondbacks to snap their season-high eight-game skid. Myers himself did not factor into the decision of the victory despite giving up just two runs on six hits and three walks over seven innings.

The right-hander has lasted at least six innings in each of his six starts this year, going 1-2 with a 3.60 earned run average.

"He wants to be in there. He wants to stay in the game, and he earned it [Wednesday]," manager Brad Mills told Houston's website.

Myers' record this year includes a defeat to the Cardinals on April 14. The 29-year-old took the loss even tough he gave up two runs, one earned, with a season-high seven strikeouts in seven innings of work. Myers fell to 4-3 with a 5.05 ERA in 14 lifetime games against St. Louis, 12 of those starts.

Myers will attempt to help the Astros to consecutive wins for the first time since a three-game win streak from April 23-25. Houston has won just twice in 13 games since, including Sunday's 4-3 triumph over San Diego on Sunday that snapped a three-game skid.

Houston tied the game in the bottom of the ninth thanks in part to a San Diego error, and a Padres miscue in the 11th allowed Hunter Pence to drive home the winning run. Pence ended with three hits and homered, while Carlos Lee also went deep.

Brad Penny beat Myers and the Astros back on April 14 and will try to do so again tonight. The right-hander yielded just one unearned run over seven frames, improving to 2-2 with a 4.54 ERA in six career starts versus the Astros.

The victory was the first for Penny in a Cardinals uniform and kick started a three-start win streak. However, the right-hander has lost back-to-back outings, going six innings and allowing three runs in each setback. Penny faced the Phillies in his last start on Wednesday and gave up two homers in a 4-0 setback, the first two long balls he has allowed this year.

"I thought Brad pitched pretty well," Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told St. Louis' website. "He gave up a couple of home runs."

On the season, Penny is 3-2 with a 1.99 ERA.

St. Louis was swept in that three-game set versus Philadelphia, but rebounded to take two of three from Pittsburgh. The Cards posted a rout in Sunday's rubber match, winning 11-4 behind three runs batted in from Yadier Molina.

Joe Mather and Ryan Ludwick both added two hits, two runs scored and an RBI, while Adam Wainwright allowed two runs over six innings.

"The offense that our team brought today was great," Wainwright said. "I really wasn't very good today, but my team played amazing."

St. Louis was without outfielder Matt Holliday for a second straight game due to a sore groin, but he could return tonight.

The Cardinals took two of three from the Astros from April 12-15 and have won 11 of the past 18 in the series.