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MLB Odds & Picks: Los Angeles Dodgers at Houston Astros

Written April 23, 2009 by Jordan Haimowitz

dodgers-astros-predictions-042309 The Dodgers have the most impressive baseball team in my mind so far this season. They have a wonderful balance of speed, average and power in their lineup. While lead off man Rafael Furcal has struggled so far, just about everyone else has been sharp. Orlando Hudson was a bargain free agent this off season, who’s hitting .393 with two home runs and eight RBIs as well as swiping four bags. The combo outfielders of Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier have been nothing short of fantastic. Combined they have put up seven home runs and 30 RBIs. Kemp is hitting .392 and Ethier is hitting .286 from the plate. James Loney has also been swinging a good bat, and how can we leave out Manny Ramirez? Man Ram has started fast hitting three home runs while posting 10 RBIs and has a BA of .340. As good as their hitting has been, their pitching has been just as productive. The Dodgers have a team ERA of 3.54. Their rotation is filled with young studs. Perhaps the best of them all is tonight’s starter, young ace Chad Billingsley. The 25 year old right hander is 3-0 in his first three starts with a 2.84 ERA. He has also struck out 21 batters in 19 innings of work. Last season Billingsley went 1-1 in two starts posting a 2.77 ERA against the Astros. He held Houston to a .250 batting average as a team in those two starts combined. This is an easy one. Mr. Torre and crew will own this game. Looking the baseball lines for today’s game the LA Dodgers are -130 at Houston and the Over/Under is set at 8.5 runs.

The Houston Astros are coming off a comeback win against the LA Dodgers. They have now won two games in a row and look tonight to cap off the sweep of one of baseball’s best teams. This team consists of three players. Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence. That’s it. While Kaz Matsui is a decent player, Miguel Tejada has swung a nice bat, and Pudge might show some occasional signs of life, the Astros will rely on those three hitters to do all their damage. Berkman hit another homer last night in the eighth inning as he finally has his power stroke going, and Carlos Lee seems to be back in form as well. With that said, the true story of the Houston Astros so far is the emergence of Hunter Pence as one of the games bright stars. He is a potential 30-30 guy with great speed power combo and is a terrific fielder. Tonight’s starter, Wandy Rodriguez, has been tough as nails so far this year. Through his first three starts he is 1-1 with a 1.89 ERA. He has looked sharp with great control of his pitches. While he is a different pitcher this year, last season Wandy got rocked in his one start against the Dodgers, going 5 innings allowing 5 runs on 6 hits. He picked up a no decision in that game. Expect him to have an off night tonight as LA will not get swept. Look below.

Haimo’s Hot Notes: Let me start off by stating this game is similar to last nights Braves vs Nationals game. While I am not comparing the teams, I am comparing the situation. The much better team with their best pitcher on the mound. The Dodgers are 8-1 in their last nine games overall. LA is also 23-9 in their last 32 games when they are the favorite. The Astros are 4-11 in their last 15 games when they are the underdog. The UNDER is 20-7 in Houston over the past 27 games. The Dodgers are our BEST BET tonight, however, I am so sure of this that I am taking them -1.5 Runs (+130). Yes, yes I know, my motto is don’t be greedy, be cautious. But, what the heck, this game is too pretty to play easy. Let’s go for gold.

Jordan’s Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 Runs (+130)

Documented MLB Record:

25-11 OVERALL

9-3 BEST BET

A great bounce back night as we hit three of four including our BEST BET UNDERDOG SPECIAL. The Braves vs Nats game was nothing short of right on the money as both starters were superb as stated and both lineups struggled as predicted they would. The Tigers came through with a big offensive explosion just as I figured, with my predicted x-factor Magglio Ordonez going 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs. Our one loss came in the weakest pick of the night which was the UNDER 8.5 Runs in the Tigers/Angels game. Nonetheless, tonight is a new night and I feel great about the picks. I hope everybody cashed in on last nights profit, if not, let’s get cracking with Thursday night’s games.

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