Baseball Handicapping: Astros vs Padres

Courtesy of OddsShark.com: The Houston Astros and the San Diego Padres will both be trying to pick up a win on Thursday when they battle at PETCO Park. The Astros will pin their hopes on the pitching of righthander Brian Moehler in this game. Moehler has a 1-3 record and a 6.37 ERA this season. Moehler's opponent in this one will be Jon Garland. The Padres righthander has a 3.13 ERA to go along with a 8-5 record this season. Oddsmakers currently have the Padres listed as 240-moneyline favorites versus the Astros, while the game's total has not yet been posted. Wandy Rodriguez scattered seven hits and allowed just one run over seven innings on Wednesday, and the Astros defeated the Brewers 5-1. The Astros won that game as +135 underdogs, while the teams played UNDER the posted over/under (9) set by sportsbooks. Chris Johnson went 4-for-4 at the plate and drove in a pair of runs to lead the Astros. Scott Hairston drove in four runs and the Padres crushed the Rockies 13-3 on Wednesday, as -137 favorites. That game's 16 runs sailed OVER the posted over/under (6.5) set by sportsbooks. Clayton Richard tossed seven innings for the win, allowing five hits and two earned runs with 10 strikeouts. Team records: Houston: 31-48 SU San Diego: 46-32 SU Houston most recently: When playing on Thursday are 6-4 Before playing San Diego are 4-6 After playing Milwaukee are 3-7 After a win are 4-6 San Diego most recently: When playing on Thursday are 2-8 Before playing Houston are 5-5 After playing Colorado are 7-3 After a win are 5-5 A few trends to consider: The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston's last 7 games when playing San Diego The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Houston's last 14 games when playing on the road against San Diego Houston is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing San Diego Houston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against San Diego The total has gone UNDER in 6 of San Diego's last 7 games when playing Houston The total has gone UNDER in 12 of San Diego's last 14 games when playing at home against Houston San Diego is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games San Diego is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Houston Next up: San Diego home to Houston, Friday, July 2 Rest assured for those bettors who only purchase Stevie Vincent when he has Level 5 plays, you are doing yourself a gross disservice. Flat out his Level 2, 3 and 4 plays always have and always will win at a much higher rate than Game of the Month or Game of the Year plays elsewhere. He is part of OffshoreInsiders.com