HOUSTON ASTROS +110 ? It is not very often that you can get a team that is in the thick of the playoff hunt as a home underdog this time of year vs. an also-ran, but that is precisely the case here! The Astros begin the day 5 games behind division-leading St. Louis, and they know that they could ill-afford many more sloppy efforts such as last night?s 14-12 defeat at the hands of these Cubbies. Tonight they must face the Cubs young phenom Mark Prior. Bear in mind, however, that this is already Prior?s 5th start vs. the Astros this season, so he may not have as easy a time blowing away their lineup as he would facing other teams that haven?t seen him this much. In fact, probably the worst start of Prior?s young career came against Houston back in June, when he was torched for 7 earned runs and 10 Men on Base while surviving only 3.2 innings. Another concern here is that the Cubs as a team are only 2-4 in his 6 road starts. Yes, Carlos Hernandez has some ugly numbers overall, but remember that he was bothered by a sore shoulder earlier in the year, ultimately landing him on the Disabled List. In his first game back from the DL, he allowed just a solo home run in 2 innings while recording 2 strikeouts vs. the Astros, but he was then lifted after a long rain delay. More importantly, he has experienced no discomfort since that start, so he may finally be on the edge of a peak performance. The Cubs have already seen what a healthy Hernandez is capable of, as he shut them out over 7 innings while allowing only 3 hits on May 31. Considering that Houston has all the motivation in this game, I feel that they will find a way to win at this nice price.
Kron