Astros beat Cardinals in 10th; NL wild card chase still close

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09/27/2011 - Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros played spoiler Monday, denying the St. Louis Cardinals a chance at pulling even in the NL wild card race with a 5-4 win in 10 innings.

The Cardinals trailed the wild card leading Braves by one game coming into the season-ending three-game series. Atlanta lost to Philadelphia earlier in the night to open the door, but Brian Bogusevic slugged a pinch-hit double leading off the home 10th, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored the game- winner when Octavio Dotel (3-3) couldn't field Angel Sanchez's squeeze bunt cleanly.

Matt Downs hit a two-run homer for Houston, which had lost four of six coming in and was facing a team on a scorching 14-4 run.

The Cardinals only got four innings out of starter Jaime Garcia and will turn to Jake Westbrook in Tuesday's penultimate regular-season meeting.

St. Louis trailed by 10 1/2 games in the wild-card hunt this time last month, and continued its relentless play on Monday, only to fall short.

Albert Pujols, who struck out to leave the bases loaded in the fifth, started a tying rally in the eighth with a leadoff single. Fernando Rodriguez was pulled after walking Matt Holliday, and after a double steal, Lance Berkman greeted Wesley Wright with a two-run double off the left-field wall.

Enerio Del Rosario got out of the inning without further damage, keeping it 4-4. Mark Melancon (8-4) followed with two scoreless innings to earn the win.

With runners on second and third and two outs in the third, Holliday hit a sharp single to left that plated David Freese, though Pujols was easily thrown out at the plate by J.D. Martinez.

The Astros answered with two runs in their half, as Clint Barmes raced home on Wandy Rodriguez's sacrifice bunt and J.R. Towles scored on Jason Bourgeois' double to left field.

An inning later, Downs sent Garcia's 1-0 offering deep into left-field bleachers for a 4-1 cushion. Carlos Lee preceded the blast with a walk.

The Cardinals were poised for a big fifth by putting their first three hitters on base for the heart of their order, but they only managed one run on Freese's double-play grounder.

Game Notes

Martinez and Cardinals shortstop Rafael Furcal each left the game due to an injured leg...Rodriguez was charged with two runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings...Garcia gave up four hits and as many runs in his short start.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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