PLAYING THE PONIES
Fred Faour's selections for Friday night at Sam Houston Race Park
Feb 2, 2018, 6:00 am
It's Friday night racing at the Sam Houston Race Park thoroughbred meet with eight races and .50 beer. Here are my selections. These are not meant to be in exact order, but merely the four horses I think have the best chance to win. For beginners, I suggest exacta boxes with three horses, using two of mine and one of your own. And you can always pick up a copy of Acing Racing 2016 to learn everything you need to know. (These are the picks and format that are available on the free tip sheet at SHRP). After a rough start to the meet, we have had a pretty good run over the last week and hope to continue it tonight.
FIRST
1-8-3-5
MIZZ CAT CS was a solid third in meet debut and should improve
SECOND
3-5-6-1
DARRYLSLITTLEENGINE takes a logical step up off a nice win
THIRD
2-4-3-5
TWO SIPS will be a short price but looks very tough
FOURTH
5-3-2-1
SUNRISE CONTESSA has been competitive on tough circuits
FIFTH
5-2-4-9
BLINGIN' ROSE is in a good spot to be competitive
SIXTH
2-3-5-6
FIFTEEN LOVE BACK was solid in debut and should improve
SEVENTH
7-8-4-5
I'M ALL EARS ships in from Remington and fits well here
EIGHTH
7-4-6-8
TROUBLED CHARLIE fits well here at a nice price
The Houston Astros host the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night looking to keep momentum rolling and hand the Jays their fifth straight loss. First pitch is set for 7:40 p.m. EDT at Daikin Park.
Both teams enter the matchup with nearly identical records—Houston at 12-11, Toronto at 12-12—but they’re trending in opposite directions. The Astros have won six of their last ten and boast an 8-6 record at home, while the Blue Jays have dropped four straight and are just 4-7 on the road.
Ryan Gusto gets the start for Houston, entering with a 2-1 record, a 3.18 ERA, and 17 strikeouts across three appearances. He’ll go up against Bowden Francis, who brings a 3.13 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP into the game, along with 20 strikeouts in his four starts.
Jeremy Peña continues to spark the Astros lineup with three homers and three doubles, while catcher Yainer Diaz has added timely hits despite a recent slump. For Toronto, George Springer leads the team with a .333 average, and Bo Bichette has been steady at the plate, going 14-for-45 over his last 10 games.
The Blue Jays have found success when they out-hit opponents, going 10-3 in those games—but Houston’s pitching staff has held opponents to just a 2.86 ERA over the past 10 outings.
The betting line has Toronto as slight road favorites at -120, with Houston at +100 and the over/under set at 8 runs.
Here's a look at tonight's lineup. Cam Smith gets the night off in right field, with Zach Dezenzo filling in. It appears Dezenzo's thumb is fine after banging it up sliding into second base a couple of night's ago.
Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.
Jake Myers is also getting the night off as Chas McCormick gets the start in center. And Mauricio Dubon is getting the nod, starting over Brendan Rodgers at second base.