PLAYING THE PONIES
Fred Faour's selections for Saturday night at Sam Houston Race Park
Jan 20, 2018, 10:14 am
It's Day 2 of the Sam Houston Race Park thoroughbred meet with nine races tonight. Here are my selections for thres card. 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).
Friday night was a mixed bag. Not a lot of top picks winning but some decent long shots in our top four. Overall a C type of night. Like the card tonight so hopefully we will do better. Good luck.
FIRST
4-5-1-3
MEDIEVAL MEDICINE has had success over this surface in the past
SECOND
6-5-2-4
JILL'S FIREBIRD has been popular at the claim box and should fit here
THIRD
3-6-7-8
BETHYL'S ROYALROSE is back at a level where she could run her best
FOURTH
2-7-6-5
KINGS WISH comes off a nice score and could repeat
FIFTH
3-7-6-8
MONSTER might be able to get it done in this spot
SIXTH
4-1-3-5
AUDACIOUS ANGEL might bounce back here
SEVENTH
3-1-5-6
TE FITI should improve in start No. 2
EIGHTH
4-5-2-1
Venerable MAGNA BREEZE has been successful at this track
NINTH
5-9-11-1
MY GOLDEN AURA needs to improve but could surprise
The Houston Astros are looking to avoid an unexpected sweep Wednesday night as they wrap up their three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians at Daikin Park.
Winners of six of their last ten despite back-to-back losses, the Astros (55-37) turn to left-hander Brandon Walter (1-1, 4.15 ERA) to steady the ship and salvage the finale. Walter has been reliable in his recent outings, and he’ll face a Guardians lineup that has struggled to string together hits, batting just .204 over their last 10 games.
Cleveland (42-48) entered the series on a 10-game losing streak, but now has a chance to sweep the AL West leaders and take the season series. Slade Cecconi (3-4, 3.56 ERA) gets the start for the Guardians. The 26-year-old righty has kept his ERA under 4.00 this year and will look to neutralize a Houston offense that leads the American League in batting average at .260 and is hitting .295 over the last 10 games.
All eyes remain on Jose Altuve, who has driven in 16 runs and slugged four homers over his last 10 games. He’s been the heartbeat of the Houston offense, while Isaac Paredes continues to deliver steady power at the top of the lineup. The Astros have scored five or more runs in eight of their last ten games, but the bullpen faltered late in both of the first two games of this series.
Cleveland counters with the steady presence of Carlos Santana and the always-dangerous Jose Ramirez. Though Ramirez is just 6-for-38 in his last 10 games, he’s delivered key home runs in the series and remains the Guardians’ biggest threat.
With the season series now 3-2 in favor of Cleveland, Wednesday’s matchup carries added weight for the Astros as they look to regroup and avoid letting momentum slip further. First pitch is set for 8:10 p.m. ET.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -144, Guardians +121; over/under is 8 runs
Astros lineup for the finale
What stands out? First off, Jake Meyers returns to the lineup after missing a couple of games with a calf issue. With Meyers back in the two-spot, Cam Smith returns to hitting cleanup. Caratini is playing first base again and hitting fifth, followed by Yainer Diaz (C), Cooper Hummel (DH), Taylor Trammell (LF), and Mauricio Dubon (SS).
Image via: MLB.com/Screenshot.
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