First-place Dodgers begin road swing in Houston

Baseball Betting Lines

07/23/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been struggling as of late, will try to stay atop the NL West standings when they open a three-game series against the Houston Astros this evening at Minute Maid Park.

The Dodgers are only a game ahead of the San Diego Padres in the division standings, but just lost three of four games to the New York Mets. In Sunday's 5-4, 10-inning loss at Dodger Stadium, Chip Ambres hit a two-out RBI single in the extra frame to lift the Mets to victory.

Nomar Garciaparra hit a two-run homer while Rafael Furcal and James Loney each had an RBI for Los Angeles. Eric Stults started for the Dodgers and allowed two runs and five hits over 5 1/3 innings in a no decision.

Reliever D.J. Houlton was saddled with the loss after giving up the go-ahead run in the 10th.

Chad Billingsley gets the call tonight for the Dodgers and is 6-0 with a 3.56 ERA in 29 games (six starts) this season. In his last outing on Wednesday against Philadelphia, Billingsley did not factor in the outcome of a 5-4 victory after yielding four runs in five innings.

The right-hander, who is 4-0 in 16 games (three starts) on the road this season, has never faced Houston in his career.

Houston has alternated wins and losses over its last six games and posted a 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in Sunday's finale of a three-game series at PNC Park.

Luke Scott singled home the only run of the game in the sixth inning and Astros starter Woody Williams pitched eight innings of five-hit ball for the win. Williams surrendered five hits, struck out three batters and did not issue a walk.

Brad Lidge preserved the shutout with a scoreless ninth for his third save.

Brad Ausmus had two hits for the Astros, who won a road series for the first time since June 8-10 against the Chicago White Sox and concluded a nine-game road trip with a 3-6 record.

Houston, which is 13 games off the lead in the NL Central standings, will hand the ball to Chris Sampson in Monday's series opener. Sampson is 7-6 with a 4.15 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) this season and won his last outing on Tuesday against Washington.

Sampson was reached for two runs and six hits over six innings during a 4-2 triumph at RFK Stadium in his last start. The right-hander will pitch against Los Angeles for the first time in his career tonight.

Los Angeles and Houston are meeting for the first time since splitting six encounters during the 2006 campaign. The Astros went 4-2 against LA in 2005.

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