Baseball, baseball and more baseball. You’ll be seeing a lot of it with football still a few months away.

The 2008 MLB baseball season continues to heat up as a significant piece of the TV audience starts to tune in and see what’s been happening on the diamond lately. Don’t worry, baseball is still the same as it always has been in the past, boring as hell.

And what’s better to kick off this article with the defending MLB World Series champions, Boston Red Sox? The champs have a three-game season series with the Houston Astros for the weekend. Let’s hope that we’ll be seeing a little excitement here and there.

Red Sox starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, a right hand pitcher with a 3.46 ERA, will kick off this three-game series against the Houston Astros. Matsuzaka came off the 15-day disabled list for his last start against the Cardinals, looking nothing like the 8-0 starter that mowed down opposing lineups before suffering a right rotator cuff strain on May 27.

You have to wonder how good will Matsuzaka be against the Astros this Friday.

For the Houston Astros, it will be Runelvys Hernandez taking over Shawn Chacon’s spot in the rotation to face the Red Sox at Minute Maid Park. The 30-year-old right-hander has a 6-3 record with a 3.72 ERA over 15 starts for the Triple-A Round Rock Express this year. Hernandez only allowed 35 earned runs over 84 2/3 innings. He has also issued 23 walks while striking out 63.

Runelvys Hernandez has made two career starts against the Red Sox, taking no-decisions in both. He has a 4.85 ERA over those two games, having allowed seven earned runs over 13 innings. His last outing versus Boston occurred on Aug. 10, 2006.

Boston’s Jon Lester will face-off with Houston’s Brandon Backe for Saturday’s game next on the mound.

Who will win the first of this three-game season series between the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros? Bodog sportsbook has the odds.

Boston Red Sox 1.62

Houston Astros 2.42

Want more odds? Visit Bodog for more baseball betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today’s biggest sporting events.

Houston Astros Boston Red Sox