posted June 18, 2008 at 17:56 in MLB Betting Trends
MLB Baseball Betting Odds - Oakland at Arizona
BetUS MLB betting odds: Arizona -145, Oakland +125; Total 8
The Oakland Athletics (39-31) have been warming up just fine in the American League's West division. On Wednesday they will go up against one of their former aces when they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks (37-34) in an interleague game that is scheduled to start at 9:40 PM ET at Chase Field (natural turf) in Phoenix.
Right-handers take the hill, as former A's star Dan Haren (6-4, 3.41 ERA) of the D-Backs does battle with Oakland's Joe Blanton (3-9, 4.23 ERA).
At BetUS online sportsbook, Arizona is listed as a -145 sports wagering favorite (Oakland is +125), with a total of eight runs (the Over is -115, while the Under is -105).
Here are some of the MLB betting trends as they relate to this baseball wagering matchup:
* OAK has won five of its last six games
* OAK has won its last five road games
* ARIZ has lost four of its last six games
* ARIZ has lost seven of its last ten home games
In the HEAD-TO-HEAD online betting trends:
* Six of the last eight meetings have gone UNDER the total
* OAK has won six of the last seven meetings as the road team
* Five of the last seven meetings in Phoenix have gone UNDER the total
Well, it was kind of a laugher last night in Phoenix, as Mark Ellis hit a couple of homers and Brandon Webb was chased early in a 15-1 Oakland win. With the loss, Arizona is just three games over .500, which has to be a big disappointment after the NL West leaders got off to a dominant start. They are still only 4.5 games ahead of the Dodgers, who have been terrible lately.
Oakland climbed to eight games over the .500 mark, and the A's are just two games in back of the L.A. Angels in the loss column. Oakland is also one of just three American League teams who have won more games than they have lost on the road.
Justin Duchscherer pitched a great game for the A's last night, and tonight they go with Joe Blanton, who has not had an easy time of it this season despite not pitching badly most of the time. Blanton has given up less than four runs in nine of his 15 starts, but the A's have not done a good job in backing him up, scoring just one run in each of his last two outings. Six days ago in McAfee Coliseum, he surrendered four runs in 6-2/3 innings against the Yankees, as his team lost a 4-1 decision.
Dan Haren is well known to Oakland fans. He spent three seasons there, and broke out last season, compiling a 15-9 record and getting the start in the All-Star Game. His 3.07 ERA was third in the AL. He comes into this game with some sharpness in his last three starts, with a 2.25 ERA over that time. In his last two starts, he's walked just one batter and struck out 11.
Arizona will respond to the humiliation of last night's game behind Haren, who will put together an extra special effort against his former mates. We'll side with the D-Backs, the -145 favorite in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: ARIZONA (-145)
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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com touches all the bases as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)
