Up to MLB Betting Trends

posted April 22, 2008 at 17:42 in MLB Betting Trends

BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: Arizona -240, San Francisco +200, Total 7.5 (Over -120, Under - Even)

The San Francisco Giants (8-12), who have been struggling to score runs, will take to the field on Tuesday night in an attempt to reverse that, but they will have a big chore ahead of them as they face the Arizona Diamondbacks (14-5) in a National League game that is slated to begin at 9:40 PM ET at Chase Field (natural turf) in Phoenix.

Left-hander Barry Zito (0-4, 4.50 ERA) takes the mound for the Giants, while righty Brandon Webb (4-0, 1.86 ERA) is the starter for Arizona, in a showdown between former Cy Young Award winners.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Arizona is listed as a -240 favorite (San Francisco is +200), with a total of 7.5 runs (Over is -120, Under is even money).

Here are some of the MLB Baseball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

(NOTE: These trends may also revert back to the 2007 season)

* SF has lost four of its last six games

* SF has played seven of its last 10 games OVER the total

* SF has lost 18 of its last 24 road games

* ARIZ has won five of its last six games

* ARIZ has played seven of its last ten games OVER the total

* ARIZ has won eight of its last ten home games

* ARIZ has played five of its last seven home games OVER the total

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:

* ARIZ has won five of the last six meetings

* Five of the last eight meetings have gone OVER the total

* ARIZ has won 10 of the last 12 meetings as the home team

Arizona, which has the best record in baseball at 14-5, also has the biggest lead of any first-place team, which is currently five games ahead of Colorado Rockies, heading up a list of four teams who are within a game and a half of each other.

Barry Zito had a poor season last year, posting a 4.53 ERA. And to be honest, he hasn't done anything that would justify his huge contract. Though poor run support has something to do with it, as the Giants have been outscored by a 24-3 count when he starts, Zito would simply be adequate for a team that could score some runs. But San Francisco is not showing any real signs of turning around offensively; averaging just over three runs a game, hitting .240 as a team and scoring three runs or less in five of the last six games.

Will that get it done against Brandon Webb? Well, the Arizona ace has had great outings all four times out of the gate, giving up just 15 hits in 29 innings, which is rather incredible. that's good for a 0.79 WHIP ratio, and he's gotten 57% of the batters he's faced to either strike out or ground out. The D-Backs have scored 5.6 runs a game for him, and average 6.3 per game.

Obviously they're going in a better direction than the Giants are. And San Francisco, we suspect, will continue to feel the effects of the absence of a guy like Barry Bonds in the middle of the order, who was on base all the time. Let's grab an available option in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds, which is to lay a run and a half with Arizona and lay -115. In the games they've won, the Diamondbacks have outscored their opponents by an average of almost five runs per game.

JAY'S PLAY: ARIZONA -1.5 runs (-115)

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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com touches all the bases as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)