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posted April 2, 2008 at 16:03 in MLB Articles

BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: Tampa Bay -110, Baltimore -110, Total 9.5 (Under -115, Over -105)

The Tampa Bay Rays (1-0) try to get to a strange place on Wednesday night - undefeated in two games - when they take on the Baltimore Orioles (0-1) in an American league contest that gets underway at 7:05 PM ET at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

New acquisition Matt Garza gets the start for Tampa Bay, while big Daniel Cabrera takes the mound for the Orioles, in a battle of right-handed power-pitching prospects.

At BetUS Sportsbook, the game is pick'em (-110 each way), with a total of 9.5 runs (Under -115, Over -105).

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

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

* TB has lost nine of its last 13 games

* TB has lost five of its last seven road games

* BALT has lost five of its last seven games

* BALT has lost 19 of its last 24 home games

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:

* TB has won six of the last seven meetings

* TB has won four of the last five meetings as the visitor

* BALT has won nine of the last 13 meetings as the home team

Matt Garza came into the major leagues with a lot of promise. Last year with the Twins he was 5-7 with a 3.69 ERA and had some control issues, with 32 walks in 83 innings, essentially all after the All-Star break. He is highly-regarded enough that he was a cornerstone of the deal that sent budding slugger Delmon Young and infielder Brandon Harris to Minneapolis. Garza is known to have very good velocity, but can be vulnerable to left-handed hitters. How much exposure he'll be under is questionable, with Nick Markakis and former Ray (or Devil Ray, as it were) Aubrey Huff the only lefties in the lineup that can do real damage.

Baltimore's starter, Daniel Cabrera, is a 6'7", 260-pounder who led the majors in losses last year. he brings a lot of heat, and is considered to have a huge upside, but his issues with throwing strikes make Garza's look like child's play. Over the last two seasons, Cabrera has walked 212 batters in 352 innings. that's almost five and a half per nine-inning game. And Cabrera did not finish the 2007 season well, posting an 8.38 ERA in September.

The Orioles will have many questions in their bullpen for a while and their string of 19 losses in 24 home games sticks out like a sore thumb. Garza is probably at a more consistent stage of development that Cabrera right now, and we are going to continue to look for value out of the Tampa Bay team, which has an improved attitude. Let's take the Rays, at -110 in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: TAMPA BAY

Go to the BetUS sportsbook today and take a swing at Major League Baseball online betting. We have the most current baseball odds and lines, as well as player, game and series props throughout the MLB baseball season. To help you bet on sports, check out the Free Picks section of the Locker Room for sports betting free picks and predictions. Join BetUS to experience the best in online sports betting action!

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