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posted May 16, 2008 at 13:39 in MLB Articles

BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: Philadelphia -140, Toronto +120; Total 10

The Toronto Blue Jays (21-22), who have gone through drastic highs and lows this online betting season, will try to get back to the .500 mark on Friday night when they take on the Philadelphia Phillies (23-19) in an interleague sports betting contest that will begin at 7:05 PM ET at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Lefties take the mound against each other, as David Purcey (0-0, 2.08 ERA) of the Blue Jays opposes Jamie Moyer (2-3, 5.02 ERA) of the Phillies.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Philadelphia is listed as a -140 favorite (Toronto is +120), with a total of 10 runs (the Over is -115, while the Under is -105).

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

* TOR has won its last four games

* TOR has won five of its last eight road games

* TOR has played eight of its last 11 road games UNDER the total

* PHIL has lost three of its last five games

* PHIL has played four of its last six games OVER the total

* PHIL has won six of its last nine home games

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:

* PHIL has won three of the last four meetings

* PHIL has won three of the last five meetings as the home team

* Seven of the last nine meetings have gone UNDER the total

* Five of the last six meetings in Philadelphia have gone UNDER the total

Former University of Oklahoma pitcher David Purcey has hung around the minors for a few years. Last season he was shut down with an elbow problem. Previous to 2008, he had posted ERA's over 5.00 going back to Double-A. This year he redeemed himself with seven solid starts for the Jays' Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse, and he's had one start with the big club, on April 18, giving up one run in 4-1/3 innings against the Tigers, but walking seven. That brings back a problem that has plagued him for a while - a lack of control.

In contrast to Purcey, who's had one major league start, Jamie Moyer has started so many games (559) that he would never be able to remember them all. His last one was the worst this season, as he was touched up by the normally non-offensive San Francisco Giants for nine base hits and six runs in just four innings. But Moyer has bounced back nicely from other shaky outings he's had this season, and he's only walked 11 batters in 43 innings thus far.

Philadelphia got a shutout over Cole Hamels last night, and it would be a tall order for Moyer to duplicate that. But the Blue Jays have a lot of difficulty scoring runs (3.4 per game on the road, worst in the AL), so Moyer won't have a Murderer's Row to navigate through.

Jimmy Rollins, last year's MVP, was activated six days ago and immediately came in and hit a two-run homer, plus an RBI double, to spark a Philadelphia win over the Giants. Rollins' presence makes this Philly lineup more efficient.

We will lay this price with Philadelphia, the -140 favorite in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: PHILADELPHIA (-140)

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)