Posted on 4/7/2008 4:49:19 PM

MLB Baseball Betting - Florida at Washington

By Charles Jay

BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: Washington -135, Florida +115, Total 8.5 (Over -120, Under - Even)

The Florida Marlins (3-3) will try to get over the .500 mark on Monday night when they visit the brand-new Nationals Park in the nation's capital (natural turf) to play the Washington Nationals (3-4) in NL action that is scheduled to get underway at 7:10 PM ET.

Southpaw Andrew Miller (0-1, 10.39 ERA), who had a very rough outing the first time out for Florida, gets another chance, while right-hander Tim Redding (1-0, 0.00 ERA), who was extremely impressive in his season debut, tries for a repeat performance for the Nats.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Washington is listed as a -135 favorite (Florida is +115), with a total of 8.5 runs (Over is -120, Under is even money).

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

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

* FLA has won eight of its last 12 games

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

* FLA has lost 16 of its last 22 road games

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

* WASH has lost four of its last five games

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

* WASH has lost four of its last six home games

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:

* WASH has won four of the last six meetings

* WASH has won the last five meetings as the home team

* The home team has won seven of the last eight meetings

* Fifteen of the last 20 meetings at Washington have gone OVER the total

There was never any question about Andrew Miller's stuff, but there were big questions as to whether he was ready to contribute on a regular basis to a major league rotation. Those flames were fanned to an extent last Wednesday, when he lasted only 4-1/3 innings, giving up five earned runs and eight hits in a 13-0 loss to the Mets. But Florida, low on starters, will keep going to the well with the guy they acquired from Detroit in the Dontrelle Willis-Miguel Cabrera trade.

Meanwhile, up the coast in Philadelphia on that very same Wednesday night, Tim Redding, whose ERA was a respectable 3.64 last year, continued to surprise the Nationals with a sizzling outing. He went seven innings and gave up just one hit and three walks to the potent Phillies lineup. And for a team that got only 43 wins out of its starting pitchers last year (third from the bottom in the majors), that was extremely welcome news.

In the early going, Washington, which was also last in the majors with 4.15 runs a game last season, is showing it can score more, as their average is up to five runs. Ryan Zimmerman has already hit a couple of game-winning homers, and the nationals' lineup in general should find more success in a ballpark that is tailored more toward offense than RFK Stadium.

Since Miller doesn't have very much of a track record, and the Marlins are missing a couple of key components to its batting order (Jeremy Hermida and Mike Rabelo), at this price it might be foolish not to want to take another look at Redding, just to see what he'll come up next. That means it's the Nats, the -135 favorite in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: WASHINGTON

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)