posted April 3, 2008 at 15:48 in MLB Betting Trends
Baseball Betting Tampa Bay at Baltimore
BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: Tampa Bay -120, Baltimore - Even, Total 10 (-110 each way)
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1-1) are looking to launch a real surprise this season in the American League East. They can contribute to that on Thursday night when they take on the Baltimore Orioles (1-1) in AL action that is set to get underway at 7:05 PM ET at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore.
Andy Sonnanstine gets the start for the Rays, while Steve Trachsel gets the call for Baltimore. It's a battle of right-handers.
At BetUS Sportsbook, Tampa Bay is listed as a -120 favorite (Baltimore is even money), with a total of 10 runs (you will lay -110 each way).
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 five of its last seven games
* TB has lost six of its last eight road games
* BALT has lost 19 of its last 25 home games
In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:
* TB has won six of the last eight meetings
* TB has won four of the last five meetings as the road team
* BALT has won 10 of the last 14 meetings as the home team
Baltimore exploded for four runs in the eighth inning to beat Tampa Bay on Wednesday night, and ex-Ray Aubrey Huff burned his former mates with a homer and four runs batted in. Steve Trachsel, the 37-year-old, went from Baltimore to the Cubs on August 31 and went 1-3 in the NL. Now he's back with the O's, who needed some backup in the starting rotation, having traded ace Erik Bedard.
Trachsel is an inconsistent performer, putting together a 1.6 WHIP over the last two seasons. Last year his strikeouts took a considerable dip (from 79 to 56 in a comparable number of innings) and he gave up eleven runs in 19 innings in his spring training "audition."
Sonnanstine had an excellent spring, like most of the Tampa Bay staff, and he pitched in both a starting and relief role. His WHIP was under the 1.00 mark, which obviously was outstanding, and Rays' brass hopes he can make some progress this year from last, when he was called up perhaps before he was ready. Sonnanstine wa 6-10 with a 5.86 ERA in 2007, and before that was blowing the ball by some hitters at Triple A Durham.
With someone so shopworn on the mound, it's hard to fashion a case for a Baltimore team that, despite last night's rally and win, hasn't developed very much of a home field edge (losing 19 of the last 25). And we are high on the Rays, at least to craft some improvement over last season. We will lay the -120 with Tampa Bay in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: TAMPA BAY
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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com touches all the bases as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)
