Posted on 4/16/2008 4:40:48 PM

MLB Baseball Betting - Detroit at Cleveland

By Charles Jay

BetUS MLB betting odds: Cleveland -175, Detroit +155, Total 9.5 (-110 each way)

The Detroit Tigers (4-10) are still trying to climb out of the AL Central cellar. On Wednesday night they have a chance to pull even with the Cleveland Indians (5-9) when the two American League clubs get together at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Game time is 7:05 PM ET.

Last year's American League Cy Young winner, southpaw C.C. Sabathia (0-2, 11.57 ERA), goes for the Indians, with right-hander Armando Galarraga (0-0, 0.00 ERA) slated to start for the Tigers.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Cleveland is listed as a -175 favorite (Detroit is +155), with a total of 9.5 runs (you will lay -110 each way).

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

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

* DET has won three of its last five games

* DET has played its last three games OVER the total

* DET has lost six of its last eight home games

* DET has played four of its last five home games OVER the total

* CLEV has lost five of its last six games

* CLEV has won 15 of its last 23 home games

* CLEV has lost five of its last six home games

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

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:

* CLEV has won the last five meetings

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

* CLEV has won four of the last five meetings as the home team

* Six of the last nine meetings in Cleveland have gone OVER the total

C.C. Sabathia won the American League Cy Young award last year, going 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. But he has been batted around pretty good in the early going, allowing a whopping 33 base runners in just 14 innings. While his velocity is good (13 strikeouts), he's walked nine batters, and if he matches last year's total of 241 innings, he's on pace to give up 51 homers.

Galarraga makes his first start of the season. Last year he appeared in three games with the Rangers, walking seven hitters in 8-2/3 innings. he has not had much success with his control above the Double-A level (18 walks in 32-1/3 innings) so he looms as someone who may have been force-fed into the major leagues by virtue of Texas trying to get something out of their trade of Alfonso Soriano (with Washington).

Since it's almost impossible to tell what Sabathia is going to do, and we don't trust Galarraga at all, this one looks like we can get some value with an "over" play, since we only have to lay -110. After all, Detroit looks like it may have started to bring the bats around, with 17 runs over the last two games. So let's go OVER 9.5 runs in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: OVER 9.5 (-110)

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