Posted on 4/3/2008 3:28:07 PM

MLB Baseball Betting - Houston at San Diego

By Charles Jay

BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: San Diego -140, Houston +120, Total 8.5 (Over -115, Under -105)

The Houston Astros (1-2) will try to get back to the .500 mark on Thursday afternoon against the San Diego Padres (2-1) when the two National League teams hook up for action at 3:35 PM ET on the natural turf of PETCO Park.

Right-hander Shawn Chacon will get the start for the Astros, while southpaw Randy Wolf takes the hill for the Padres.

At BetUS Sportsbook, San Diego is listed as a -140 favorite (Houston is +120), with a total of 8.5 runs (Over -115, Under -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)

* HOU has won six of its last nine games

* HOU has won four of its last six road games

* SD has lost four of its last six games

* SD has won 15 of its last 21 home games

* SD has lost four of its last six home games

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:

* SD has won three of the last four meetings

* The road team has won five of the last eight meetings

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

Shawn Chacon made only four starts last season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. One of those starts, however, was a very successful outing against San Diego, in which he held the Padres to just three hits and no runs in seven innings. In that game, Chacon blew the ball by ten batters. In spring training, opposing teams hit .271 against him and he compiled a 6.64 ERA. Lifetime against San Diego, he has a 2.68 ERA, but his experience for most of last season was in the bullpen, so he was an unexpected addition to the Houston rotation.

Randy Wolf has been limited by injuries for most of the last three seasons. He had been rehabilitating from shoulder problems in the off-season and went 0-3 in the spring, allowing 30 base runners in 17 innings. Wolf, who was 9-6 with a 1.45 WHIP ratio in 18 starts last season, is a big question mark, especially as he does rely on power (94 K's in 102-2/3 innings last year).

New manager Cecil Cooper was scratching his head as Houston had severe offensive troubles in the first two games of its season, scoring just one run. But yesterday they hit four home runs. if they are indeed over their offensive woes, they can supply enough pop so that Chacon does not have to have a repeat of his last start against San Diego to come away with a win.

We'll take a shot with the underdog here. That's Shawn Chacon and the Astros, the +125 dog in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: HOUSTON

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