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posted July 4, 2008 at 15:16 in MLB Articles

BetUS MLB betting odds: N.Y. Mets -135, Philadelphia +115; Total 9

The New York Mets (42-43), coming off a huge win on Thursday, will try to get back to the .500 mark on Friday night when they visit the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia Phillies (47-39) in a National League game that is set to get underway at 7:05 PM ET at Citizens Bank Park (natural turf).

Southpaws take the July 4th stage, as two-time Cy Young winner Johan Santana of the Mets (7-7, 3.01 ERA) opposes J.A. Happ of the Phillies, who makes his first start of the season and hopes it is better than his outing last year against the New Yorkers.

At BetUS online sportsbook, New York is listed as a -135 sports wagering favorite (Philadelphia is +115), with a total of nine runs (the Over is -115, while the Under is -105).

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

* NY has won four of its last six road games

* NY has played its last three games OVER the total

* PHIL has won four of its last five games

* PHIL has lost its last five home games

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

* PHIL has played four of its last five home games UNDER the total

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD sports betting trends:

* NY has won four of the last five meetings

* PHIL has won 10 of the last 14 meetings

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

* PHIL has won six of the last eight meetings as the home team

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

The Mets really had a party on Thursday night, getting a two-run homer from Carlos Delgado and a nice pitching performance from Mike Pelfrey in blasting out the Cardinals by an 11-1 score. The Mets begin this series 4.5 games behind the Phillies, who completed a three-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night with a 4-1 victory behind the pitching of Cole Hamels, who went 8-2/3 innings.

New York likes to think they are putting their best foot forward with Johan Santana on Friday. Santana has been pretty consistent for the Mets, if not dominant. Last time out he gave up four hits and three runs in six innings against the Yankees six days ago. Santana has only a 7-7 record, and that's interesting, because after the Mets won nine of his first 12 starts, they have lost his last five outings, because they have managed to score ten runs in the process. With better luck, he might be on his way to 20 wins.

J.A. Happ makes his first start of the season for the Phillies in this game. Happ has made only one other major league appearance. That was last June 30 against the Mets, when he gave up five runs in seven innings, including three home runs. He came to Philly from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where has was 5-6 with a 3.54 ERA.

Philadelphia ranks second in the National League in scoring 5.1 runs per game, but the Mets have been breaking out the heavy lumber lately, tallying 25 runs in their last three contests. They may be poised to offer Santana some much-needed support. And speaking of support, we really can't give any to a rookie who has shown nothing in the majors, when measured against one of the better southpaws in the business.

We'll take the Mets on Friday night as the -135 favorite in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: N.Y. METS (-135)

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)