Up to MLB Betting Trends

posted July 1, 2008 at 15:13 in MLB Betting Trends

BetUS MLB betting odds: Florida -140, Washington +20; Total 9.5

The Florida Marlins (43-39) will go after their third sports wagering victory in a row on Tuesday night when they take on the Washington Nationals (33-51) in a National League encounter that is set to get underway at 7:10 PM ET on the natural turf of Dolphin Stadium just outside Miami.

Right-hander Collin Balester will make his major league debut for the Nats, while the Marlins counter with southpaw Mark Hendrickson (7-6, 5.94 ERA).

At BetUS online sportsbook, Florida is listed as a -140 baseball gambling favorite (Washington is +120), with a total of 9.5 runs (the Under is -125, while the Over is +105).

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

* WASH has lost nine of its last 13 games

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

* WASH has lost four of its last five road games

* FLA has won three of its last four games

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD sports betting trends:

* FLA has won the last six meetings

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

* FLA has won five of the last six meetings as the home team

After winning three of four games, the Nationals slipped back to misery on Monday night as they lost a 6-5 decision to the Marlins, as Josh Willingham hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth. That spoiled home runs by Dimitri Young and Elijah Dukes for Washington. Florida is a half-game behind Philadelphia in the NL East, while Washington, sitting 11.5 games behind, is simply struggling for respectability.

And there was even worse news for the Nats on Monday, as closer Chad Cordero was diagnosed with a tear in his right labrum and is out for the year. manager Manny Acta found out about the diagnosis right before the start of the game, which made the whole thing a bad day.

The Nationals recently purchased the contract of Balester, who was 9-3 with a 4.00 ERA at Triple-A Columbus. He was a fourth-round draft pick in 2004 and participated in the 2007 Futures Game as part of the All-Star festivities in San Francisco.

Hendrickson turned in a strong performance against the Marlins on April 10, yielding only three hits and one run over seven innings. Hendrickson, the tall lefty who used to play basketball with the Sixers and Kings, rebounded well after a rough Opening Day start. But over the last month or so, he's been less effective, compiling a 9.96 ERA over his last six outings.

Is that enough for a recommendation on Florida? We're not sure about that one. But the total looks somewhat appetizing. After all, Hendrickson does not have especially good form, there is a raw rookie making his first start, and the bullpen for Washington has thinned out. We'll go OVER the 9.5 runs as it is posted in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: OVER 9.5 (+105)

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