Posted on 4/4/2008 3:51:12 PM

MLB Baseball Betting - Pittsburgh at Florida

By Charles Jay

BetUS MLB betting odds: Florida -125, Pittsburgh +105, Total 9.5 (Under -115, Over -105)

The Pittsburgh Pirates (2-1) make a trip to South Florida on Friday to face off against the Florida Marlins (1-2), coming off a major humiliation, in a National League game that will begin at 7:10 PM ET at Dolphin Stadium in Miami.

Veteran righty Matt Morris gets the call for the Pirates, while young left-hander Scott Olson will start for the Marlins.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Florida is listed as a -125 favorite (Pittsburgh is +105), with a total of 9.5 runs (Under -115, Over -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)

* PITT has lost 14 of its last 18 games

* PITT has lost 10 of its last 12 road games

* FLA has won six of its last nine games

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

* FLA has won four of its last six home games

* FLA has played 14 of its last 21 home games OVER the total

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:

* PITT has won three of the last four meetings

* The home team has won four of the last six meetings

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

* Six of the last nine games in Miami have gone UNDER the total

Scott Olson has been somewhat erratic, on an off the field. the lanky (6'5") lefty has a lot of promise, and in fact impressed many with a 12-10 record and 4.04 ERA as a rookie. Last year, in the process of a 10-15 season, he had an awful WHIP (walks + hits per inning pitched) ratio of 1.76. And he gave up 66 more hits working less innings than he had the year before.

This spring Olson only worked twelve innings, and was dealing with shoulder tendonitis. If he stiffens up the Marlins will have to put their overworked bullpen (15-2/3 innings in their three games thus far) into action again.

Matt Morris, the former St. Louis ace, is loaded with question marks. one of those questions was why the Pirates, committed to a low salary structure, would take on his entire $10 million paycheck, which constitutes more than 20% of the team's total bankroll. He could be traded, but there wouldn't be any takers right now, not after Morris, who gave up 240 hits in 199 innings last year, endured an awful spring, yielding 45 hits and six homers in 24-2/3 innings, with a 2.06 WHIP and 8.08 ERA. opponents batted a robust .388 against him.

Florida went through an awful ordeal on Wednesday, shut out 13-0 by the Mets. Teams have a tendency to come back with a little bit of anger after a game like that, and it can manifest itself on the offensive end. Since neither of these hurlers has demonstrated any recent reliability, and we don't necessarily want to lay a price with the Marlins right now, we're moving with a total. And that is OVER the 9.5 runs as it is posted in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: OVER 9.5 (-105)

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)