Posted on
5/14/2008 6:15:31 PM
MLB Baseball Betting - Toronto at Minnesota
By Charles Jay
BetUS MLB betting odds: Toronto -135, Minnesota +115; Total 7.5 (-110 each way)
The Toronto Blue Jays (19-22), trying to break out of a slump, will go after their third straight victory on Wednesday night when they take on the Minnesota Twins (20-18) in American League action that is set to get underway at 8:10 PM ET at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.
Right-handers get the starting assignments, as Roy Halladay (3-5, 3.29 ERA), who is rounding into form, will take the mound for the Blue Jays, while Boof Bonser (2-4, 5.09 ERA) is the pitcher for the Twins.
At BetUS Sportsbook, Toronto is listed as a -135 favorite (Minnesota is +115), with a total of 7.5 runs (both the Over and Under are -110).
Here are some of the MLB Baseball betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
* TOR has lost four of its last six games
* TOR has played 13 of its last 17 games UNDER the total
* TOR has lost 10 of its last 14 road games
* TOR has played eight of its last ten road games UNDER the total
* MINN has won nine of its last 13 games
* MINN has won 10 of its last 12 home games
* MINN has played four of its last six home games OVER the total
In the HEAD-TO-HEAD MLB betting trends:
* TOR has won five of the last six meetings
* Three of the last five meetings have gone OVER the total
* Ten of the last 14 meetings in Minneapolis have gone UNDER the total
Toronto is in last place in the American League East, but they're only a half-game behind the Yankees and five games behind Tampa Bay. In this tightly-contested division they are certainly not out of it. Minnesota is a half-game ahead of Cleveland, in first place in the AL's Central.
The Blue Jays have come back from a four-game losing streak with two straight wins, but scoring runs remains a problem. Toronto has pushed only 19 runs across the plate in its last nine games, and 13 of their last 17 games have gone under the total. Roy Halladay takes the mound for the Blue Jays. In three of his last six starts he has allowed only one run. Last time out against the Indians he struck out nine Cleveland batters and yielded four runs in six innings.
Boof Bonser has been less reliable. The big right-hander gave up five runs in six innings to the Tigers on May 4, then came back five days later to surrender six runs in four frames against the Red Sox. The Twins actually won both of those games by scoring a lot of runs. Bonser's last start against the Blue Jays was rough, as he gave up five runs in six innings last June 27.
Halladay is the favorite, which is understandable. But Toronto is the second-lowest scoring team in the American League, and Minnesota is in first place only because it is very formidable at home (14-8 overall, and winners of ten of their last 12). We'll go with the home dog here - the Minnesota Twins - at +115 in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: MINNESOTA (+115)
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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com touches all the bases as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)