Posted on 4/30/2008 5:38:25 PM

MLB Baseball Online Betting - L.A. Dodgers at Florida

By Charles Jay

BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: Pick'em (-110 each way); total 8.5 (-110 each way)

New manager Joe Torre and the Los Angeles Dodgers (13-13) will try to make it two in a row on Wednesday night when they tackle the feisty Florida Marlins (15-11) in a National League game that is scheduled to begin at 7:10 PM ET at Dolphin Stadium (natural turf) in Miami.

Right-hander Chad Billingsley (0-4, 6.87 ERA) looks for his first win of the season for the Dodgers, while the Marlins send Scott Olsen (3-0, 2.06 ERA) to the hill.

At BetUS Sportsbook, the game is listed as a Pick'em (-110 each way), with a total of 8.5 runs (-110 each way).

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

(NOTE: These trends may also revert back to the 2007 season)

* LA has won five of its last six games

* LA has played five of its last six games OVER the total

* LA has lost seven of its last nine road games

* LA has played five of its last seven road games UNDER the total

* FLA has won six of its last ten games

* FLA has played five of its last seven games UNDER the total

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:

* FLA has won three of the last five meetings

* Five of the last seven meetings have gone OVER the total

* LA has won six of the last eight meetings as the road team

* Six of the last ten meetings in Miami have gone UNDER the total

Scott Olsen has in the recent past had difficulties with teammates, managers, fans, and in general his own immaturity. He likes to think he has put some of those off-the-field problems behind him, and so far in 2008 he is showing himself to be a poor man's Randy Johnson, allowing the opposition to hit just .187 against him (7th best in the big leagues). Last time out he shut out the Milwaukee Brewers over 7-1/3 innings and has allowed just 23 hits over 35 innings. That figure of 5.91 hits per nine innings in sixth best in all of the majors. Olsen has surrendered just one earned run in his last three starts.

Los Angeles will put its best foot forward. The Dodgers are batting .272 against left-handed pitchers this season. Chad Billingsley gets the start. He took a 19-9 career record into this game, but has not been able to get completely over his control problems, as he's walked 12 batters in 18-1/3 innings. And only an April 13 game against San Diego (one run in five frames) can be considered anything of quality.

Meanwhile, Florida's bullpen has been outstanding, with a 6-2 record and 2.81 ERA through Monday's action. So Olsen, who would like to make up for a forgettable outings against L.A. last July, when he opened the floodgates for five hits and three runs in one inning of work, will have some backup in that regard.

We're going to stick with Olsen here, and go with Florida at the Pick'em (-110) price in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: FLORIDA (-110)

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)