Posted on 4/10/2008 6:53:31 PM

MLB Baseball Betting - NY Yankees at Kansas City

By Charles Jay

BetUS MLB baseball sports betting odds: N.Y. Yankees -165, Kansas City +145, Total 9 (-110 each way)

The Kansas City Royals (6-2) will look to continue their momentum on Thursday night, when they play host to the struggling New York Yankees (4-5) in an American League contest that will see its first pitch at 8:10 PM ET at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City (natural turf).

Left-hander Andy Pettitte (0-1, 5.40 ERA) will start for the Yankees, while fellow southpaw John Bale (0-1, 5.69 ERA) will take the ball to the mound for the Royals.

At BetUS Sportsbook, New York is listed as a -165 favorite (Kansas City is +145), with a total of nine runs (you will lay -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)

* NY has lost five of its last seven road games

* NY has played eight of its last nine games UNDER the total

* KC has lost 10 of its last 16 home games

* KC has played six of its last seven games UNDER the total

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:

* NY has won six of the last eight meetings

* NY has won seven of the last ten meetings as the road team

* Seven of the last ten meetings have gone UNDER the total

The Yankees changed starting pitchers last night, scratching ian Kennedy because of the weather and inserting Brian Bruney into his first-ever starting assignment, Bruney pitched two solid innings, striking out four, and Kennedy came in to pitch well later. The problem with the Yanks wasn't their pitching, it was once again the offense, as they were shut out 4-0. It was the seventh time in nine games where this team scored three runs or less, and New York currently ranks one place from the bottom in the AL in scoring, with 2.8 runs a game.

Andy Pettitte is playing under that big mushroom cloud that is the steroid scandal. He was 15-9 with a 4.05 ERA a year ago, and was 11-3 after the All-Star break. He was only fair in his first start against Tampa Bay, surrendering ten runners in five innings. So slow starts are a concern.

John Bale was a relief pitcher last season, though he got some starting assignments while in Japan. He walked just one batter in 6-1/3 innings against Minnesota six days ago, and there is hope in the Royals camp that he can be a good fit in this rotation.

Considering that the Yanks can't seem to score, are still missing Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter from the lineup, and along with the Royals are trending toward low-scoring games (NY has played eight of last nine under, KC six of last seven under), it should be no surprise that we're on the total in this one. We'll lay -110 in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds and go UNDER nine runs in this game.

JAY'S PLAY: UNDER 9

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)