Posted on 4/30/2008 2:50:04 PM

MLB Baseball Betting - Detroit at N.Y. Yankees

By Charles Jay

BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: N.Y. Yankees -145, Detroit +125; Total 9.5 (-110 each way)

The New York Yankees (14-14) are enjoying some home cooking for a change, and on Wednesday night they'll try to stay home long enough to make up for last night's loss as they tackle the Detroit Tigers (12-15) in an American League game with the first pitch coming at 7:05 PM ET from Yankee Stadium in "the most beautiful borough in the world," the Bronx.

Veteran southpaw Andy Pettitte (3-2, 3.23 ERA) takes the mound for the Yankees, while right-hander Jeremy Bonderman (1-2, 4.28 ERA) will do the hurling for the Tigers.

At BetUS Sportsbook, New York is listed as a -145 favorite (Detroit +125), with a total of 9.5 runs (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)

* DET has won six of its last eight games

* DET has played its last four road games UNDER the total

* NY has lost four of its last six games

* NY has played seven of its last 11 games UNDER the total

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

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:

* DET has won four of the last five meetings

* NY has won three of the last four meetings as the home team

* NY has won 18 of the last 25 meetings as the home team

Andy Pettitte had an off-day last time around as he gave up four runs in five innings against the Cleveland Indians. Prior to that he had his best outing of the season as he blanked the Orioles over seven innings in a 7-1 Yankee victory. Not one of Pettitte's starts have gone over the total yet this season. Last season he faced Detroit just once, pitching five-hit ball over eight innings and giving up one earned run.

Bonderman's control has gotten the best of him, and that has been the case since the latter part of last season. In his last nine starts, he gave up 22 walks in 48 innings, and this season it's been worse, with 21 free passes allowed in 27 frames. Some of this could probably be attributed to an elbow ailment Bonderman has had since 2007. Has he recovered? It's hard to tell. He hasn't been hit particularly hard (4.28 ERA), but he has thrown just 58% strikes, which is significantly down from every other season of his career. And his 1.79 WHIP ratio is the highest he's ever had.

It's sometimes said that the first game back from a long road trip is the toughest. In the Yankees' case, multiply that a little; the Bombers had played 18 of their previous 20 games out on the road, because they were accommodating the Pope's New York visit, among other things. And event he two home games they played against Boston right in the middle of it seemed like road contests, according to some of the Yankee players, because they had come in and go out just as quickly. New York bats may not be so alive right now (13 runs in last four games), but the patient New York hitters could find Bonderman to their liking, as they did last August 25, when they roughed him up for seven runs in 5-2/3 innings.

We will go with the Yankees in this game and lay the -145 price as is posted in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: NEW YORK (-145)

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