Posted on
4/17/2008 3:17:57 PM
MLB Baseball Betting - Washington at N.Y. Mets
By Charles Jay
BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: N.Y. Mets -190, Washington +160, Total 9 (Over -120, Under - Even)
The Washington Nationals (4-11), who are really dragging right now, are desperate to get back on the winning track in Thursday night's matchup against the New York Mets (7-6) as the two NL teams meet up in a game that is scheduled to begin at 7:10 PM ET at Shea Stadium in Queens.
Left-hander John Lannan (0-2, 6.75 ERA) will get the start for the Nats, while the Mets will go with righty Nelson Figueroa (1-0, 3.00 ERA).
At BetUS Sportsbook, the Mets are listed as a -190 favorite (Washington is +160), with a total of nine runs (the Over is -120, the Under is even money).
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)
* WASH has lost 11 of its last 12 games
* WASH has played five of its last six games UNDER the total
* WASH has lost its last six road games
* WASH has played its last three road games UNDER the total
* NY has won five of its last seven games
* NY has won five of its last seven home games
* NY has lost 12 of its last 18 home games
In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:
* WASH has won five of the last eight meetings
* Eight of the last ten meetings have gone OVER the total
* Three of the last five games in New York have gone OVER the total
It can't really get much worse for the Washington Nationals, who have scored just 12 runs in the last six games. Last night Carlos Beltran hit a three-run homer to beat them, and the Nats got just two hits in the first six innings.
Right now Washington is hitting .227 as a team, which of course is the worst in all of baseball. And young power hitter Ryan Zimmerman, who started quickly with game-winning homers in two of the team's first three games, is batting .053 with men in scoring position. The Nationals have been in winning situations so infrequently that closer Chad Cordero has hardly had an opportunity to work. When he finally made a token appearance in last night's game, he threw a 76 mph fastball with his first pitch. He is of little use to Washington at the moment.
New York is a game and a half out of first place in the NL East, trailing the surprising Florida Marlins. But at least the Mets have been able to put some offense together, as they are scoring 5.3 runs a game, which is third in the league.
On Thursday they will once again send Nelson Figueroa to the mound. Figueroa is something of a reclamation project of Mets GM Omar Minaya, who brought him back to the majors after a four-year hiatus, partly due to the injuries to Pedro Martinez and El Duque Hernandez.. The Coney Island native made an emotional return before family and friends six days ago, giving up just two runs in six innings against the Brewers in a winning effort.
Figueroa, who retired the first 14 Milwaukee hitters he faced in his comeback start, may become one of the true "feel-good" stories of the year. And how much of a chance does Washington really have to win games right now? Let's lay the -190 with New York, the favorite in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: NEW YORK (-190)
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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com touches all the bases as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)