Posted on 4/24/2008 5:12:41 PM

MLB Online Baseball Betting Picks - Baltimore at Seattle

By Charles Jay

BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: Seattle -150, Baltimore +130, Total 9 (Under -115, Over -105)

The Seattle Mariners (11-11) will attempt to get over the .500 mark on Thursday night when they face off against the Baltimore Orioles (12-9), who would have to be considered a surprise of sorts, in an American League game that is set to begin at 10:10 PM ET at Safeco Field in Seattle (natural turf).

Seattle will send Jarrod Washburn (1-3, 4.13 ERA) to the mound against Adam Loewen (0-1, 6.32 ERA) in this battle between southpaw hurlers.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Seattle is listed as a -150 favorite (Baltimore is +130), with a total of nine runs (the Under is -115, with the Over at -105).

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

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

* BALT has won four of its last six games

* BALT has lost five of its last seven road games

* SEA has won five of its last eight games

* SEA has played its last four games UNDER the total

* SEA has won 11 of its last 15 home games

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:

* BALT has won five of the last six meetings

* The last four meetings have gone UNDER the total

The Mariners had high hopes that Erik Bedard, their ace acquired from the Orioles before the season, would be able to start this game after coming off the disabled list, but after going through an active bullpen session, he is slated to pitch against Oakland on Saturday instead. Seattle will turn to Jarrod Washburn, who has lost two starts in a row. Opposing teams are hitting .304 against Washburn this season, but the southpaw is exhibiting great control, walking just two of the 92 hitters he has faced.

That creates some separation between him and his left-handed counterpart. Adam Loewen, who has registered 11 strikeouts and 12 walks in 15-2/3 innings. Following a 2006 season in which he showed some promise, Loewen has not been able to keep the ball over the plate. He has walked 38 hitters in his last 46 innings, and is getting only 51% of his first pitches over for strikes. He has had elbow problems in the past, and it is said that he was rested for an extra couple of days (last start was eight days ago) so that he could work with the pitching coaches on his control. With a whopping 1.79 WHIP ratio, it's highly optimistic to think that problem is going to be solved easily. Loewen has a 7.36 lifetime ERA against the Mariners, and was reached for four runs and four hits in 4-2/3 innings by the M's on April 5.

We don't know where the technical trends lead us - Baltimore has won five of the last six meetings, but Seattle has won 11 of its last 15 at Safeco Field. But Baltimore is hitting something of a wall offensively, scoring six runs in the last three games. And Washburn is a guy who can go innings, so he keeps the ball out of the hands of a porous Seattle bullpen, which is last in the majors in ERA, until J.J. Putz, recently returned off the DL, can get it.

We'll go with a mild recommendation on the Mariners, the -150 favorite in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: SEATTLE (-150)

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