posted May 13, 2008 at 13:34 in MLB Betting Trends

BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: Philadelphia -140, Atlanta +120; Total 10 (Over -115, Under -105)

Two teams chasing the top in the National League East will get together on Tuesday night for some sports betting action when the Philadelphia Phillies (21-18) play host to the Atlanta Braves (19-18) in an NL online betting contest that gets underway at 7:05 PM ET at Citizens Bank Park (natural turf) in the City of Brotherly Love.

Southpaw Jo-Jo Reyes (1-0, 2.25 ERA) gets the start for the Braves, while right-hander Kyle Kendrick (2-2, 4.93 ERA) takes the hill for Philadelphia.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Philadelphia is listed as a -140 online betting favorite (Atlanta is +120), with a total of ten runs (the Over is -115, while the Under is -105).

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

* ATL has won seven of its last ten games

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

* ATL has lost seven of its last eight road games

* ATL has played five of its last six road games UNDER the total

* PHIL has lost four of its last six games

* PHIL has won five of its last seven home games

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:

* PHIL has won eight of the last 12 meetings

* PHIL has won four of the last six meetings as the home team

* Three of the last five meetings in Philadelphia have gone OVER the total

Atlanta is second in the league in base hits per game (9.9) and they strike out less than anyone else in the NL. So this is an efficient hitting team. Yet the Braves have had a heck of a time putting together wins on the road, compiling a 5-14 record. Last night brought a better result, as Tim Hudson pitched two-hit ball over seven innings to lead the Braves to an 8-1 victory, which broke a three-game losing streak.

Hudson is doing very well, but John Smoltz is on the disabled list, and Mike Hampton is not available yet. So it's Jo-Jo Reyes, who has been pretty solid, giving up two runs in eight innings. Last year he had a 6.22 ERA in ten starts before being sent down to the Triple-A level. But in his last five starts, he's 3-0 with a 2.88 ERA. And lefties have hit just .119 against him in is brief big league career. Reyes had to leave his last start with a blister on his left index finger, but that problem has been corrected.

Kyle Kendrick has given up three earned runs in each of his last three starts and has walked only one batter in those three starts. The Phillies have won the last four times he's taken the mound, and last time, even though he surrendered ten hits in six innings against Arizona, Philadelphia prevailed by a 5-4 count.

Some of the Phillies' key hitters are slumping, however. Pat Burrell isn't hitting at all right now after a hot start; Ryan Howard hasn't been productive at the plate all season, and Chase Utley, who is tied for the National League lead in home runs with 13, hasn't hit a round-tripper in his last eight games.

In this one, we're going to side with the Braves, the +120 underdog in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: ATLANTA (+120)

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