posted May 6, 2008 at 17:46 in MLB Betting Trends

BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: Los Angeles -135, N.Y. Mets +115; Total 8.5 (Over -120, Under - Even)

The New York Mets (16-14) find themselves embroiled in a very tight National League East race, and on Tuesday night they will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (18-14), who are red-hot and making a bid to make the NL West very competitive. The game will start at 10:10 PM ET at Dodgers Stadium in Chavez Ravine.

Nelson Figueroa (2-1, 3.86 ERA), the right-hander who has been a surprisingly effective addition to the Mets' rotation, will get the start for New York, while Hiroki Kuroda (1-2, 3.82 ERA) is the starter for the Dodgers.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Los Angeles is listed as a -135 favorite (New York is +115), with a total of 8.5 runs (the Over is -120, while 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)

* NY has lost six of its last nine road games

* LA has won nine of its last ten games

* LA has won seven of its last eight home games

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD baseball betting trends:

* The last five meetings have gone UNDER the total

* NY has won five of the last eight meetings

* NY has won three of the last five meetings as the road team

With the injuries they have had in their starting rotation, namely to Pedro Martinez and El Duque Hernandez, the Mets needed some help. And general manager Omar Minaya pulled Nelson Figueroa out of the minors and put him into the big leagues for the first time in four years. The Coney Island native has responded well; the Mets have won three of his four starts, and he has surrendered two, two, three and three earned runs int hose outings, going a minimum of five innings each time. So he can eat some innings and keep his team in the game, and the best you can hope for from someone viewed as more or less of a stop-gap.

Thirty-three year-old Hiroki Kuroda came over from the Hiroshima Carp in Japan during the off-season, signing a contract that pays him almost $12 million a year. he hasn't been mowing down hitters with his fastball, as was hoped, but he's maintained decent control and has been blown out only once - by Colorado on April 25. he was strong five days ago against Florida, giving up five hits over seven innings, without walking anyone.

The Dodgers have been hot lately, winning nine of their last ten games, with five of those wins coming on the road. During this particular string, they have scored seven runs or more on six different occasions. Last night they got another strong outing from Chad Billingsley, who gave up one run in six innings. Everything seems to be working right now, although with a lineup that doesn't have any big power hitters in it (as long as Andruw Jones isn't producing anything), they'll have to continue to get strong pitching if they want to keep pace with Arizona.

Under the circumstances, this may not be a real stiff price to pay against a New York team that has not had a lot of success on the road (7-9). Let's go with a mild recommendation on Kuroda and the Dodgers, the -135 favorites in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: LOS ANGELES (-135)

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