posted May 5, 2008 at 15:07 EST in MLB Betting Trends

Texas Rangers @ Seattle Mariners

If the Texas Rangers are one of the worst teams in baseball, then the Seattle Mariners are one of the most disappointing stories. Both teams are tied for last in the American League West at 13-19.

The two teams open a three-game series, which figures to be in must-win territory for the Mariners if they have any plan.

Starting pitching hasn’t been the problem for Seattle and they will have the advantage in that area again in this series.

Kevin Millwood, Sidney Ponson and Vicente Padilla will start against Jared Washburn, Miguel Batista and Erik Bedard. The Mariners have called up a couple of youngsters in Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentien, which should help spark the order. If it doesn’t, heads are going to start rolling shortly in the Pacific Northwest.

Free Pick: Seattle

Philadelphia Phillies @ Arizona Diamondbacks

The long-awaited, hyped debut of Max Scherzer is finally here. After striking out seven batters and pitching a perfect 4.1 innings in his major league debut (in relief), Scherzer, a highly touted prospect, is ready to make his first career start on Monday night.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are already the best team in baseball but will be the team to beat if Scherzer can dominate throughout the season. With Dan Haren and Brandon Webb already, the Diamondbacks would boast the best starting rotation in the big leagues.

Philadelphia currently leads the NL East but are only 8-6 on the road. The Diamondbacks have are 12-5 at home.

The pitching matchup is somewhat equal. Jamie Moyer will face Scherzer on Monday, Adam Eaton and Randy Johnson will square off on Tuesday while Kyle Kendrick and Micah Owings will battle on Wednesday.

Free Pick: Arizona

New York Mets @ Los Angeles Dodgers

The New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers meet up at Chavez Ravine for a matchup that could easily be the one that decides the NL Pennant later on this year.

The Dodgers are battling it out with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the West while the Mets are battling it out with the Phillies in the East.

The Dodgers are red hot right now and have won eight of their last nine games. The Mets have won five of their last seven but on the year, they haven’t performed so well against teams with a winning record. They are 4-5 against teams above .500 while the Dodgers are 8-5 against teams with a winning record.

The reason to like the Dodgers in this series is the pitching matchups. Oliver Perez, Nelson Figueroa and John Maine will start for the Mets. Notice how that list does not include Johan Santana.

The Dodgers are 8-3 against lefties this year, which bodes well for them when they face Perez. They have Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Brad Penny lined up to pitch in this series.

Free Pick: Los Angeles

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