posted May 21, 2008 at 17:52 in MLB Free Picks

BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: Chicago Cubs -115, Houston -105; Total 10

The Chicago Cubs (28-18) are finding themselves right where they want to be at this stage of the season. On Wednesday night they will continue to keep the Houston Astros (26-21) in their rearview mirror as the two teams tangle at 8:05 PM ET at Minute Maid Park.

Right-handers will go at it, as Sean Gallagher (1-0, 4.36 ERA) of the Cubs goes up against Shawn Chacon (0-0, 4.14 ERA) of the Astros.

At BetUS Sportsbook, Chicago is listed as a -115 favorite (Houston is -105), with a total of ten runs (-110 each way).

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

* CHI has won nine of its last 12 games

* CHI has lost four of its last six road games

* CHI has played five of its last eight games UNDER the total

* HOU has won 13 of its last 18 games

* HOU has won nine of its last 11 home games

* HOU has played its last four games UNDER the total

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD sports betting trends:

* CHI has won five of the last seven meetings

* CHI has won three of the last four meetings as the road team

* Seven of the last eight meetings have gone UNDER the total

The Cubs are leading the National League in scoring at 5.7 runs per game. They have outscored the opposition by an average of 1.6 runs per contest. As an underdog the Cubs have not played well, winning just four of 11 outings. But they have really shined in the favorite's role, with a 24-11 record. At present, Chicago is in first place in the Central division, three games ahead of St. Louis in the loss column.

Houston, which has won 13 of its last 18 games, has moved to the upper half of the Central, five games over the .500 mark and 2.5 games behind the Cubs. One of the reasons for that is that they are even at 14-14 on the road, while at home maintaining a mark of 12-7, which is solid if not spectacular. The MVP candidate in Houston's lineup is Lance Berkman, who is making his run at the Triple Crown with a .388 average, 16 homers and 44 RBI's. Berkman is batting an astronomical .443 at home, with a slugging average of .900.

Sean Gallagher will try to stop Berkman and the Astros. Gallagher had a nice outing last time, giving up just four hits and a run over six innings, as the Cubs outscored Pittsburgh 7-4. Shawn Chacon is going to try to rebound from being banged around by the Rangers five days ago, as Texas reached him for five runs and ten base runners in 3-1/3 innings. Chacon's last four starts have gone over the total.

What's interesting about this matchup is that even though, as we mentioned, the Cubs are scoring 5.7 runs per game, that figure dips to just 4.3 on the road, ranking them #10 in the National League. In fact, Chicago's inability to win consistently away from Wrigley Field (9-10) is what has prevented them from starting to pull away in the division.

We'll go with Houston as the -105 home underdog in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: HOUSTON (-105)

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