posted May 22, 2008 at 16:58 in MLB Free Picks

BetUS MLB baseball betting odds: N.Y. Mets -135, Atlanta +115; Total 7.5

The New York Mets (22-22) are trying to avoid the same fate as the crosstown Yankees. So they're going to fight like hell against the Atlanta Braves (25-21) to end a three-game losing streak. Thursday night's sports betting contest begins at 7:10 PM ET at Turner Field (natural turf) in Atlanta.

The Mets go with their left-handed ace, Johan Santana (5-2, 3.30 ERA), while Atlanta counters with right-hander Tim Hudson (6-3, 3.07 ERA).

At BetUS online sportsbook, the Mets are listed as a -135 sports gambling favorite (Atlanta is +115), with a total of 7.5 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:

* NY has lost five of its last seven games

* NY has played six of its last ten games OVER the total

* ATL has won five of its last six games

* ATL has won 12 of its last 13 home games

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

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

In the HEAD-TO-HEAD online betting trends:

* ATL has won six of the last eight meetings

* ATL has won the last five meetings as the home team

* Five of the last seven meetings have gone UNDER the total

* Three of the last four meetings in Atlanta have gone UNDER the total

With last night's defeat the Mets have now lost three in a row and have fallen 3.5 games behind the Marlins in the National League East race. they are in fourth place, four games behind third-place Philadelphia in the loss column. Atlanta, which has a 19-5 home record, best in the majors, are a game and a half behind Florida. And Chipper Jones hit his 12th homer last night; he is still hitting over .400 and is a bona fide MVP candidate.

This is a great matchup which pits two hurlers who may one day find themselves in Cooperstown. Santana has made three starts against the Braves, giving up a total of five earned runs. In nine starts this year he has surrendered more than three runs only twice. One of those outings was his last, as he went 7-2/3 innings against the Yankees and gave up four runs in a 7-4 win. The Mets have won his last six starts, and have scored 42 runs (seven per game) in those starts. Santana's career record to date is 98-46; his .681 winning percentage puts him eighth all-time among pitchers with at least 100 decisions.

But when you talk about winners, you're also talking about Tim Hudson, Atlanta's underrated righty who has a 141-73 lifetime mark; his .659 winning percentage currently ranks 19th on the all-time list. Hudson is looking to bounce back from a rough outing, as he gave up five runs in five innings to his former team (the Oakland A's) on May 17. But Hudson does not often struggle in consecutive starts, so one should expect something of a bounceback.

We all know how good Santana can be, but fundamentally speaking, if I can get the team that is on winning streak (four in a row) against a team on a losing streak, with a pitcher who wins at the rate Hudson does, with a lower ERA than his opponent, not to mention a team with the best home record in the game, AND I get this proposition as an underdog, that's the way I'm going. So we take the Braves, the +115 underdog in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: ATLANTA (+115)

Go to the BetUS sportsbook today and take a swing at Major League Baseball online betting. We have the most current baseball odds and lines, as well as player, game and series props throughout the MLB baseball season. To help you bet on sports, check out the Free Picks section of the Locker Room for sports betting free picks and predictions. Join BetUS to experience the best in online sports betting action!

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