Baseball Bets – Braves Show Up in AZ for Chance to Upset D’Backs

The Atlanta Braves show up in Arizona tonight to take on the Diamondbacks as the underdog baseball bet in the MLB sportsbook.

The Braves have lost 2 out of their last 3 games, but that’s still not a good enough reason to make them the underdogs in this game.

Atlanta has also won 20 out of their last 26 games. That makes them one of the hottest teams in MLB.

The D’Backs are favored because they send pitcher Dan Haren to the mound. Haren hasn’t been his usually dominating self in 2010.

His record is only 5 and 4 and his ERA of 4.83 and WHIP of 1.32 just isn’t very special. In his last start, Haren gave up no runs and only 7 hits in 8 innings of work.

Airzona upset the Los Angeles Dodgers 1 to 0 in that game. That has to be the reason he’s the favorite here.

Can Haren put together another solid effort or will the Braves discover their winning ways again?

Atlanta Braves vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

• Where: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
• When: June 7th, 2010 at 9:40 pm EST
• TV: Atlanta – SPSO
  Arizona – FS-A
• Radio: Atlanta – None
  Arizona – KTAR 620 and KSUN 1400

MLB Betting Odds

Atlanta Braves / Derek Lowe – R +110

Arizona Diamondbacks / Dan Haren – R -130

The MLB betting trends that standout to me favor the Atlanta Braves in this game.

• The Atlanta Braves are 9 and 1 in their last 11 games on the road versus a right-handed starter.
• The Atlanta Braves are 8 and 2 in Derek Lowe’s last 10 starts versus a team with a losing record.
• The Arizona Diamondbacks are 1 and 9 in their last 10 games after a loss.
• The Arizona Diamondbacks are 1 and 4 in Dan Haren’s last 5 starts.

I’m confused as to why the D’Backs are favored in this game. Haren was fantastic in his last start, but he’s 1 and 3 with a 6.00 ERA in his last 5 starts overall. The last time Dan Haren faced the Braves, Atlanta torched him for 7 runs in only 4 1/3rd innings. Haren’s gone 1 and 2 with a 7.13 ERA in his last 3 starts against Atlanta.

The Braves counter Haren with Derek Lowe who has been close to brilliant lately. Lowe is 4 and 1 with a 2.45 ERA in his past 5 starts. He’s won his last 3 starts and he’s only given up 1 run in each of his last 2 games.

To me, this is an easy call. The team going off at the better baseball betting odds is also the team with the hot pitcher and hot batting line-up. The favored team sends a pitcher to the mound that just hasn’t had a lot of success lately.

I’m going with Lowe and the Braves to beat Arizona in this game. All of the signs point to Haren regressing off of that terrific performance against the Dodgers in his last.

Atlanta is the team to bet in the MLB sporstsbook.

MLB Betting Pick: Atlanta Braves +110