Bet on Baseball – Take the A’s Over the Tribe

MLB betting teams wage war with one another on Friday night for the first game in a weekend series between the Cleveland Indians and the Oakland Athletics.

The Tribe picked up their first road win since April 8th on Thursday night at Target Field, where they outdueled the Twins 8-1. That snapped a five-game skid away from Progressive Field.

Oakland is in the midst of a long 10 game home stand, but it just doesn’t seem to be taking advantage of the situation. The A’s had lost three straight before cashing in as +165 home dogs against the Yankees on Thursday.

Cleveland Indians (7-8, +$99) vs. Oakland Athletics (10-7, +$335)

Game Date/Time: Friday, April 23rd, 10:05 ET
Game Location: McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, CA
TV/Radio Broadcast: SportsTime Ohio, Cox Sports California, XM

MLB Odds

Cleveland Indians +1.5 -165 +130
(Jake Westbrook – R)
Oakland Athletics -1.5 +145 -150
(Justin Duchscherer – R)
Total 8 O +105 8 U -125

If you’re looking for a scapegoat to blame Cleveland’s lousy start to the season on, don’t point the finger at RHP Jake Westbrook.

Westbrook, who has battled injuries over the L/2 years and has only made five starts at the MLB level in that stretch, looks solid so far in 2010. He may be 0-1, but he has a respectable 5.40 ERA and has kept the Indians in two of his three starts.

His most recent outing against the White Sox might be his best since 2007. Westbrook struck out a pair of Sox and allowed just five hits and two runs over seven innings. He didn’t factor in the decision, but the Indians did win the game 3-2.

Cleveland’s starter for tonight is 5-5 with a 3.87 ERA in his 12 career starts against the A’s.

Last year, RHP Justin Duchscherer turned heads by posting a 2.54 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in 22 starts for the Athletics. Things are looking just about as strong this year.

Duchscherer is 1-0 with a 2.41 ERA so far in ’10, but more importantly, his team is 3-0 in his three outings.

Oakland beat Baltimore 4-3 on April 17th, Duchscherer’s most recent trip to the bump. He pitched 5.2 innings of relatively spotless ball, allowing just two unearned runs on seven hits.

Duchscherer hasn’t allowed an earned run since his first start of the season against the Mariners, a start in which he allowed five runs to cross the plate.

MLB Insider Tip: The Indians are just 7-22 in their L/29 visits to Oakland.

That doesn’t bode well for a Cleveland team that probably just isn’t as good as the one that it is taking on coming up on Friday night.

The Indians are averaging 3.60 runs per game this year, and that’s not going to cut it against a solid righty in Duchscherer, who has the ability to stuff this lineup up for enough innings to turn it over to the back end of the bullpen.

Go with the A’s over the Tribe in tonight’s MLB betting clash.

My MLB Prediction: Oakland Athletics (Duchscherer)