Posted by Brian Joseph on Friday, April 17, 2009 at 11:57 am

Let it to me to spot three road underdog winners and only go with one and have the favorite I picked only to hedge my underdog bet lose. Yesterday, the Padres hung on while the Braves were swept away which put the figure at 1-1 and -14 units for the day.

Today, again I like the Indians at +189 against Joba Chamberlain and the Yankees. Again, I’m staying away because the Yankees are heavy favorites for a reason but with Joba involved, the bullpen should be a factor and so far anything prior to Mariano has been less than stellar.

However, I do like another road underdog/home favorite combo:

TODAY’S PICKS

Baltimore Orioles (+135) over Boston Red Sox
THE BET: 100 Units / Win = +135, Loss = -100

Jeremy Guthrie has pitched well this year and his career batting line against the current Red Sox is decent (.259/.333/.417). His opponent, Brad Penny, has not fared well against current Orioles in limited action (.310/.394/.466). Can the Orioles really take the first game of a series for the fourth straight time? While Guthrie probably isn’t a true ace, he is capable of turning in a gem and this Orioles lineup is one of the most potent in the league and until proven otherwise, I’ll go on the premise that Penny is very hittable. Plus, the Orioles got a day off to rest their weary bullpen which is good if Guthrie falters early.

Houston Astros (-145) over Cincinnati Reds
THE BET: 100 Units / Win = +100, Loss = -145

I know, I know. I keep picking the Astros and they really aren’t that good. Actually, this is the fourth time I’ve gone with the Astros and third time I’ve touted Roy Oswalt. Third time’s a charm, right? If you are still feeling uncomfortable about Oswalt and the ’stros, chew on this: In his career, Roy Oswalt is 23-1 in 28 appearances against the Reds… TWENTY-THREE AND ONE! His opponent, Johnny Cueto, has a career batting line of .397/.462/.662 against current Astros and the Reds are 0-4 in games where he starts against Houston. My bet would be that you could hit Cueto if you donned a Jeff Bagwell throwback jersey.

YESTERDAY’S RECAP

Season-to-Date: 13-11, -242 Units, +120 Units Unadjusted (If all bets were the same unit amount)

Yesterday’s Winners
San Diego Padres (+115) over New York Mets (Padres, 6-5)

Yesterday’s Losers
Atlanta Braves (-129) over Florida Marlins (Marlins, 6-2)