Baseball Handicapping Articles

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Friday June 6, 2014 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 6/5/2014

There is obviously a long way to go in the 2014 baseball season, but might we be seeing a year with barely a division race worth watching? Sure, the wild cards have taken some of the drama out of winning the division, but entering Thursday only one second-place team was within three games of first. The Detroit Tigers remain the biggest division favorites at -800 on Bovada. Here's a look at five interesting matchups on Friday's schedule.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Thursday June 5, 2014 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 6/4/2014

Frankly, the most important thing in baseball isn't likely to happen on the field Thursday but at Studio 42 from the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The annual first-year player draft begins Thursday, and while there aren't considered any lock franchise players in this draft like a Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper, it is thought to be a very deep group. But in baseball it's a crapshoot. The Houston Astros, already looking like they are on the way up, only get richer with a third straight No. 1 overall pick.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Wednesday, June 4, 2014 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 6/3/2014

Bovada released updated MLB awards odds this week. Your leaders are: the Angels' Mike Trout (8/5) for AL MVP; Yankees' Masahiro Tanaka (4/1) for AL Cy Young; Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki (3/1) for NL MVP; and Cardinals' Adam Wainwright (3/1) for NL Cy Young. Here's a look at five interesting matchups on Wednesday's schedule.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Tuesday, June 3, 2014 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 6/2/2014

For some silly reason, Major League Baseball doesn't allow the trading of first-round draft picks. It does, however, allow the trade of compensatory picks (technically called competitive balance picks) that come right after the first round. Thus, you may see a big trade this week -- already reports are that the Cubs are talking to the Colorado Rockies about Jeff Samardzija and that one of those compensatory picks will be part of the package. The draft starts Thursday. Here's a look at five interesting matchups on Tuesday.

Tracking the Nationals: Season-Long MLB Picks and Handicapping for Washington Baseball
by Dave Schwab - 6/2/2014

The Nationals are hoping to get third baseman Ryan Zimmerman activated from the disabled list for Tuesday night, but his official status at this time remains questionable. He could add a much-needed spark to a lineup that has proven to be potent at times but lacks the consistency needed to string together some multiple series wins. They

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Saturday May 31, 2014 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/30/2014

I don't write these Five to Follow stories for games on Monday because everyone needs at least one day off, and Sunday is mine. That said, I must point out one game that night in this space. It might be the most intriguing matchup of the season. The White Sox visit the Dodgers, and the pitching matchup is expected to be Chris Sale against Clayton Kershaw, arguably the two best pitchers in baseball and certainly the best two lefties.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Friday May 30, 2014 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/29/2014

Whenever a pitcher makes his next start following a no-hitter, it's essentially a rule in this space that I ask the question of whether we will ever see someone match Johnny Vander Meer's consecutive no-hitters in June 1938. Certainly the odds are hugely stacked against that, but Josh Beckett takes his shot Friday. And we almost saw something equally amazing: L.A. lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu took a perfect game into the eighth inning the day after Beckett's no-no, but it was broken up.

Tracking the Nationals: Season-Long MLB Picks and Handicapping for Washington Baseball
by Dave Schwab - 5/29/2014

Anyone who likes to wager on baseball is always looking for an edge, so Doc’s Sports has decided to release free MLB picks each week for the Washington Nationals during the entire MLB regular season as part of a betting strategy that relies on specialization. When you concentrate your handicapping efforts on a single team, you end up building familiarity, which in turn makes that team all the more predictable. My goal with these free picks is to earn a long-term profit using this betting strategy with the Washington Nationals.

MLB Handicapping: Are Toronto Blue Jays Legitimate Contender?
by Trevor Whenham - 5/28/2014

Baseball is a weird sport. Last year the Toronto Blue Jays came into the season as World Series favorites after a very aggressive offseason. The year turned into a 162-game horror movie as injuries piled on top of each other, pitchers forgot how to pitch, and nothing went right. They wound up 23 games out of first in the AL East.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Thursday May 29, 2014 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/28/2014

So what would be more unlikely to happen the rest of this season: Another Dodger pitching a no-hitter, like Josh Beckett did Sunday, or Philadelphia's Ben Revere hitting a second home run? After 384 games and 1,466 at-bats, Revere finally hit his first major-league home run Tuesday night. It was the longest homerless streak to start a career since Frank Tavares of the Pirates went 1,594 at-bats without a homer from 1972-77.

MLB Totals Betting Trends Report
by Aaron Smith - 5/28/2014

The Major League Baseball season is now almost two months old. Through the first couple months, the “over” is 373-354 overall. If you have been following along with this totals trends articles you’ll notice that while the over has been ahead of the “under” all year, the gap has definitely narrowed in the past few weeks.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/27/2014

We haven't had a manager fired yet this season, but it's bound to happen by the all-star break. Could the Mets' Terry Collins be the one to get the hook first? The Mets are last in the NL East and just fired Dave Hudgens, a long-time colleague of general manager Sandy Alderson who was in his fourth season as hitting coach. The Mets entered Tuesday 7-17 this month. Here's a look at their game Wednesday and four other interesting matchups.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Tuesday, May 27, 2014 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/26/2014

Remember back when stolen bases were cool? The days of Tim Raines, Rickey Henderson and Vince Coleman wreaking havoc on the basepaths? It's a lost art. On Sunday, Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon, who has been a huge surprise this season, stole his 30th base of the season in the team's 48th game. It's the fastest any major leaguer has stolen 30 in five years and the second-fastest in Dodgers history. Gordon has been caught only three times. Here's a look at Tuesday's Dodgers game and four other interesting matchups on the schedule.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Saturday May 24, 2014 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/23/2014

Go ahead and scratch the Texas Rangers off those AL West futures odds because not only are they not winning the division, but I'll be surprised if they finish over .500. Thursday was just an awful day for the franchise. First, Prince Fielder was ruled out the rest of the season due to necessary surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck. My first thought on this: Texas signs Kendrys Morales after June 5 when draft pick compensation falls off.

MLB Handicapping: Rays and Pirates Rough Starts
by Trevor Whenham - 5/23/2014

Teams that get off to disappointing starts in the face of high expectations are a part of baseball — a frustrating part for bettors and fans. This year, the two teams that easily qualify as the biggest disappointments are the Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates. Both were picked by many to win their divisions or at least to be in the thick of the wild-card race. Instead, though, Pittsburgh sits at 19-26 and is eight games back in the NL Central, while the Rays have the same number of wins with two more losses, and they are six games back in the AL East.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Friday May 23, 2014 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/22/2014

May people believe that run differential is the best indicator of how good a team is. The A's do have the best record in baseball and by far the top run differential. My argument against would be this: Entering Thursday; the Cubs are at even on run differential but have the worst record in the National League. The Yankees are minus-11 and tied for the AL East lead. Huh. Here's a look at five interesting matchups on Friday's schedule.

Sports Betting Insights: Wagering on MLB Over/Under Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 5/21/2014

The new MLB season is already a quarter of the way through its 162-game schedule, making it a good time to take a closer look at the betting trends on the total line so far. As of this past Tuesday night’s games, the slight advantage has been with the play on the “over” with the total going over the closing line in 51.7 percent of the games. This percentage jumps to 57.6 in the 38 games that have ended in extra innings.

MLB Betting Advice: Hot and Cold Teams for Runline Wagering
by Ricky Dimon - 5/21/2014

Almost two months into the season, is it time to start separating the contenders from the pretenders? While the Major League Baseball standings are beginning to sort themselves out in a somewhat expected fashion, the same cannot be said for the betting market. Teams like Colorado, Seattle, and even the Chicago Cubs have been rewarding their backers. Defending champion Boston, on the other hand, is still not paying dividends.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Thursday May 22, 2014 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/21/2014

Brilliant move by the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday to re-sign shortstop Stephen Drew -- in the mediocre AL East that move could be the difference between winning the division or not. It also blocks potential signings by the Detroit Tigers or New York Yankees. I guarantee you one of those two would have tried to sign Drew after June 5 when the draft pick compensation fell off. So the Sox get their guy and at $4 million less than Drew would have gotten had he just accepted the team's $14.1 million qualifying offer.

Tracking the Nationals: Season-Long MLB Picks and Handicapping for Washington Baseball
by Dave Schwab - 5/21/2014

One of the best betting strategies when it comes to wagering on MLB games is specialization on one particular team. To help prove this point, Doc’s Sports has decided to release free MLB picks each week for the Washington Nationals during the entire MLB regular season. By concentrating your handicapping efforts on a single team, you build familiarity, which only works to make that team all the more predictable. The goal is to earn a long-term profit using this strategy through my free Washington Nationals’ picks.