Baseball Handicapping Articles

MLB Totals Betting: How Low Can Totals Go?
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 6/22/2011

When setting MLB totals, oddsmakers used to be able to throw a dart somewhere between eight and nine runs and feel pretty confident, for the most part. Those days are long gone. Living in a post-steroid world and with cavernous digs like Petco Park and Safeco Field and with elite pitchers and just awful lineups, the comfort zone for MLB totals has been stretched to the limit.

The Week in Baseball Betting By the Numbers
by Robert Ferringo - 6/21/2011

The game of baseball is an allegory of pre-industrial America and is the elemental sport in our national consciousness. However, it is also a very sophisticated mathematical construct, a symphony of statistics and a physical interpretation of integers that create the foundation of the sport. Baseball is a perfect dichotomy and every action within its natural framework - from pitch selections to hitting matchups to player positioning – is dictated by the digits.

MLB Odds: Phillies at Cardinals Predictions and Betting Picks
by Darin Zank - 6/21/2011

The St. Louis Cardinals have already played through several key injuries this season and have managed to rise to the top of the National League's Central Division. Now they face their biggest challenge yet; playing for the next month or more without the great Albert Pujols.

MLB Odds: Yankees at Reds Predictions and Betting Picks
by Darin Zank - 6/20/2011

The New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds both made the playoffs last year, and both find themselves in the thick of their divisional races this season. So the Yanks will be looking to continue their recent good play while the Reds will be looking to kickstart their offense when these two teams get together for a three-game series at Great American Ballpark starting Monday night.

The Week in Baseball Betting By the Numbers
by Robert Ferringo - 6/17/2011

To be a winning baseball bettor you need to understand these numbers. You need to immerse yourself in these integers and really get at the core of how things are developing on the diamond. Winning and losing can come down to the simplest of equations; a statistical regression here or a missed mathematical opportunity by not pinch hitting there can have a huge impact not only on the outcome of a game, but, by extension, on your bank account. And that’s what really counts, eh?

Yankees vs. Cubs Predictions and MLB Series Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 6/17/2011

Cubs enthusiasts were thrilled when Major League Baseball schedule-makers announced that the New York Yankees would be making their first appearance in Wrigley Field since 2003. However, while the luster may remain for this marquee series the reality is that the Bronx Bombers are bringing some big sticks to the North Side this weekend and represent a tall task for a struggling Cubs team that has lost 12 of 17 games.

MLB Odds: Rangers vs. Braves Series Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 6/17/2011

The Rangers, the prohibitive favorites in the who-can-score-less American League West, are coming off a disappointing series in the Bronx where the Yankees bombed them. Texas has lost five straight, and since a big four-game sweep of the lifeless Indians the Rangers are just 2-8. Despite that slide the Rangers are clinging to a slim lead out West.

MLB Picks: Brewers at Red Sox Odds and Predictions
by Darin Zank - 6/17/2011

Interleague Play can make for some unusual matchups, and while not all of them pique our interest we get a good one this weekend when the NL Central Division-leading Milwaukee Brewers stop in Boston for three games with the AL East-leading Red Sox starting Friday night.

Derek Jeter 3000 Hits Impact on Handicapping the Yankees
by T.O. Whenham - 6/15/2011

Derek Jeter is on the fast track to 3000 hits -- albeit with a stop on the DL that will slow down his arrival at the milestone. You could write seven books on Jeter himself, the meaning of this accomplishment, and his role on this team, but I have no interest in that. I don’t even really like the guy. What is more interesting to me, though, is the impact that the pursuit of a major milestone like this one, or 500 home runs or 300 wins, has on a team from a betting perspective, and how MLB handicappers could potentially benefit from the situation. Here are five factors to consider when thinking about how a record chase will affect a team:

MLB Odds and Predictions: Next Manager to be Fired
by Alan Matthews - 6/14/2011

If you had Oakland’s Bob Geren as the first Major League Baseball manager to be fired in the 2011 season, then you are probably counting your money as we speak. That the A’s dumped a manager during the season is highly rare: When GM Billy Beane canned his good friend Geren last Thursday after four-plus seasons, it was the first time in 25 years the franchise had fired a manager during a season. Former Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners skipper Bob Melvin will manage the team for the rest of the season.

MLB Picks: Indians at Tigers Odds and Predictions
by Darin Zank - 6/14/2011

The Cleveland Indians jumped out to a great start this season, but as will happen with teams that do so unexpectedly, the Indians have come back to the pack, losing 14 of their last 19 games. Meanwhile, the Detroit Tigers have gotten hot, winning 11 of their last 15 games to catch Cleveland atop the AL Central.

MLB Picks: Red Sox at Yankees Odds and Series Predictions
by Darin Zank - 6/7/2011

The Boston Red Sox have done a good job of digging themselves out of the hole they started in this season. Now Boston will be tested to continue its recent good play as it starts a nine-game road trip with a three-game series with their old friends, the New York Yankees, at the new Yankee Stadium beginning Tuesday night.

MLB Predictions: Dodgers at Phillies Odds and Baseball Picks
by Darin Zank - 6/6/2011

The recently-punchless Philadelphia Phillies put a stop to a losing streak Sunday. Now NL favorites will try to start a winning streak when they host the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday night for the opener of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park.

MLB Picks: Yankees at Angels Series Predictions and Preview
by Darin Zank - 6/3/2011

The New York Yankees stumbled out of the gate on their current nine-game West Coast road trip, but have recovered behind some good starting pitching to win four in a row. Now the AL East-leading Yanks finish off their trip when they hit Anaheim for three games with the Angels beginning Friday night.

MLB Picks: Rangers at Indians Predictions and Preview
by Darin Zank - 6/2/2011

Defending American League champion Texas recently got a couple of its big bangers back, as OFs Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz returned from stints on the disabled list. This undoubtedly has helped the Rangers recover from a cold spell. Texas just took two of three games from the Rays in Tampa to win its third series in a row, and has won seven of its last 10 games.

The Week in Baseball Betting By the Numbers
by Robert Ferringo - 5/31/2011

The numbers don’t lie. Baseball is a perfect study in dichotomy. With no clock, an outdoor playing area, and a reliance on elemental aspects like wood, leather, dirt and grass, the sport is an allegory of pre-industrial Americana. It’s a game played in communion with nature and seems to be a welcome relic of a distant time and place.

MLB Handicapping: American League East Race
by T.O. Whenham - 5/27/2011

Here’s a shocking headline -- things are tight atop the American League East. The most consistently tough division in baseball has three teams within a game and a half of each other, and those three teams -- the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays -- are all among the top four teams in the conference. At most two of those teams can make the playoffs, so there is a traffic jam atop the standings, and it doesn’t show a lot of signs of disappearing. Here’s a look at the strengths and weaknesses each team has in their pursuit of a playoff spot along with my MLB handicapping advice. (odds to win the AL Pennant are from Bodog):

MLB Handicapping: Bullpens To Back
by T.O. Whenham - 5/26/2011

There is nothing I hate more than a bullpen that blows a game that the starter had under control. If I bet on the team that blows the lead, that is. Bettors have few friends more important and valuable than a strong bullpen. You can’t predict how much the bullpen will be needed or who will get the call, so having a bullpen that is generally consistent, deep, and reliable makes any bet easier to make, and makes the final innings far less stressful. Here’s a look at five bullpens that have been particularly pleasant to trust for MLB handicappers so far this season:

The Week in Baseball Betting By the Numbers
by Robert Ferringo - 5/24/2011

Bring back steroids. Immediately. That is my professional opinion about Major League Baseball these days. This sport is nearly unrecognizable from the ‘roid-ragin’, HGH-hyped, homer-enhanced, scoring free-for-all that we witnessed from the mid-90s until the Salem Steroid Trails of 2005-2006. Now it more closely resembles a game of tee ball, where everyone goes bonkers when someone just hits it out of the infield.

MLB Handicapping: No-Hitter Bounce Back
by T.O. Whenham - 5/20/2011

It’s not too often that we see two no-hitters in the same month, never mind within five days of each other — and in the same division nonetheless. On May 3 Francisco Liriano of the Twins no-hit the White Sox. On the 7th Justin Verlander got his second career no-no when he blanked the Blue Jays. It’s interesting that the performances happened, but what’s more interesting from a baseball handicapping perspective is how they bounced back in their next start.