Baseball Handicapping Articles

MLB Picks: Cardinals vs. Dodgers Series Odds and Predictions
by Darin Zank - 4/14/2011

The St. Louis Cardinals got bad news before they even got out of Spring Training, with Adam Wainwright going down and out for the season with an elbow injury. And now St. Louis, a perennial contender in the NL Central, is off to a slow start, as the bats have been cold. On top of all, that the Cards are on the West Coast for a 10-game road trip, which concludes this weekend with a four-game series vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine starting tonight.

MLB Picks: Orioles vs. Yankees Series Odds and Predictions
by Darin Zank - 4/12/2011

Buck Showalter came back to the AL East with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and so far it's worked to the benefit of his Baltimore Orioles. A team that's won fewer than 70 games four seasons in a row looks like it has found new life under the micro-managing Showalter, at least for the time being. This week the O's look to continue their good start to this season when they pay a visit on one of Buck's old outfits, the New York Yankees, for a three-game series in the Bronx starting Tuesday night.

MLB Picks: Rays at Red Sox Series Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 4/11/2011

The Boston Red Sox appear to have righted the ship, as taking two of three over the weekend from the hated New York Yankees helped calm a panicked Red Sox Nation. I really hate that term – now every team uses “nation.” Sacramento Kings Nation. Real Salt Lake Nation. But I digress. Anyways, the desperate team tonight is the Tampa Bay Rays. The reigning AL East champions look like the worst team in baseball – and in fact they do have MLB’s worst record at 1-8. Boston is a -225 series favorite at WagerWeb with Tampa Bay at +160.

MLB Picks: Cubs at Brewers Series Odds and Predictions
by Darin Zank - 4/8/2011

The Milwaukee Brewers have only been members of the National League for 14 years, but it did not take long to build up a pretty good rivalry with the Chicago Cubs. While competing against each other in the NL Central these two teams have shown a propensity for playing some crazy games, and the road team often has the upper hand.

Yankees at Red Sox Predictions and MLB Series Odds
by Alan Matthews - 4/8/2011

The most heated and top rivalry in Major League Baseball – or at least the most-hyped, thanks in large part to the ESPN bias in the Northeast – makes its debut on Friday afternoon at Fenway Park when the two preseason American League pennant favorites, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, face off. And it’s hard to panic after six games, but panic will be an understatement for Red Sox Nation if 0-6 Boston somehow gets swept in its home-opening series.

MLB Predictions: Teams With Great Potential Betting Value
by T.O. Whenham - 3/31/2011

It’s the first day of the baseball season, and I couldn’t be more excited. As I look forward to what’s ahead I am naturally drawn to potential sleepers -- teams that have the potential to be solidly better than the general betting public thinks they will be. I like those teams because they are fun to watch, but more significantly I like them because they offer real value time and time again. Value is the Holy Grail for bettors. Here’s three sleepers -- coincidentally all from the American League -- that stand out to me (all odds are from BetUS):

MLB Predictions for Player Betting Props
by T.O. Whenham - 3/30/2011

With the baseball season about to start, this is a good time to take a last look at all of the season-long props that are available. BetUS has a wide range of player props available. A lot don’t make sense, but here are five that stand out as particularly interesting along with some MLB predictions for each:

MLB Handicapping Advice: Common Betting Mistakes
by T.O. Whenham - 3/30/2011

It’s baseball season again. That can be good news or bad for bettors depending upon how they view the grueling, seemingly endless baseball regular season. Personally, I am a huge fan of MLB betting. It can present almost endless opportunity throughout the season, and there is a full slate of games to choose from almost every day. As much as baseball betting has going for it, though, there are some mistakes that casual baseball bettors consistently make that deeply affects their bottom line and therefore their enjoyment of betting on the sport. Here are six big baseball betting mistakes to avoid, according to Doc’s Sports MLB handicapping advice:

MLB Predictions: Best Upcoming Series for Betting
by T.O. Whenham - 3/30/2011

Baseball’s Opening Day is so close that I can measure the time in hours now instead of days. Very exciting stuff. As I look ahead at what we have to enjoy in the coming weeks as teams get underway there are six series that clearly stand out as the best of the early season offerings from a betting perspective -- the series that will get you excited about baseball season being here, and which will give you an early indication of how good teams are ready to perform.

MLB MVP Award Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 3/30/2011

Betting on the MVP award in either the American League or National League is generally much easier than betting on the Cy Young Award winner in either circuit. Here’s why: Cy Young winners, at least of late, can come from last-place teams. That almost never happens with the MVP.

MLB Predictions and Odds: First Manager Fired
by Alan Matthews - 3/29/2011

It’s never really a question of if a Major League Baseball manager will be fired during the season but when. The challenge is, of course, trying to determine which manager that will be. Last year saw a ton of managerial turnover. Five managers were fired during the season (one, the Cubs' Lou Piniella, retired in late August). The preseason betting “favorite” to be let go was Baltimore’s Dave Trembley and Florida’s Fredi Gonzalez, both at +300.

Baseball Predictions: MLB Pitching Prop Bets
by T.O. Whenham - 3/25/2011

As the regular season for baseball draws tantalizingly close, BetUS has a wide range of pitcher props available. A surprising number of them are interesting in terms of potential value. Here are some that stand out along with my baseball predictions for betting:

MLB Predictions: Teams With Pitching Issues
by T.O. Whenham - 3/25/2011

Starting pitching is almost always an issue for at least 15 or 20 teams in the major leagues. Most teams go into the spring with hopes that they have a solution in place. As Spring Training progresses, though, it can become clear that some teams aren’t nearly as set and established as they hoped to be. I’ve been watching a lot of Spring Training action this year. As I have done so there are some teams that have shown to have pitching issues. I could pick on the Yankees, but that’s too easy. Instead, here are three teams that don’t seem to be nearly as set on the mound as they thought or hoped they would be.

2011 Oakland A’s Predictions and MLB Futures Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 3/24/2011

For over a decade the Oakland A’s have been a quintessential small ball team. They have utilized excellent pitching, solid defense and timely hitting to compete despite a slim payroll and the lack of any top-end hitting talent. And the results have been generally superb, as they have finished .500 or better in 10 of 13 seasons while averaging 87.2 wins a season.

MLB Season Win Total Odds - MLB Futures
by David Schwab - 3/9/2011

Right now anyone who wagers on sports undoubtedly has their mind filled with thoughts of No.1 seeds, bubble teams, bracket busters and all the other things that bring the madness to March for college basketball. However, it’s important to remember that all 30 Major League baseball teams are back to work in preparation of another 162-game season.

MLB Predictions: Pitching Rotations With Value
by T.O. Whenham - 3/9/2011

Every year in baseball there are a few pitching rotations that are surprisingly strong. For bettors those are the holy grail because pitching is so crucial to betting success, so an unexpectedly strong rotation can consistently deliver excellent value. Here are my MLB predictions for four rotations that have the potential to be surprisingly strong this year:

2011 Seattle Mariners MLB Predictions and Futures Odds
by T.O. Whenham - 3/5/2011

I refuse to get sucked in by the Mariners this year. Not again. Last year I was convinced that the Mariners were going to break through and make a lot of noise in the AL West. They really, really didn’t. In fact they were horrible. The year before I thought they would be really good and they were only okay. In 2008 I had reasonably high hopes. They won 61 games.

2011 Arizona Diamondbacks MLB Predictions and Futures Odds
by Darin Zank - 3/4/2011

Arizona thought it might get back into contention in the NL West last year with the return of Brandon Webb and the additions to the rotation of Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy. Most sportsbooks were lining the Diamondbacks at about 3/1 to win the NL West last year, with a season wins O/U of right around 83.

2011 Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Predictions and Futures Odds
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 3/3/2011

The Triple Crown is a rare feat in baseball. It has not been achieved by an individual in the National League since Joe “Ducky” Medwick did it in 1937. The kind of Triple Crown the Pittsburgh Pirates achieved last year is as rare as it is dubious. The Pirates, a team known for setting all the wrong kind of records, found a way to finish last in the NL in batting, pitching and defense.

MLB Spring Training Betting Tips and Advice
by T.O. Whenham - 3/2/2011

Spring training is a great thing. The preseason for every other major sport is a total and utter waste of time -- a painful month to be endured or ignored before games finally matter. Spring Training is different, though. The combination of the great weather, the beautiful little stadiums the teams play in, and the opportunity to see young talent play meaningful time is too much to resist.