Baseball Handicapping Articles

MLB All-Star Weekend: Home Run Derby Betting Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 7/10/2010

The Yankees apparently will allow someone from the rest of the league win at something this year. Robinson Cano, who would have been one of the favorites at the 2010 Home Run Derby, has withdrawn his name from the field of six players to enter this year’s event. The Home Run Derby, long the marquee event at MLB All Star Week, will take place at 8 p.m. EST, Monday, July 12 in Anaheim.

MLB Handicapping: Scoring Down as Batters Struggle Against Lefties
by Robert Ferringo - 7/8/2010

Studies and statistics show that left-handed people are more likely to be schizophrenic, alcoholic, dyslexic, have mental disabilities or overall just be delinquent. Yet left-handers have survived throughout history, despite these evolutionary anchors, mainly due to the element of surprise and the simple fact that they are, well, different. In the society of Major League Baseball these days lefties aren’t just surviving, they are thriving.

MLB Handicapping: What’s Wrong With the San Francisco Giants?
by T.O. Whenham - 7/8/2010

I don’t think I have been more disappointed by a team this year than the San Francisco Giants. Okay, the Mariners have been far more disappointing, but the Giants easily earn that crown for the National League. They came into this season with momentum and swagger, and it was hard to come up with a good reason why they wouldn’t win the NL West.

White Sox and Rangers – Two Hot Teams Meet in Arlington
by T.O. Whenham - 7/2/2010

It’s fitting that the Rangers and the White Sox are starting a three-game series in Arlington on Friday night. They are the two hottest teams in the American League, and both are performing well above expectation. The White Sox stumbled somewhat in Kansas City against the surprisingly strong hitters from the Royals, but before that they had won 11 straight. The Rangers had their own 11 game win streak, and won three of five since. It’s the best June that Texas has had since 1978.

MLB Handicapping: Pitchers With Betting Value
by T.O. Whenham - 7/1/2010

You’re either a morning person or your not. Some people love to jump out of bed early to tackle the day, while others need a while - and a few cups of coffee - before they can be near their best. Pitchers are the same way. Some guys are ready as soon as spring training is over, and they start posting strong results right out of the gate. Other guys just weren’t born to pitch in April. It could be that their bodies aren’t used to the demands of real games yet, or it could be that they just need games to matter more than they do in April before they can get interested enough to do well, but some guys are entirely different pitchers in April than they are in July or August.

Handicapping Stephen Strasburg: Trends To Win Money Against Nationals MLB Ace
by Robert Ferringo - 6/30/2010

When the Atlanta Braves are selling out against the Washington Nationals on a Monday evening game in June just because Stephen Strasburg is pitching you know that there is something special going on. The Braves don’t sell out playoff games. Seriously. (I remember sports talk radio bobbleheads begging for fans to show up for a winner-take-all Game 5 with Houston in the Wild Card round in 2004.)

MLB Handicapping: Pitchers Better Than Records May Indicate
by T.O. Whenham - 6/9/2010

When it comes to handicapping baseball, the record a pitcher has amassed can be deceptive. As a general rule, a pitcher that is 8-3 is pitching a whole lot better than one who is 3-8, but that's not always the case. Sometimes pitchers are throwing much better than their record indicates, but they just aren't getting the breaks going their way. Other times, the pitcher plays for a team that is playing so bad that they aren't doing the pitchers any favors. Here's a look at six pitchers who really aren't pitching nearly as badly as their record would suggest:

Predictions for Stephen Strasburg Debut
by T.O. Whenham - 6/8/2010

Tonight we will be witness to the most hyped debut in baseball history when Stephen Strasburg takes the mound for the Washington Nationals. Strasburg was the first overall pick in last year's MLB Draft, and has been viewed as a can't-miss megastar for at least two years. The Internet has meant that people have been able to read about and watch him in ways and with ease like never before.

Free MLB Picks: Rays at Blue Jays and Reds at Cardinals Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/1/2010

The Rays don’t look right, as they have lost six of eight games overall to see their AL East lead cut to 2.5 games over the Yankees. Tampa Bay still has by far the best road record in baseball. The Blue Jays have now won four straight and nine of their last 10 home games. Toronto has hit 26 homers and averaged more than seven runs per game in its last 10 at home.

MLB Teams With Run Line Value
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 5/27/2010

No matter how unattractive a money line favorite may look, thanks to MLB run line betting, a bettor always has the option of dressing up the line a little bit by just laying 1.5 runs. In baseball the run line is always 1.5 with the favorite giving the 1.5 and the underdog getting the 1.5. Basically, if you take the favorite on the run line the team has to win by two or more runs. If you take the underdog they either have to win or lose by one.

Best and Worst MLB Road Teams
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 5/26/2010

Home-field advantage in baseball is unique in sports. Not only does the typical fan support help out the home-standing team, but the dimensions of the ballpark and knowledge of its wind streams and altitude also gives the team batting in the bottom half of the inning an added advantage.

MLB Handicapping: Weather a Major Factor
by Aaron Smith - 5/25/2010

If you are an avid football fan, or bet on the sport often, you know that weather is a major factor in determining the outcome of a football game. The average bettor is aware of that when betting on football, but at times, it seems that the large effect that weather can have on baseball games flies under the radar. Weather does matter when betting on baseball, and it matters in quite a few different ways.

Discipline the Key to Successful Baseball Betting
by Aaron Smith - 5/21/2010

There is one single word in the English language that can explain a whole lot about what is necessary to be successful in betting on baseball: discipline. In all forms of sports betting this is important, but in baseball betting it is even more vital. Any experienced bettor will tell you; there is no “easy money” to be made. The oddsmakers are smart people, and the sportsbooks typically make money hand over fist because most bettors can’t stay disciplined. The baseball season, as well as betting on baseball, is a marathon that must be won over the long run.

Handicapping MLB Interleague Play
by Robert Ferringo - 5/21/2010

This week the Major League Baseball gets itself some “strange” with the opening weekend of Interleague play. In the 14th year of Interleague play we have 14 series featuring one American League team of ogres one crafty and fragile squad from the National League. Play begins Friday and all 14 series are set for three games of goofiness.

Handicapping the Rays-Yankees AL East Race
by T.O. Whenham - 5/21/2010

We're used to the American League East being a two-horse race, but it's a pleasant surprise that that race features the Tampa Bay Rays running away with the lead, and the Yankees chasing them from behind (Toronto is fighting hard and sticking close to the Yankees, but we'll ignore them for now).

MLB Handicapping: Reds one of Best Bets in NL
by Robert Ferringo - 5/19/2010

When most people look at the National League Central standings and see Cincinnati at the top of the heap I’m sure the first reaction of the common fan is somewhere between “good for them”, “when did that happen?”, and “I wonder what Mario Soto is doing these days”.

Free MLB Picks: Rays at Yankees and Padres at Dodgers Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/19/2010

Tampa Bay has a three-game lead over New York in the AL East and just swept a two-game series from Cleveland. The Rays have won six of seven overall. New York just finished a wild two-game set with Boston, where both teams blew a game in the ninth inning with their star closer on the mound.

MLB Betting: Top Earners and Losers
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 5/18/2010

It’s easy to see the early season surprises and disappointments in baseball by looking at which teams have earned their backers the most money and what teams have lost their backers the most. Almost a fourth of the way through the season, it’s a good idea to take a look at how much each team has earned or lost people who have bet $100 on them each game.

MLB Rookie Pitchers Making Debuts
by T.O. Whenham - 5/18/2010

We're in the part of the baseball schedule where teams start to throw real puzzles at MLB handicappers. Rookie pitchers who weren't quite ready to join their teams out of training camp are now making their debuts. There are few things tougher than determining how a pitcher is going to do the first time he faces major league talent because he has never done it before.

Best and Worst MLB Announcers
by Robert Ferringo - 5/14/2010

The passing of Ernie Harwell, a true gentleman and a baseball legend, last week got me thinking about the current crop of Major League Baseball announcers. I spend, quite literally, thousands of hours each summer watching baseball and listening to the announcers for all 30 of the current teams. And while only one of the current Voices of Summer can be considered in the same category of Harwell there are still plenty of great groups doing good work from March to October.