Baseball Handicapping Articles

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Friday July 24, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/23/2015

The clear game that stands out on a very good Friday schedule is the Dodgers at Mets, and not just because those two big-market clubs could meet in the playoffs. It's because Zack Greinke is on the mound for Los Angeles. Greinke brings in a scoreless streak of 43.2 innings. That's the longest in baseball since the Dodgers' Orel Hershiser set the record with 59 straight scoreless frames in 1988.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Thursday, July 23, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/22/2015

The L.A. Dodgers were going to trade for a starting pitcher by the July 31 deadline regardless, but that may have taken on even more importance -- maybe two pitchers now -- after injury-prone lefty Brett Anderson had to leave Wednesday's game in the third inning against Atlanta with discomfort in his left Achilles' tendon. Knowing Anderson's luck, it's likely serious.

Tracking the Nationals: MLB Picks and Handicapping for Washington Baseball
by Dave Schwab - 7/22/2015

I have been concentrating all of my efforts on handicapping the Washington Nationals this MLB season, and with the use of Doc's Sports Unit Betting System, I have also been releasing free weekly picks for select Nationals' games. The bottom-line goal of this exercise in specialization is to build a profitable MLB bankroll on my free Washington picks by season's end.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Wednesday, July 22, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/21/2015

Interesting news from highly-respected USA Today baseball writer Bob Nightengale as he reports that the Detroit Tigers will be sellers at the deadline as the team has all but given up on competing for the playoffs this season with Miguel Cabrera out another month or so and Justin Verlander simply awful. He reports that David Price and Yoenis Cespedes will be put on the block as both can become free agents after the season.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Tuesday, July 21, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/20/2015

I really should have known better. I picked the Chicago White Sox to make the playoffs this season despite the fact they had major question marks at second and third base. Well, I thought maybe they were OK at third base as Conor Gillaspie hit .282 there with 57 RBIs in 130 games last season. Alas, that was clearly a fluke as Gillaspie was batting just .237 with 15 RBIs this season before the team pretty surprisingly designated him for assignment over the weekend.

MLB Series Odds with Expert Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 7/20/2015

The second half of the MLB regular season is in full swing, and Bovada has just released a set of new series prices for the best-of-three matchup for many of this week's series. While most sports bettors tend to focus on the individual games, sometimes betting on the series price odds is the best way to maximize the value in the numbers.

Betting Odds and MLB Free Picks for Team Props for Monday
by Dave Schwab - 7/20/2015

It is a brand new week in baseball, and MyBookie.ag has ramped up the action for Monday's MLB schedule with a number of team prop odds in conjunction with the games. I have poured over the stats, facts and betting trends for all of these team props to uncover a few picks that take advantage of a team's current form and overall performanceas compared to the betting odds for tonight's games.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, July 18, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/17/2015

Obviously, Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz knows way more about baseball than I ever will. But sometimes I think guys in the media simply say things to get attention. And Smoltz may have done so this week when he told the New York Daily News that the current Mets rotation is "way better" than the 1990s Atlanta Braves group headed by Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Smoltz. The first two are already in Cooperstown, and Smoltz will be inducted on July 26.

MLB Series Odds with Expert Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 7/17/2015

Major League Baseball is back in action this Friday following its all-star break with Game 1s of 15 different three-game weekend series. Sports bettors are probably chomping at the bit after four days of no action, and wagering on the series odds for a few of these matchups could be the way to go.

Tracking the Nationals: MLB Picks and Handicapping for Washington Baseball
by Dave Schwab - 7/17/2015

One viable betting strategy when it comes to successfully wagering on MLB games is to concentrate all of your handicapping efforts on just one team. To help validate this theory, I have been focusing all my attention this season on the Washington Nationals. And with the use of Doc's Sports Unit Betting System, I have also been releasing free weekly picks for select Nationals' games. My bottom line goal is to build a profitable MLB bankroll by season's end.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Friday July 17, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/16/2015

So how important from a playoff perspective is it to be leading your division at the All-Star Break with MLB's second half to begin on Friday? Let's look to last year's standings at the break. Your American League leaders were the Orioles, Tigers and A's. Baltimore and Detroit won their divisions while Oakland was a wild-card team. In the National League, the leaders were the Nationals, Brewers and Dodgers. Washington and Los Angeles won their divisions.

MLB Player Awards Updated Odds and Predictions at All-Star Break
by Alan Matthews - 7/15/2015

Major League Baseball has a bit of an image problem in that its fan base skews much older than the NFL, NBA (by far the most hip/young league) and NHL. Check out any TV ratings for a big MLB event and the majority will be people age 40 and above. The younger generation doesn't much care about baseball because it takes so long to play, and really MLB doesn't market its stars like the NBA does.

MLB National League Futures Odds Update at All-Star Break
by Alan Matthews - 7/14/2015

If you had told me that the team with the best record in baseball at the All-Star Break was going to be a National League squad, I would have absolutely agreed with that. Except I would have presumed it was either going to be the Washington Nationals or Los Angeles Dodgers. And while those two clubs lead their respective divisions, the St. Louis Cardinals at 56-33 have the majors' best mark.

MLB American League Futures Odds Update at All-Star Break
by Alan Matthews - 7/13/2015

Always tough to project futures odds at baseball's all-star break because of the July 31 deadline being right around the corner, but let's give it a shot anyway. Look for a National League update on Tuesday, and I'll also take a look at updated MVP and Cy Young odds this week -- perhaps the longest week of the year for a sports bettor with nothing going on. Unless you count the ESPYs that is, and I certainly don't.

MLB Betting Advice and Handicapping: Totals Trends Report
by Aaron Smith - 7/13/2015

The All-Star break is here. The majority of big leaguers are taking their lone break of the season. A few of them will be taking part in the midseason classic. The Detroit Tigers recently went on the most amazing totals run we have ever seen. Detroit's games went 'over' the posted total in 19 straight games. That's truly fascinating when you consider baseball is the only game in town right now for most bettors, and the oddsmakers were clearly adjusting the Tigers numbers upwards during the streak.

MLB Home Run Derby Odds for Props With Expert Betting Picks
by Dave Schwab - 7/13/2015

One of the most popular events surrounding the MLB All-Star Break is Monday's Home Run Derby. The entire format of this year's contest has been changed to feature four head-to-head matchups in the opening round. The following are my MLB player prop picks for all four matchups based on odds from BetOnline.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Sunday, July 12, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/11/2015

With the first half of the season coming to a close on Sunday night, this is when trade talks will really heat up as general managers now have a dead period to get down to business with one another. You could see something during the All-Star Break, although probably not before Wednesday as MLB doesn't want anything interfering with All-Star festivities.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, July 11, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/10/2015

Let me make it clear that I'm not a Mets fan and in fact probably anti-Mets. But I appreciate watching (and betting) on young talent. And the Mets have the best crop of young pitchers we have seen in the majors in years. So, ahem, generally go "under" their games. But I mention this because one of those touted pitchers, 24-year-old lefty Steven Matz, has a partially torn lat muscle in his left side and probably misses six weeks -- he received an injection in the muscle and won't do anything for three weeks and then be re-evaluated.

Tracking the Nationals: MLB Picks and Handicapping for Washington Baseball
by Dave Schwab - 7/10/2015

Specialization on just one team when it comes to handicapping MLB games can be a viable betting strategy, and to help prove my point I have been focusing all my attention this season on the Washington Nationals. With the use of Doc's Sports Unit Betting System, I have also been releasing free weekly picks for select Nationals games with the goal of building a profitable MLB bankroll by cashing in on these unit plays.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Friday July 10, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/9/2015

Potentially devastating injury for the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. All-Star left fielder Alex Gordon was carted off the field with what is now being called a Grade 2 left groin strain suffered while making a great catch on a ball hit by the Rays' Logan Forsythe at Kauffman Stadium. Gordon, who was to have an MRI on Thursday, said he heard the muscle in his groin pop, and Manager Ned Yost said Gordon could miss "months." Early reports are it will be eight weeks.