Baseball Handicapping Articles

Free MLB Picks for Best Props Odds: Tuesday August 16, 2016
by Chris Vasile - 8/16/2016

I feel like we are at the point in the season where we know teams' strengths and weaknesses and what their identity is. We've seen enough of the starting rotations, including trade acquisitions, to further come to a conclusion about whether a team is a legitimate contender or just hoping to get on a hot streak at the right time.

MLB Betting Trends: Hot and Cold Baseball Wagers
by Victor Ryan - 8/15/2016

With less than two months left in the MLB regular season, four of the six division races remain competitive. Only the Cubs in the NL Central (12 games up) and Nationals in the NL East (8.5 games up) appear to have things wrapped up. This should make for an exciting stretch drive, as teams will badly want to avoid relegation to a one-game wild card "crapshoot" in the postseason.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Tuesday, August 16, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/15/2016

When previewing Saturday's MLB games, I mentioned I hoped the Marlins would now miss the playoffs because they were skipping ace Jose Fernandez's spot in the rotation on Sunday and thus depriving us a terrific pitching matchup against the White Sox's Chris Sale (who wasn't very good on Sunday). Apparently the MLB gods were listening. Star slugger Giancarlo Stanton suffered a serious groin strain -- believe me, I wish that upon no one -- in Saturday night's game while running the bases, was placed on the disabled list Sunday and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season.

Expert MLB Betting Advice: Weekly Baseball Bullpen Report
by Victor Ryan - 8/15/2016

The bullpens played an oversized role for teams heading in opposite directions in the MLB playoff chase last week. Both the surging Mariners, who have won nine of their previous 10 games, and Pirates each got effective relief pitching to boost their playoff chances. On the flip side, the Rockies and Mets each suffered big blows to their postseason hopes last week thanks to shoddy bullpen work. Those clubs combined for five blown saves while going just 2-11 last week.

NL West to be a Battle to the Wire Between Giants and Dodgers
by Trevor Whenham - 8/12/2016

It's only the middle of August, yet already it feels like four of the six divisions in baseball have pretty much been decided. The Cubs have a ridiculous 13-game lead, the Nationals are up by 7.5, Texas has a 6.5-game margin, and the Indians are up by four. The other two, though - the AL East and the NL West - are within a game and have been a war up to this point.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, August 13, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/12/2016

Let me preface this by saying I don't hate the Miami Marlins or anything, and I had hoped they made the playoffs because I'm a Cubs fan living in South Florida and thus could potentially see a game or two of a Marlins-Cubs playoff series in person. Now? I hope the Marlins miss the wild card by a game. That's because they are depriving me, MLB fans and bettors an epic pitching matchup on Sunday between Cy Young contenders in Marlins ace Jose Fernandez against White Sox stud Chris Sale.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Friday, August 12, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/11/2016

Unfortunately, I never got to see Barry Bonds in person, so the greatest player I ever did see with my own eyes was certainly Alex Rodriguez. I not only saw him once with the Rangers and a couple of times with the Yankees but also one game in 1994 when he was playing for the Class A Appleton Foxes of the Midwest League. I'm no scout, but it was obvious this guy had superstar potential, and Rodriguez surpassed even the biggest of expectations as the No. 1 overall pick out of a Miami high school in the 1993 draft by Seattle.

Free MLB Picks for Best Props Odds: Thursday August 11, 2016
by Chris Vasile - 8/11/2016

Once upon a time, long, long ago, Alex Rodriguez was a great baseball player. For the Yankees, he was only pretty good. Yes, A-Rod hit .284 with 351 homers and 1,094 RBIs. He also helped the Evil Empire win their 27th pennant in 2009. He took home AL MVP honors in 2005 and 2007, raising his total to three. However, when A-Rod's name gets brought up, none of that is remembered. He will be remembered for PED's and the season-long suspension in 2014.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Thursday, August 11, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/10/2016

If you retire from Major League Baseball while still under contract, you don't get any money. But if you are forced to retire due to a medical issue, then you still get everything owed to you. Thus, Texas Rangers first baseman/DH Prince Fielder, who was to announce his retirement Wednesday after a second major neck surgery in three years, will get $24 million a year through 2020. But the Rangers were able to get insurance on that contract, and they are still owed $6 million a year from Detroit as part of that trade of Fielder from the Tigers for second baseman Ian Kinsler a couple of years ago (a heist for Detroit).

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Wednesday, August 10, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/9/2016

We are in another golden era of talented young shortstops, and sometimes the Giants' Brandon Crawford gets overlooked in that group because he's not that young. But the 29-year-old is a heck of a player. And he had a heck of a game on Monday night in the Giants' 8-7 14-inning win in Miami. Crawford went an incredible 7-for-8, missing a cycle without a homer. Hit No. 7 was the go-ahead RBI single in the top of the 14th.

Free MLB Picks for Best Props Odds: Tuesday August 9, 2016
by Chris Vasile - 8/9/2016

To start my articles, I always like to look at what is happening around the league and which stories are getting the most buzz and attention. Last night, Brandon Crawford of the San Francisco Giants matched an NL record with seven hits in eight at-bats. That's what you call a productive day at the dish. He singled five times and had a double and triple.

Expert MLB Betting Advice: Weekly Baseball Bullpen Report
by Victor Ryan - 8/8/2016

The AL East is far and away the strongest division in baseball this season. In fact, it could very well end up sending three teams to the postseason in the Blue Jays, Orioles and Red Sox. The recipe for success among that trio has included one commonality: a strong bullpen.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Tuesday, August 9, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/8/2016

Great moment Sunday in watching lock first-ballot Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki become the 30th member of the 3,000-hit club, and in perfect Ichiro fashion he did it on a triple. It's still amazing to me that guy got to 3,000 hits despite not arriving to Major League Baseball until he was 27. Since Ichiro's debut, 13 Japanese position players have made the move to MLB. I've actually read that Ichiro has tremendous power and that he could probably hit 25-30 homers in a season if that's all he focused on.

MLB Betting Trends: Hot and Cold Baseball Wagers
by Victor Ryan - 8/8/2016

A pair of clubs with Wild Card aspirations lost critical ground in the MLB playoff chase last week while costing bettors a bundle. The Cardinals and Astros combined for 8.1 units worth of losses while going a combined 4-9 since Aug. 1. On the flip side, Minnesota emerged as one of the hottest bets in MLB for the first time this season. The young Twins have been much-improved in all areas and could be a live underdog moving forward.

MLB Betting Trends: Totals Report for Hot Over and Under Teams
by Aaron Smith - 8/5/2016

The Major League Baseball trade deadline has passed. There were some significant moves. The Rangers probably got the biggest immediate boost, especially on the offensive end. The Cleveland Indians were really aggressive, and having Andrew Miller in their bullpen is a huge boost for them. The Mets have been awful on offense, and they tried to give their offense a jolt by picking up Jay Bruce from the Reds. It won't matter this year, but lost in the shuffle was the fact that the New York Yankees got some tremendous young talent. Their farm system got a huge upgrade, and I expect that to pay off in a big way in the future.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, August 6, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/5/2016

I was going to ask this question: Has a guy ever begun his season as a starting pitcher, spent at least 65 percent of the year in the rotation, then was moved to the bullpen and still won the Cy Young Award? I knew that Blue Jays ace Aaron Sanchez was set to start Saturday and that it might be his last start of the year as the Jays had said they were sending him to the bullpen after one or two more starts even though Sanchez is 11-1 with an AL-best 2.71 ERA. The team wanted to save innings on his arm as Sanchez is at 139.1 and his previous high was 133.1, spread out over the minors and majors in 2014.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Friday, August 5, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/4/2016

The New York Mets need every win they can get in their battle for a wild-card spot -- I'm presuming the NL East title is going to Washington -- so the news that the team's best hitter, Yoenis Cespedes (.292, 22 HRs, 59 RBIs), is headed to the 15-day disabled list with a right quad injury obviously isn't good. The injury has been bothering him for a while as he had played in only 14 of the Mets' 21 games since he originally suffered the injury and was hitting .227 with just one homer in that span.

Free MLB Picks for Best Props Odds: Thursday August 4, 2016
by Chris Vasile - 8/4/2016

The worst-case scenario for any bettor is going winless on any given night. Thanks to the Detroit Tigers heroics in the bottom of the fifth inning, I was able to stave off my 0-for and break even. The Tigers put up six runs in the inning on route to an 11-5 win over James Shields and the White Sox.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Thursday, August 4, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/3/2016

Bovada had released from updated NL Rookie of the Year odds on Tuesday, and Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was a slight favorite over Rockies shortstop Trevor Story. Well, that's not going to be a race any longer. That's because Story's storybook season is over. He injured his thumb on Saturday sliding into second base against the Mets and then landed on the same thumb when diving for a ground ball. Original X-rays were negative, but MRI results showed a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

Five to Follow MLB Betting: Wednesday, August 3, 2016, Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/2/2016

Despite Brewers All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy vetoing a trade to Cleveland, the Indians were one of the winners ahead of Monday's trade deadline in getting Yankees stellar lefty reliever Andrew Miller and Rays outfielder Brandon Guyer. They are behind only the Texas Rangers on odds to win the AL pennant. However, those Cleveland pennant hopes could be dependent on what an MRI shows on the elbow of All-Star pitcher Danny Salazar on Tuesday.