Baseball Handicapping Articles

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Sunday, August 9, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/8/2015

I'll admit that when the Texas Rangers acquired Cole Hamels from the Phillies at last Friday's trade deadline that I expected the Rangers were doing so for 2016 and beyond. But GM Jon Daniels told anyone who would listen that he thought his team was still capable of winning the AL West or taking a wild-card spot.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, August 8, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/7/2015

Has any potential free-agent pitcher cost himself more money in 2014 than Washington's Doug Fister? First off, he missed a month or so with a strained flexor muscle in his right forearm. So that's a warning sign. And when he has pitched, he hasn't been very good with a 4-7 record, 4.60 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. Those latter two are easily career-worsts. In 2014, he was 16-6 with a 2.41 ERA. And now Fister's value figures to drop even more because he has been bumped to the bullpen.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Friday August 7, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/6/2015

I, like most Americans, prefer offense. I think that's why hockey and soccer struggle a bit in this country. There just isn't much scoring; even though I'm a big fan of both sports. But sometimes, a pitchers' duel is baseball beauty. And we get one on Friday (actually a few) in the clear marquee game of the night in Pittsburgh as the Los Angeles Dodgers make their only visit of the season. It will be televised by ESPN and thus have live betting at sportsbooks. It also could be a preview of a Game 1 of a playoff series as the Pirates are atop the NL wild-card standings, and the Dodgers are going to win the NL West even though the Giants are hanging around.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Thursday, August 6, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/5/2015

Pretty shocking news out of Detroit on Tuesday as the team parted ways with very successful GM/team president Dave Dombrowski. Assuming Dombrowski's post will be longtime assistant GM Al Avila, who is the father of Tigers catcher Alex Avila. I don't know what's going on behind the scenes here because Dombrowski is one of the five best, maybe better, GMs in the game. The Tigers advanced to the playoffs in six of Dombrowski's 14 years.

Tracking the Nationals: MLB Picks and Handicapping for Washington Baseball
by Dave Schwab - 8/5/2015

The Nationals have been patiently waiting for the return of a trio of bats from the DL to help jump start a sputtering lineup, and they may have finally gotten a glimpse of what the future might hold in Tuesday's 5-4 victory against Arizona as -180 home favorites.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Wednesday, August 5, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/4/2015

I think the cycle is the most overrated event in baseball, but I did find it interesting what Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre did on Monday. He completed his cycle by the fifth inning, which is pretty incredible. It was also Beltre's third career cycle. It stunned me to learn that ties the big-league record for a career. All three of Beltre's cycles have come at the Rangers' ballpark, two for the home team and one as a visitor when he was playing for Seattle on Sept. 1, 2008.

MLB Betting Advice and Handicapping: Totals Trends Report
by Aaron Smith - 8/3/2015

It's time for the first MLB Totals Trends Report since the all-star break. The 'under' has been dominant since the break, as you will see in the information below. It is important to note that in the past week alone, the 'over' has cashed at slightly more than 50 percent, so the trend may be reversing course.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Tuesday, August 4, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 8/3/2015

This is my first "Five To Follow" since the MLB trade deadline on Friday afternoon. Earlier last week I mentioned the deadline might be a dud because so many big names had already been moved. I was somewhat being sarcastic, but it also turned out that I was right. It was a total dud. The only big name who moved on Friday was Detroit sending outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to the Mets. I am stunned the Padres didn't do a single thing.

MLB Series Odds with Expert Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 8/3/2015

It is a new week of baseball as the division and wild-card races continue to heat up with the August weather. BetOnline has released its series prices for this week's action starting on Monday, and as usual you can find some solid value in the MLB betting odds when you start digging a bit deeper into the individual matchups both at the plate and on the mound.

Betting Odds and MLB Free Picks for Team Props for Monday
by Dave Schwab - 8/3/2015

Betting props in MLB regular-season games can sometimes be a great way to supplement your straight up picks given the value in some of the numbers. I turned to My Bookie's MLB team props for Monday night games to come up with three top plays. After digging deep into all the facts, stats and betting trends for these team props, I have uncovered my trio of picks for total runs that stand out as having the best chance to pay off.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, August 1, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/31/2015

Another busy trade day on Thursday with by far the most significant trade being Toronto landing the ace pitcher it so badly needed, Detroit's David Price, in exchange for top prospect Daniel Norris and two other minor-league pitchers. Jays GM Alex Anthopolous clearly knows he's going to get fired if Toronto misses the playoffs again this season -- it hasn't played in the postseason since 1993, longest drought in baseball -- so he's going all in with Price and Troy Tulowitzki emptying the Toronto farm system.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Friday July 31, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/30/2015

Philadelphia ace Cole Hamels was set to make his first start on Friday since no-hitting the Cubs last Saturday. The team pushed him back a day because it expected to trade him and because he threw so many pitches in the no-no. Smart move as Hamels was traded to Texas on Wednesday in an eight-player deal. Hamels is the first pitcher in major-league history traded during a season immediately after throwing a no-hitter.

Tracking the Nationals: MLB Picks and Handicapping for Washington Baseball
by Dave Schwab - 7/30/2015

The Washington Nationals continue to set the pace in the NL East with a 21-8 record in their last 29 division games, but that gaudy record will be put to the test this weekend in a crucial three-game showdown against the second-place New York Mets. I have been handicapping the Nationals all season long, and with the use of Doc's Sports Unit Betting System I have also been releasing my free picks for select games.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Thursday, July 30, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/29/2015

Maybe Friday's trade deadline day will be rather quiet! All the big names could be gone by then. There were two more deals Tuesday, with Kansas City acquiring Mr. Super Utility Ben Zobrist from Oakland for two minor-league pitchers. Zobrist will likely play left field (until Alex Gordon returns from injury) and second base with K.C. After adding Johnny Cueto, I think the Royals are done now as they have weakened their farm system but are clearly going all in.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Wednesday, July 29, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/28/2015

Very interesting but also somewhat puzzling trade late on Monday night as Colorado sent franchise icon and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki along with veteran reliever LaTroy Hawkins to Toronto for shortstop Jose Reyes and three young pitchers. Now, is Tulowitzki a better player than Reyes? He is, but the Blue Jays already had the best offense in the majors and badly need to add a starting pitcher. Obviously, this doesn't help there.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Tuesday, July 28, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/27/2015

Love the trade over the weekend in Kansas City landing Reds ace Johnny Cueto for three prospects. You don't get many chances to win a World Series as a small-market club, and the Royals haven't since 1985. Now they have a No. 1 to open any playoff series. Cueto is a better pitcher than last year's Royals ace, James Shields, was.

MLB Series Odds with Expert Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 7/27/2015

If you are the type of sports bettor that loves to wager on individual MLB games then you should also take a closer look at the series price betting odds that BetOnline releases every Monday for all the new series on the board. Sometimes you can find some tremendous value in the numbers when you start digging a bit deeper into the individual matchups.

Betting Odds and MLB Free Picks for Team Props for Monday
by Dave Schwab - 7/27/2015

The MLB regular season heads into the final week of July with the official push to the postseason in full gear. To get you ready for another round of MLB betting action for Monday night's series openers, My Bookie has released a number of team prop odds in conjunction with the games. After digging deep into all the MLB betting odds for these team props, I have uncovered a trio picks for total runs that stand out as having the best value on the board.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Sunday, July 26, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/25/2015

When is Major League Baseball going to step in and force the current Mets ownership to sell? It did that with former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, and look at where that franchise is now. It's thriving and has the highest payroll in the game. The Mets spend like a small-market team. Yet this week, Commissioner Rob Manfred offered an endorsement of the penny-pinching owners: "I've known both Fred and Jeff Wilpon a very long time," he said. "I know they are absolutely committed to winning and that they will spend money when they think they can spend money and have it be effective in terms of making that team better."

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, July 25, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 7/24/2015

The trade market for pitching should really heat up now after Thursday's deal sent Oakland's Scott Kazmir to his hometown of Houston for two prospects, catcher Jacob Nottingham and right-handed pitcher Daniel Mengden. Kazmir was 5-5 with a 2.38 ERA in 18 starts for the A's and was supposed to pitch on Thursday. Now he was to make his Astros debut on Friday night. The last time Kazmir was traded during the season was 2009, and he had been struggling mightily with Tampa Bay.