Baseball Handicapping Articles

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Wednesday, May 20, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/19/2015

There has been a trade in baseball, but I don't think it's one that will exactly open the floodgates to have other teams dealing. The Cubs have carried three catchers all season, which obviously hamstrung Manager Joe Maddon a bit as that meant one less utility player or reliever. That's no longer a problem as Chicago sent Welington Castillo to Seattle. Castillo became available when the Cubs traded for Miguel Montero this offseason and signed David Ross.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Tuesday, May 19, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/18/2015

Pretty gutsy move, one that I don't understand why ownership would approve of, in Marlins general manager Dan Jennings naming himself to replace Manager Mike Redmond, whom Jennings fired on Sunday. The Marlins were only 16-22 under Redmond. If it sounds familiar that the franchise would can a manager after only 38 games, it should. In 2003, the Marlins fired Jeff Torborg after 38 games.

Here is why MLB is the Sport you should be Betting
by Jason Sharpe - 5/18/2015

I've not only been surviving but thriving as a professional sports bettor over the past seven years in Las Vegas. I've overcome the long odds and have had great success because I'm always working on improving myself as a handicapper. My improvement comes from keeping meticulous notes and taking the time to review my overall records for each of the five sports that I wager on.

MLB Series Odds with Expert Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 5/18/2015

Every Monday morning, Bovada releases its three-game series price odds in advance of the start of any new MLB series. While many baseball bettors like to focus on the individual daily matchups, oftentimes you can find some tremendous value in the series price odds if you know how and where to look.

Betting Odds and MLB Free Picks for Player and Team Props for Monday
by Dave Schwab - 5/18/2015

The MLB schedule for this Monday night is pared down to just six games, but Bovada has helped to increase the betting action by releasing a number of player prop odds in conjunction with these matchups. After carefully going through this list by weighing each player's current form and overall performance in the early part of the new season, I have been able to come up with my top three plays of the night.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Sunday, May 17, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/16/2015

Detroit's Miguel Cabrera is obviously one of the best hitters of his generation and a future Hall of Famer. That's not up for discussion. He can hit any pitcher: flamethrower, knuckleballer, junkballer, lefty, righty, you name it. Cabrera can hit in any park. So explain to me, then, his day/night splits this season. Entering Saturday, Cabrera was hitting just .194 in night games with one homer and three RBI (and that's after a big Friday night). How is that possible?

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, May 16, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/15/2015

It's about time that the Tampa Bay Rays got some good pitching news. The team has lost excellent young starters Alex Cobb and Drew Smyly to season-ending arm injuries, with Cobb undergoing Tommy John surgery and Smyly almost certain to join him. That's a shame. But the Rays have their closer for the first time this season as the club has activated Jake McGee off the DL. The lefty was excellent last season -- the Rays always unearth these kinds of guys -- with a 5-2 record, 19 saves and 1.89 ERA.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Friday, May 15, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/14/2015

I asked recently whether we might see a four-homer game this season after Washington's Bryce Harper hit three on May 7. The answer is probably no, but there's a better chance of that than seeing a record-tying 20 strikeout game. But on Wednesday, previously struggling reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber of the Indians pitched the game of the season thus far with 18 strikeouts and one hit allowed in eight innings against the Cardinals.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Thursday, May 14, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/13/2015

I now have a new favorite for the first manager to be fired: Colorado's Walt Weiss. The Rockies were competitive for a while but took a 10-game losing streak into Wednesday. The new Colorado GM felt compelled to say he likes the roster early this week and that the blame was on the players and not the coaches. That's usually a bad sign. Weiss might not make it through the weekend if the team breaks the franchise-record 13-game losing streak.

Tracking the Nationals: MLB Picks and Handicapping for Washington Baseball
by Dave Schwab - 5/13/2015

My task this MLB season is to exclusively handicap the Washington Nationals in an effort to demonstrate that specialization on just one team when it comes to wagering on MLB games can be a viable betting strategy. I am also releasing free picks for select games with the use of Doc's Sports Unit Betting System with the goal of building a profitable bankroll with these unit plays.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Wednesday, May 13, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/12/2015

Now that the Cubs' Kris Bryant is an established major leaguer, it's time to start the watch for the next super-prospect to be called up from the minors. And that could be Houston shortstop prospect Carlos Correia. who was moved up to Triple-A on Monday. The first overall pick in the 2012 draft tore up Double-A this season with a.385 batting average, seven homers, 15 doubles, 15 steals and 32 RBIs in 29 games.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Tuesday, May 12, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/11/2015

When this season started, I would have put Red Sox manager on John Farrell on any Top 5 list of guys who had to worry least about their job. Now I'm not so sure. It was a curious weekend for the struggling Red Sox as they fired pitching coach Juan Nieves. So Farrell gets a pass because he won the 2013 World Series with Boston, but Nieves, who was also the pitching coach that year, doesn't?

MLB Series Odds with Expert Picks and Predictions
by Dave Schwab - 5/11/2015

It is a new week of MLB games, and looking ahead to a few of Bovada’s series price odds for Monday’s action, I have found a trio of betting opportunities that offer some solid value in the numbers as they pertain to which team actually goes on to win each of these three-game sets.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Sunday, May 10, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/9/2015

Some disappointing news for the surprising New York Mets. They were hoping to get back third baseman David Wright off his hamstring injury next week. However, Wright has had a setback. The good news is that it's not to his hamstring but his lower back. An MRI on that came back clean, but he has been shut down until the pain subsides. Now there's clearly no shot that Wright will return next week. Wright, who hasn't played since April 14, is hitting .333 with a homer and four RBIs.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Saturday, May 9, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/8/2015

I guess congratulations to the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, who hit career homer No. 661 on Thursday to move past Willie Mays for fourth on the all-time list. The Yankees as an organization didn't go out of their way to celebrate that one or pay A-Rod his $6 million bonus for tying Mays with No. 660. Nor should the team, considering Rodriguez's cheating history. I wonder how many of those dingers were legit?

MLB Baseball Betting: Houston Astros a Major Surprise
by Trevor Whenham - 5/8/2015

Every year in baseball there are a few things that just don’t make any sense. Teams that were supposed to be good that are awful. Others that seemed hopeless that are lighting it up. We are only a month into this season, so a whole lot can change, but the Houston Astros, who have been the laughing stock of the league for years, are definitely in the latter category.

MLB Handicapping: Biggest Disappointments
by Trevor Whenham - 5/8/2015

We are a month into the baseball season. That’s just short of 20 percent of the season. Not nearly enough time to know anything about how things will ultimately turn out but more than enough to have seen which teams just aren’t performing at the level they were expected to. Let’s not mince words — they are freaking disappointing so far.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Friday, May 8, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/7/2015

Will we see a four-homer game by player this season? It's more rare than a perfect game. It has happened only four times this century, last on May 8, 2012, by the Rangers' Josh Hamilton. I bring this up because Washington's Bryce Harper homered in his first three at-bats on Wednesday, each one further than the previous. Each of the home runs came on the second pitch of the at-bat off the Marlins' Tom Koehler. With a chance for history,

Tracking the Nationals: MLB Picks and Handicapping for Washington Baseball
by Dave Schwab - 5/7/2015

Specialization when it comes to wagering on MLB games can be a viable betting strategy, and to help demonstrate this point I’m focusing all my energy this season on handicapping the Washington Nationals. I will also be releasing weekly picks for their games with the use of Doc’s Sports Unit Betting System. My goal for the season is to return a solid profit on these unit plays.

Five To Follow MLB Betting: Thursday, May 7, 2015 Opening Line Report
by Alan Matthews - 5/6/2015

Did I pick the St. Louis Cardinals to win the NL Central? I did. But get off to a 20-6 start as they have entering Wednesday? Certainly not. Some stats I found about teams that begin a season winning 20 of their first 26 (makes that 1984 Tigers 35-5 start even more amazing): St. Louis is the 35th team to start with at least that many wins in the first 26, and 12 of the previous 34 won the World Series; seven more made the Fall Classic but