Baseball Betting: NL Pitchers Report
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the talk of the National League after rolling to baseball’s best record in the first two months of the season. Sparking that dominance is a superb start by the rotation, which boasts the major’s lowest staff ERA.
Two of the biggest contributors are Chad Billingsley and Eric Stults, who had combined for over 11 betting units as of Wednesday. And despite the MLB moneylines on Los Angeles hovering around -200, these two arms continue to make a bundle with the best team in the bigs behind them.
The Dodgers are 7-2 when Stults takes the bump. The lefthander has a less-than-impressive 4.80 ERA on the year, which is keeping his betting odds very affordable. But with Los Angeles’ bats giving Stults a ton of breathing room on the scoreboard, he has been able to pitch without pressure. Stults is beginning to slide, though, pitching just over 12 innings over his last three starts in which he has an ERA over 8.00.
Billingsley, on the other hand, isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. The Dodgers are 10-3 in his starts, earning baseball bettors 5.56 units. Billingsley has embraced his new role as the rotation’s ace, pitching into at least the sixth inning in all but one of his 13 starts this season. He is fifth in the NL in strikeouts but also leads the league in walks.
There are a couple pitching combos getting the job done at the sportsbook. The Dodgers’ rivals, the San Francisco Giants, have a profitable tandem in Matt Cain and reigning Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, while the Milwaukee Brewers’ success has a lot to do with starters Yovani Gallardo and Braden Looper.
Cain has stepped out of Lincecum’s shadow, leading the Giants to a 9-3 record in his appearances this season. The burly righthander has a personal record of 8-1 with a 2.55 ERA, earning 5.19 units in the process. In his most recent start Cain overcame some control issues to hold Arizona to four runs on six hits and got run support from San Francisco’s lineup, which is literally hit and miss this season.
The Giants’ lackluster offense is the reason why Lincecum’s starts have cost backers. The flame-throwing lefty is 5-1 on the year but has six no-decisions due to poor backup on the scoreboard. In his past four games, Lincecum has been nearly untouchable, posting a 1.57 ERA, but San Francisco is just 2-2 in those starts.
In Milwaukee, Gallardo is leading the charge to the top of the NL Central. The righty has cashed in on his little-known status thanks to a knee injury in 2008, giving the Brewers eight wins in his 11 starts and converting some favorable baseball odds into 4.54 units of profit.
His partner in crime, Braden Looper, is also taking advantage of Milwaukee’s discounted moneylines. The righthander has a personal record of 5-3, a 4.50 ERA, and has helped the Brew Crew take in 4.15 units in his 12 starts in 2009.
Getting the job done as a solo star is Colorado Rockies pitcher Jason Marquis. While the rest of the Rockies’ staff sits at the bottom of the money list, the righty is among the leaders in wins and carries an ERA just under 4.00. Marquis has overcome the lack of talent around him, especially on the road where he is 5-2 with a 3.10 ERA.
It’s no surprise that some of the more costly pitchers this season are top-tier arms going through rough seasons.
Houston Astros ace Roy Oswalt is just 2-3 with a 4.66 ERA this year after winning 17 games in 2008. Houston has failed to support the crafty righthander in many of his starts, going just 5-7 in those games and waving good bye to 3.52 units.
Oswalt followed one of his best efforts of the year with a rough nine-hit six-run showing over six innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He complained about his mechanics and lost command of his pitches.
Another ace fumbling efforts in the first two months of the schedule is the San Diego Padres’ Jake Peavy. The former Cy Young winner was dismal in April coming off the World Baseball Classic but showed flashes of his familiar form in May with a 3-2 record and 2.13 ERA. The Padres have won four of Peavy’s past five starts but are still in the hole for 2.15 units.
