MLB BETTING: The AL East
No matter what happens elsewhere in the major leagues, sportsbooks and bettors always pay close attention to the action in the American League East. Besides having the two most popular bets in baseball, the AL East also boasts the defending AL champs and the league’s top money winner.
The AL East begins with the New York Yankees, whether you’re betting on them or against them. New York wraps a two-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays this week before facing the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend. New York’s heavy price tags haven’t reflected its play on the field.
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New York is just 13-13 heading into Wednesday and has struggled on the road in the first month of the season. The Yankees have only been a sportsbook underdog in five of their 26 games, going 1-4 without the juice. Third baseman Alex Rodriguez could return as soon as this weekend and is just in time, with catcher Jorge Posada hitting the DL with a hamstring injury.
New York’s hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox, come off another successful series with the Bronx Bombers and host the Cleveland Indians for two games before welcoming Tampa Bay to Fenway this weekend. The Red Sox took two of three games with the Tribe already this season but finished 1-3 in a four-game series with the Rays. Boston’s bats went limp during that skid, hitting just .236 and averaging only 3.5 runs per game, and burned bettors as sportsbook favorites in two of those losses.
The betting odds will likely have the BoSox carrying hefty vig into the weekend. Boston’s pitching staff hasn’t been sharp this season, combining for a 5.66 ERA. The bullpen has made up for those poor starts, picking up five wins, nine saves, and posting a 2.96 total ERA.
Tampa Bay appears to be getting into the swing of things after beginning the season 7-15. After last year’s turnaround and World Series appearance, the betting odds have favored the Rays and made backers pay extra for their team’s sub-par performances. Tampa Bay took two of three games against the Orioles but now travels to New York and Boston, where sportsbooks will tag it as an underdog.
The Rays’ lineup is beginning to heat up, averaging almost seven runs in the past six games heading into Wednesday. Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Evan Longoria, is mashing the ball to start the season. The third baseman is hitting .365 and leads the majors with 30 RBI. 
Outfielder Carl Crawford is off to a slow start at the plate, but is lightening quick on the base paths. He has 19 stolen bases so far, including six against the Red Sox on Sunday.
Perhaps the biggest surprise in the AL East is the play of the Toronto Blue Jays. They’ve jumped up the money rankings with 19 wins, bringing in more than eight units. Betting odds have favored Toronto in 19 of its 29 games this season but bettors will get discount prices when the team travels to the west coast to face the Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics this week. The Blue Jays went 17-19 against the AL West last season but have already won three of four games against the A’s in April.
Toronto’s strength is its bats, which are bringing in over six runs per game behind an MLB-best .295 batting average. The pitching staff is trying to fight through injuries to the rotation while the bullpen is also shuffling arms with closer B.J. Ryan hitting the DL.
The AL East’s forgotten club, the Baltimore Orioles, remain in the basement of the division after dropping eight of their past 10 games heading into Wednesday. While the Orioles aren’t the top choice of bettors, wagering on their totals could be the best strategy. Baltimore has an over/under mark of 16-10-1 this year, mostly in part to its weak efforts on the mound. The O’s play the Minnesota Twins for two games before hosting the Yankees on the weekend.
The Orioles’ hitting has trailed off during this recent skid, averaging just over four runs in the past eight games. Second baseman Brian Roberts was mired in a slump to begin the month while Adam Jones and Nick Markakis continue to be the lone threats in the order.
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