The MLB All-Star break marks the half way point of the 2009 baseball season and a good opportunity to review which teams have a legitimate shot to win the World Series. Every division is still up for grabs, but in the end only two teams will play for the right to be called World Champions.
Although much has been written about what angles to use for profitable MLB Picks betting most of these articles focus on the pitching. It is a fact that pitching is 90% of the MLB Picks game there are also other profitable ways at which to look at an MLB Pick.
One such way, that I believe is somewhat overlooked, is the impact of the umpire on the outcome of an MLB Picks game. Specifically, the homeplate umpire.
Non-divisional AL baseball betting action takes center stage at Bookmaker Sportsbook on Wednesday night when the red hot New York Yankees (49-34, -$295) lock horns with the Minnesota Twins (43-41, -$142) for the second of the teams three-game MLB betting set. The Yankees demolished the Twins 10-2 behind a stellar pitching effort from staff ace C.C. Sabathia and a 16-hit effort from the offense last night.
American League Central Division baseball betting takes the spotlight on Friday evening at Bookmaker Sportsbook when the 1st place Detroit Tigers (43-35, +$560) and 2nd place Minnesota Twins (41-39, -$75) lock horns for the first time since mid May. The Tigers hold a three-game lead over the Twins for the top spot in the AL Central, but that lead was once six just a short 10 days ago.
It might not feel like it for those who bet on the Boston Red Sox last night (victims to the largest comeback in Orioles history), but as the 2009 All Star break approaches, the BoSox have the best record in the AL, and have been a profitable play for bettors when picking their spots.
Today they hit the field trying to shake off yesterday’s collapse and win the series with Baltimore.
Hey, look who’s back in the majors! It’s John Smoltz, who has missed over a year after undergoing shoulder surgery.
He’s not doing the Tomahawk Chop in Atlanta anymore though but rather, he’s taking the mound for the Boston Red Sox.
Smoltz’s first start for the BoSox comes tonight when his new team heads to the nation’s capital to play the Nationals—SPORTSBETTING.com has Boston listed as a -135 road favorite and the Total is set at 9.
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.
Rough day yesterday as Craig’s NBA top 2 plays split 1-1. Don’t miss out though Craig has really big day today with two 5 star Plays today with one NBA slam Dunk Winner and one MLB Grand Slam Play!! Get in now as Craig has them both for one low price!!
Craig’s MLB free play is in the National League today between the Cincinnati Reds and Florida Marlins.
Baseball betting fans will get another chance to see the Washington Nationals get pummeled as the St. Louis Cardinals come to town. This will set up a matchup of the best in the National League versus the worst as the Cardinals have been a nice surprise. If you guessed that the MLB odds don’t favor Washington in this series, you would be correct.
The best sport to wager on is Major League Baseball and it has been for many years because there is just so much value with several games being played everyday and yet it astounds me how few people bet on MLB. If you want to make money betting on sports and you do not wager on MLB then you are cheating yourself out of a lot of money and you are definitely not a professional sports bettor.
Odds to Win MLB’s American League West
The AL West has been dominated by the Los Angeles Angels the last several seasons, winning their division four out of the last five years and in 2008 by a whopping 21 games. I do not see things being that easy for them in 2009 as the rest of the teams in the West have worked hard this past off season to try and close the gap.
The AL Central should be the most wide open race in baseball as three maybe four teams have a legitimate shot to win this division. It will all come down to who has the best pitching late in the summer when there are those “must win” games on the line. Most likely there will be little margin for error, so every win becomes that more important.
The American League’s Eastern Division was extremely competitive last season with Tampa Bay shocking everyone by edging out Boston for the division crown. The Red Sox captured the Wild Card and four out of five teams finished with winning records. With some major off season acquisitions and some juggling of the line ups, 2009 is shaping up to be even more competitive and should be a thrilling race to the finish.
In one of the better division pennant races from last season, the Dodgers outlasted the Diamondbacks to win the NL West by 2 games. With Manny Ramirez aboard for the whole season, LA should be able to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division.
Something tells me this isn’t going to be the case, as the NL West could be more competitive this season than most people think.
The NL Central has been dominated by the Chicago Cubs the last two seasons as they have clearly been the class of this division. While there have been some significant player moves by the rest of the teams to try and close the gap, it remains to be seen if it will enough to dethrone the Cubs.
Chicago Cubs -200: While shuffling their line up somewhat, this year’s team remains basically intact from last season’s team that won 97 games.
The NL East has basically been a two team battle the last few seasons with the Mets and the Phillies going down to the wire. The question this year is can anyone else in the division stay in the race long enough to challenge for the top spot.
Here is a look at the current odds to win the NL East.
