First Half Baseball Betting 2008
June 23, 2008
With the MLB’s All-Star game coming up in less than a month, we are almost to the halfway point of another season of baseball betting. This means that it’s a good time for us to take a look at some of the hot and cold teams in baseball this season so we can continue to make profits on the diamond.
Let’s start off by defining what we mean by hot and cold. A hot team doesn’t just mean they are at the top of their standings, but we are looking more for teams that are increasing our bankrolls each week. Cold teams are killing bankrolls across the world, not necessarily just bottom feeders in the leage, but good teams that are underachieving.
Why is it so important to look at who is hot and who is cold? Because baseball is such a streaky sport, so when teams get hot, they usually stay hot and you can win money by taking the baseball odds in their favor. Think back to late last year when the Colorado Rockies busted out and made it all the way to the World Series.
The Rockies team leap frogged the New York Mets at the end of last year just to make the playoffs, and that almost certainly led to the demise of skipper Willie Randolph, which happened a week ago today.
For those of you handicapping baseball and betting on the games, you want to try to decide how the firing of Randolph will affect the Mets or if it even will and whether or not the Mets could become a team to watch out for after the All-Star Game.
HOT
1. Chicago Cubs - the Cubs are the class of the National League and should continue to be that way after the break. If you are betting in the sportsbooks then you know what a great hitting team this is. The injury to Zambrano doesn’t seem to be too serious and the rest of the staff has performed well too. I really like the Cubs in the second half of the season to separate themselves from the rest of the National League and be the clear cut favorite heading into the playoffs.
Los Angeles Angels - The Angels and the Boston Red Sox are both at the top of the American League. Their pitching staff will keep them competitive all year long and their lineup is pretty good too. They don’t overwhelm you, but that normally means that they’ll go under the radar and get better betting lines than other teams do.
Boston Red Sox - The Red Sox are the defending champions and have been playing as well as anyone else in baseball. This is a very good squad that I would be willing to take against anyone. Their lineup puts up a ton of runs, but they have a couple of shut-down guys in Dice-K and Josh Beckett too. The only worry about Boston is that they are such a fan favorite they don’t show value in their odds too often.
COLD
Arizona Diamondbacks - What happened to this team? They got off to a great start, but have cooled off considerably. If Brandon Webb or Dan Haren is on the mound, they have a chance to win, but if not then Arizona seems to be in trouble. The D-Backs have struggled at the plate as well, so this is a team I would try to avoid.
Los Angeles Dodgers - Their lineup is above average, but their pitching has been mediocre at best. Brad Penny has seemingly lost it. Hiroki Kuroda isn’t bad but he’s thirty-five years old. This team just isn’t as good as people thought they were going to be. Even though the Dodgers are only a few games behind Arizona, the NL West is just that bad.
New York Yankees - Sure they have a potent lineup and the team made a big comeback to make the playoffs a year ago, but their pitching stinks and now they have lost their ace until September. This is a team that is over-valued day in and day out, so take a stab at fading them when the situation looks right.
Detroit Tigers - Speaking of over-rated, what happened to this team? The Tigers pitching has een horrid and their hitters are underproducing. Luckily, they play in the A.L. Central Division so if they get hot they’ll still have a chance, but let’s get serious here. This team would be outmatched in the playoffs by either the Red Sox or the Angels.
