Sportingbet.com's Live MLB betting schedule
Sportingbet.com will have Live Betting available for 10 MLB games this week, including the opener of a key four-game set between the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.
Sportingbet.com has the Dodgers as a -125 home favorite and the over/under total at 8. The game gets started at 10:05 pm ET and can be seen on CSN-HD and ESPN2.
Sportingbet.com's Live, IN:PLAY wagering allows MLB baseball betting fans to bet while a game's in progress.
This week's Phillies-Dodgers series could have a significant impact on the standings in two National League divisions, as Philadelphia has a two-game lead over the New York Mets atop the NL East, while Los Angeles sits second in the NL West, a game and a half back of the leading Arizona Diamondbacks. Other games available for Live Betting this week at Sportingbet.com:
Tuesday: Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox (7:05 pm ET); Wednesday: New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins (1:05 pm ET); Thursday: Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland A's (3:30 pm ET), Chicago Cubs at Atlanta Braves (7:05 pm ET), Philadelphia at Los Angeles Dodgers (10:05 pm ET); Friday: Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox (7:05 pm ET); Saturday: Kansas City Royals at New York Yankees (1:05 pm ET); Chicago White Sox at Oakland A's (4:05 pm ET); Tampa Bay at Texas (8:05 pm ET).
On Monday night, the Phillies will start righthander Kyle Kendrick, who is 10-5 with a 4.37 ERA this season, and the Dodgers will counter with Derek Lowe. The righthander has a 4.10 ERA to go along with a 8-10 record. Philadelphia beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 6-3 as a -220 favorite on Sunday. The score just slid below the over/under total of 9.5. Also Sunday, the Dodgers lost to San Francisco 5-4 as a -130 favorite. The nine runs went over the total of 7. Philadelphia (64-53 SU) has won two straight while Los Angeles (58-59 SU) has lost its past two.
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Betting opportunities with the Seattle Mariners
I won't be writing much more on baseball this season, as football becomes the focus in the months ahead. However, I was handicapping the MLB card and noted the hotter weather in Seattle. Two years ago at the end of July, I wrote a blog about some information that was provided to me regarding the ball traveling much more with the warmer temps at pitcher friendly Safeco Field. During a six-game stretch in 2006 with the hottest temperatures of the season in Seattle, Mariners game totals reached 13, 17, 10, 15 and 11 runs. The only game that stayed 'under' the total was when staff ace Felix Hernandez pitched. Over the past three days in Seattle, the Mariners scores were 10-5, 3-1 and 8-4 against Baltimore, and again the only low scoring game was with King Felix on the hill firing his fastball and getting ground ball outs.
I'm ready to fire with a few over the total plays in the Twins vs. Mariners series as the temps hit the upper 80's, and will follow the weather and match-ups in the Rays, Mariners weekend series as the projection is to be back into the low 70's by the weekend. The Twins took over first-place in the AL Central with yesterday's home win and promising return of left-handed starter Francisco Liriano. Tonight, Minnesota will send Glen Perkins to the hill at Safeco Field, and the lefty has been fairly efficient for the Twins in his first year as starter. However, in his two recent outings covering 12 innings, he's allowed nine runs on 15 hits and this is his first time facing Seattle. He's lasted at least five innings in 10-straight starts, and while Seattle has struggled at the plate this season, note that the Mariners are hitting .283 since the All-Star break and have recorded double-digit hits in eight of their last nine games. The Mariners also hit left-handed pitchers much better, as Seattle is batting .284 as a team against southpaws with Willie Bloomquist (.353) and the heart of the Seattle lineup all 'clubbing' left handers at a steady rate, Adrian Beltre (.343), Jose Lopez (.339) and Raul Ibanez (.303).
Meanwhile the Twins are hitting .277 as a team; good for third in the American League. They were very hot over a 30-day stretch in July; batting a MLB best .304 as a team. Twins batters have hit .290 as a team the past 44 games; good for the second best average in baseball while also posting the most wins (30) in MLB since June 13. Minnesota has hit right-handed pitchers for a .281 average and 55 HRs this season, and the Twins have some solid left-handed bats with speedster Denard Span at the top, switch-hitting Nick Punto, Jason Kubel, Brian Buscher and sluggers Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau in the middle of the lineup. They should have success against Miguel Batista, who is 3-9 with a 6.67 ERA in 18 starts with opponents hitting .314 in those starting assignments. Batista was rocked in his last start at Safeco while allowing eight runs in two innings against the Indians. Batista pitched pretty well on the road in two recent starts, but can't be counted on to go more than five or six innings. What's interesting to note about the Twins is that outside of stud closer Joe Nathan (30 saves, 0.50 ERA last 18 innings pitched), Minnesota relievers have not been too effective. In fact, the Twins relievers own a road ERA over 5.60. Seattle is counting on J.J. Putz to return to form and become their closer as they convert fireballer Brandon Morrow into a starter yet this season.
The Twins most effective starter Scott Baker takes on knuckleballer R.A. Dickey Tuesday night, before rookie right-hander Nick Blackburn battles Seattle left-hander Jarrod Washburn in daytime action Wednesday. Neither of these teams has a lot of power in their lineup, and Safeco Field yields the second fewest home runs in the American League. Still, I'm willing to bet that we see more scoring opportunities and run production than expected over the next three games.
sportsmemo.com.
Sports Picks: It is Good to Pick Bad
Let me divulge upfront that I am not a connoisseur on picking stocks. But I know those who have been triumphant on the stock market have done it by selecting stocks that nobody else sought. They purchased stocks when their worth was at their lowest and going with them. The other end of that equation is selling stocks when they reach their zenith.
That is exactly the modus operandi that I have used to become the foremost all-sports handicapper in the world. Of course I don't win 365 days a year and even on winning days, I will get some hate mail about a particular pick. I can candidly say in all my years of handicapping, 98 percent of people who interrogate a specific selection, second-guess my picking of a big underdog. The handicapper who hits 48 percent of his plays but elects to choose almost all favorites will get less hate mail then the guy who hits 56 percent and picks mostly big dogs.
Especially in baseball, if I have a losing night and I picked several big dogs, I already know of the four guys who will question how I could make those picks. Of course, I must add this caveat: they keep re-signing with me. As you may guess, when I go 4-0 with all dogs I do not hear from them. But my most unforgiving critics are more times than not, my most loyal clients. I have flat out had gamblers tell me, "If I am going to lose, I´d rather lose betting (the vastly superior team) than betting on (the grossly inferior team)." Never in my life have I heard a more self-fulfilling prophecy. Attitudes like that keep the bookmakers in business for those of us who do win long-term.
It is no secret that the public loves betting favorites. I am not sure why. I suppose from a cardiac perspective, it is easier to root for a favorite. For example, if a gambler has Florida State laying 28 to Duke, even if FSU is winning by only 10 entering the fourth quarter, in the back of his mind, he knows the Seminoles are more than capable of scoring three quick touchdowns. On the other hand, if he has Duke, he can never breathe that sigh of relief until the final buzzer.
So if a fallacious feeling of security from a rooting standpoint is all you want, true going with grossly rated too low teams necessitates sweating wins until the end. By hook or by crook, going with a 10-point dog that loses by 14 is so much more painful to the typical gambler than having a double-digit favorite lose outright. This is so much truer in baseball betting. I am flabbergasted at how few gamblers truly have a notion of how baseball betting works. Winning percentage is so irrelevant in MLB betting. One has to hit 60-percent of 150 favorites just to break even, but only 40-percent of 150 dogs (after the juice) to reach the break even point. I have been very triumphant in the back pocket going against Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, and the Yankees etc in choice situations. But it never fails, every time I pick a huge dog that loses, my email box has a small number who say, "How could you EVER pick against Pedro Martinez…"
Wise Guys don't elect to choose huge baseball underdogs expecting to strike 70-percent. But the best baseball handicappers put themselves in a position where they can go .500 and take home a ton of money. It takes parallel thick skin in other sports. Of course if you are going with undervalued teams against overvalued, meaning big dogs, inescapably you will be on the wrong end of a 56-7 score. But I have news for the chalk lovers. It is the same in the wallet as picking a 10-point favorite and winning only by a touchdown. But again, the "at least I lost picking the better team" attitude gives the average Joe a façade of solace.
It's the bad teams that are thought too little of, not the great teams. We made big money going with the Detroit Lions late last year for example. We had to be on pins and needles for a lot of them, believe me, but taking the undervalued dogs is the way to win long-term. Do not get that false sense of sanctuary by going with Florida in college football (or basketball for that matter), the Spurs, Duke in basketball all of the time. No gambler hits 100 percent of the time, but eradicate this bizarre human nature of second guessing yourself when a horrible team fails to cover and being so content when the superior team loses in the back pocket.
This is not to say that there are not games of value in betting the big favorite. But while all the psychological advantages of betting favorites cause the public to love laying the lumber, those of us who win more than we lose know that the best value comes with select big dogs in the right situation. But those of us who sell picks for a living have to develop mental sturdiness when getting feedback from clients. Even the most realistic clients understand that no handicapper is slump-proof, but they still seem to only second guess me when I pick an underdog.
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MLB Baseball Betting Odds - Seattle at Oakland
BetUS MLB betting odds: Oakland -200, Seattle +170; Total 7.5.
The sputtering Seattle Mariners (35-54), who are having some trouble scoring runs, play the second game of their series against the Oakland Athletics (48-41) in American League action that is scheduled to take place at 10:05 PM ET on Tuesday night at McAfee Coliseum (natural turf) in Oakland. Carlos Silva (4-10, 5.85 ERA) takes the mound for the Mariners, while Justin Duchscherer (9-5, 1.96 ERA) is the starting pitcher for the Athletics. It is a baseball wagering matchup between right-handers.
At BetUS online sportsbook, Oakland is listed as a -200 sports betting favorite (Seattle is +170), with a total of 7.5 runs (the Over is -115, while the Under is -105). The Mariners actually do not have the worst record in the major leagues. That "distinction" belongs to the Washington Nationals. Seattle has experienced two problems this season - an inability to score runs (just 4.01 per game) and an inability to stop runs from scoring (4.69 per contest). Lately the Mariners have been a little more non-offensive than usual, tallying just 13 runs in their last four games. Last night they played their fourth "under" in a row, as they fell to the A's by a 4-3 score. Dana Eveland, the starter for Oakland, was just a little better than Jarrod Washburn of Seattle. Or one team's offense was just a little worse - take you pick. Right now Oakland, which has allowed less runs per game than anyone in the American League (3.67), is still trying to make a race of it in the AL West, but the A's are six games behind the Los Angeles Angels. There is some life in their contention for a potential wild card spot, however, as Oakland is just two games in the loss column behind the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox.
Seattle's starter on Tuesday night, Carlos Silva, has surrendered just a single run in three of his last four starts against the Athletics. And one of those starts was this season, a seven-inning stint on April 17 when he gave up just four hits. Otherwise, however, Silva has had a difficult time getting people out on a consistent basis in 2008. And Seattle has not had any success in games he's started over the past month and a half, going 1-8 in his last nine mound appearances, and scoring just 13 runs in his last five starts. Justin Duchscherer has been a model of consistency and was an easy selection for the American League All-Star team. The right-handed ace has made 14 starts, and in only ONE of those starts has he given up more than two runs. Over his last five outings he has compiled a 1.43 ERA. It's almost a wonder he hasn't won every start. But Oakland sometimes forgets to hit for him; indeed, they have scored three runs or less seven times he's stepped on the mound. If you were playing a side, there would only BE one side, and of course that would be Oakland with Duchscherer. But considering Seattle doesn't hit (only Ichiro Suzuki is over the .300 mark), we like the more attractive price with the total. Let's go UNDER 7.5 runs at -105 in the BetUS Major League Baseball betting odds.
Copyright 1994-2008 BetUS.com
MLB Baseball Betting - Chicago White Sox vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Wednesday night was all about Dodgers left-hander Eric St1ults who threw a complete game shutout against the White Sox to allow the Dodgers to secure the 6-0 victory in last night's Interleague online gambling affair. Los Angeles' offense wasted no time getting on the board after only managing a single run the night before by plating two in the first giving Stults all he needed in his dominant performance. With the win, the Dodgers got back in the good graces of the betting public by cashing a ticket for just the second time in their last five home games. At five games under .500 (36-41), Joe Torre's injury-riddled club only trails the Arizona Diamondbacks by three games in the NL West after they dropped another to the defending champion Boston Red Sox last night. Chicago just can't find its consistency on the road this season evidenced by its poor 18-24 road mark costing MLB bettors close to USD 400.00 on the year. The loss was their 10th in their L/11 road games. With the Twins rattling off their eighth win in a row at San Diego last night, Chicago's lead in the AL Central has been carved down to just half a game. They'll take the field this afternoon looking to secure their first road series win since they took two of three from the Cleveland Indians at "The Jake" back in late May.
John Danks is coming off another stellar performance his last time out against the Chicago Cubs where he left after the sixth inning with a 3-1 lead. He stymied the Cubs offense limiting their potent attack to five hits and one run through his six innings of work. He didn't figure into the decision after Octavio Dotel allowed back-to-back homers to Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez in the seventh, and he's yet to lose a start since May 24th. This will be his second road start in as many outings, and he's excelled as a visitor going 2-1 with a miniscule 1.69 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in seven total starts. The southpaw, who has never faced the Dodgers, has allowed two earned runs or less in 12 of his 15 starts this year. Clayton Kershaw's stay in the big leagues this season can be best described by one word, frustrating. His overall marks are by no means poor, but like most of the Dodgers' starters, Kershaw hasn't had much breathing room. The team's offense has scored just eight runs in his six starts this season. He enters this afternoon's start 0-1 on the year with a 4.34 ERA and 1.55 WHIP allowing 27 hits and 14 runs with a K/BB ratio of 26/18 in 29 total innings of work. He's been at his best in day games where his ERA lowers to a solid 2.40, and he's allowed just 12 hits and four runs while striking out 14 and walking seven in 15 total innings of work. This will be his first career start against a Chicago based team.
Oddsmakers opened the Dodgers short -120 home favorites in today's baseball betting affair, with the 'total' set at 8 over -115. BetUS.com offers all MLB betting odds be it side, total, or run-line, so be sure to login to your account and get your wagers down before this afternoon's first pitch.
Copyright 1994-2008 BetUS.com
MLB Baseball Betting-Atlanta Braves vs. Texas Rangers
The Atlanta Braves take on the Texas Rangers in an afternoon game on Thursday. This is one of those interleague games where the online wagering looks obvious. The Braves lost the first game in this three-game sports betting series. Then they came back and won the second game by three-runs. Now, in the final game of the series they send pitcher Charlie Morton to the mound. Morton is another one of those highly-priced Atlanta pitchers that they groomed from their own farm system. In his lone start of the season, Morton threw six innings, giving up only five hits, for an ERA of 4.50. He's a definite up-and-comer that baseball betting fans should keep an eye on. The Texas Rangers counter with pitcher Scott Feldman. Feldman isn't the worst starter in the majors, heck, he might not even be the worst starter on the Texas Rangers roster, but he's probably up against it in this game. MLB betting fans have found it hard to wager on Scott Feldman with his 1 and 3 record and 4.84 ERA.
Still believe that this is an easy game to call. Even though the Atlanta Braves start inexperienced Charlie Morton, the Texas Rangers are in no position to take advantage. Scott Feldman just hasn't been pitching well and as badly as the Braves can play at times, they do have super-human batting average champ Chipper Jones on their team. Chipper has been hovering around .400 all season. That means that Feldman could get roughed up early in this game. Morton will give up a couple, maybe even three, runs in this game, but I still like the Braves and Morton's chances more then Feldman and the Rangers' chances. I'll make an online wager on the Atlanta Braves to win this game straight-up at online betting odds of even money.
Copyright 1994-2008 BetUS.com
MLB Baseball Betting- Atlanta Braves vs. Chicago Cubs
The NL Central leading Chicago Cubs increased its home winning streak to nine games in last nights MLB online betting affair against Atlanta after they outslugged the Braves to earn the 10-5 victory in the first of their three game sports betting set. Atlanta got on the board early giving MLB bettors backing them a glimmer of hope, but Ted Lilly calmed down after his shaky start and the Cubs offense pounded Tom Glavine sending him to the showers early after allowing six hits and four earned runs in just three innings of work. The loss dropped the Braves to a pathetic 7-22 on the road and 11-14 vs. left-handers on the year. Now sitting one game under .500 at 32-33, the Braves find themselves 6.5-games in back of the NL East leading Philadelphia Phillies. The victory allowed Chicago to hold onto the best record in baseball at 41-24, but they still only sit 2.5-games in front of the St. Louis Cardinals who kept pace with last night's 7-2 win at Cincinnati. It's been an automatic thus far for MLB Handicappers to
back the Cubs whenever they've welcomed their opponents into the friendly confines. They stand an impressive 27-8 overall and have brought their betting backers in a total of USD 1451.00 in the process.
Looking to even up the series will be Braves right-hander Jair Jurjjens who enters tonight's start with a 6-3 record and 3.77 ERA. This will be his first career start against the Chicago Cubs franchise. He's off a winning effort against the Florida Marlins, but his offense had more to do with the victory than his right arm. The kid allowed 11 hits and five earned runs through six innings of work, and it was the second straight start in which he allowed five plus runs. He's had no luck on the road at all sporting a 1-3 mark with a 4.84 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, and it doesn't help his cause that he's been tagged for 28 hits and 14 earned runs in his L/3 starts.
Ryan Dempster continues to be one of the bright spots in the Cubs starting rotation after he helped them pick up a road victory against the LA Dodgers his last time out. The Cubs have won 10 of his 13 starts this season, and he's been flat out nasty at Wrigley Field compiling a perfect 7-0 mark with a 3.10 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. He's only allowed 36 hits and 17 earned runs in 49 positive innings of work within the friendly confines. That said, he's only lasted 10 1/3rd innings in his last two combined starts, and Lou Piniella needs him to go further to give his overworked bullpen some much needed rest. Dempster really needs to bring his "A" game to notch his 8th victory of the year tonight after taking a gander at his career marks vs. the Braves. He's 1-8 with a bloated 5.81 ERA and 1.62 WHIP in 13 starts, but he hasn't faced them since 2003 as a starter.
Oddsmakers opened the Cubs midrange -150 home favorites in tonight's baseball betting affair with the "total" set at 10 under -120. BetUS.com offers all MLB betting odds be it side, total, or run-line, so be sure to login to your account and get your wagers down before tonight's first pitch. Chicago's secured victories in 15 of their L/20 against right-handers this season, and they've won each of Dempster's L/9 starts at Wrigley Field. However, the Braves are 9-1 SU their L/10 against a pitcher with a WHIP less than 1.15, and they've managed to win in Juurjens L/5 starts against positve .500 teams. The Cubs are smoking hot right now, but Dempster's been shaky of late and has terrible marks against the Braves. Chipper will also be back in the line-up so don't be shocked if Atlanta picks up a rare road win in this spot.
Copyright 1994-2008 BetUS.com
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