Monday's MLB National League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Check out our quick-hitting betting notes for Monday's National League games:
Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates (-159, 7)
Hot pitching stat: Cubs starter Jeff Samardzija had a 3.35 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 37 innings in March and April of last season.
Hot batting stat: Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen hit .339 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 286 second-half plate appearances in 2013.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-50s with sunny skies and wind blowing out to right field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: Cubs are 1-8 in their last nine games as a road underdog.
Washington Nationals at New York Mets (150, 6.5)
Hot pitching stat: Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg is 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA and 31 strikeouts in four career starts versus the Mets.
Hot batting stat: Mets third baseman David Wright hit no worse than .296 in any month last season.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-40s with a 59 percent chance of rain and wind blowing in from center field at 15 mph.
Key betting note: Washington is 19-7 in its last 26 games against NL East opponents.
Atlanta Braves at Milwaukee Brewers (-103, 7.5)
Cold pitching stat: Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo was 5-6 with a 4.58 ERA at home last season, compared to 7-4, 3.77 on the road.
Cold batting stat: Braves outfielder B.J. Upton registered a .557 OPS last season, the worst by a player at his position with a minimum of 400 plate appearances since 2000.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-50s with partly cloudy skies and wind blowing in from right field at 15 mph.
Key betting note: Under is 13-3 in Milwaukee's last 16 games versus the NL East.
St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds (102, 7)
Cold pitching stat: Reds starter Johnny Cueto is 4-4 with a 4.66 ERA and just 39 strikeouts in 83 career innings versus the Cardinals.
Hot batting stat: Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto has led the league in walks in each of the last three seasons.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-60s with partly cloudy skies and wind blowing from right to left field at 7 mph.
Key betting note: Over is 8-2-2 in the Cardinals' last 12 games versus the NL Central.
Colorado Rockies at Miami Marlins (-148, 6.5)
Hot pitching stat: Marlins righty Jose Fernandez went 7-1 with a 1.32 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 10 second-half starts in 2013.
Hot batting stat: Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is a .287 hitter with seven homers and 24 RBIs in 129 at-bats against Miami.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-70s under clear skies with wind blowing from right to left field at 6 mph.
Key betting note: Miami is 11-0 in Fernandez's last 11 home starts.
San Francisco Giants at Arizona Diamondbacks (120, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Giants lefty Madison Bumgarner posted a 1.19 ERA with 22 strikeouts in five spring training starts.
Hot batting stat: Diamondbacks first baseman and NL home-run champion Paul Goldschmidt batted .340 in 50 at-bats with two outs and runners in scoring position in 2013.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-70s with sunny skies and wind blowing from left to right field at 8 mph.
Key betting note: Under is 8-1-2 in Bumgarner's previous 11 road starts.
Monday's MLB American League Betting Cheat Sheet
By Covers.com
Check out our quick-hitting betting notes for Monday's American League games:
Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers (-159, 7)
Cold pitching stat: Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander was just 1-3 with a 3.27 ERA in six starts against the Royals last season.
Hot batting stat: Detroit outfielder Torii Hunter hit 5-for-17 against Royals starter James Shields in 2013, but also struck out five times.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-40s with partly cloudy skies and wind blowing in from center field at 8 mph.
Key betting note: Kansas City is 11-1 in Shields' previous 12 road starts.
Boston Red Sox at Baltimore Orioles (105, 8.5)
Hot pitching stat: Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester is 15-3 with a 2.94 ERA in 25 career starts versus Baltimore.
Hot batting stat: Orioles slugger Chris Davis hit a MLB-best 53 home runs last season, becoming the first Oriole to finish with the outrighe lead in homers since Brooks Robinson in 1966.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-60s under partly cloudy skies with wind blowing in from left field at 14 mph.
Key betting note: Under is 8-1 in Baltimore right-hander Chris Tillman's last nine starts.
Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox (-163, 7)
Cold pitching stat: Twins right-hander Ricky Nolasco is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA in two career starts at US Cellular Field.
Cold batting stat: Minnesota had a 55 percent success rate on stolen base attempts on the road in 2013, tied with Arizona for the worst in baseball.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-60s with partly cloudy skies and wind blowing from right to left field at 19 mph.
Key betting note: The White Sox are 16-7 in Chris Sale's previous 23 starts as a home favorite.
Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays (-160, 7)
Cold pitching stat: Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey is 12-13 with a 4.85 ERA in 43 career appearances in March and April.
Hot batting stat: Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista is 13-for-46 with five homers and 11 RBIs lifetime versus Rays left-hander David Price.
Weather: N/A.
Key betting note: Under is 7-2 in Dickey's last nine road starts.
Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels (-133, 6.5)
Hot pitching stat: Seattle righty Felix Hernandez posted a 1.90 ERA while holding opponents to a .217 average in six March and April starts in 2013.
Hot batting stat: Angels outfielder Mike Trout had five hits in 14 at-bats against Hernandez last season, including a double and a triple.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the high-50s with a 63 percent chance of rain and wind blowing out to center field at 8 mph.
Key betting note: The Angels are 15-2 in their last 17 home games with a total of 6.5 or lower.
Cleveland Indians at Oakland Athletics (-133, 7)
Hot pitching stat: Cleveland right-hander Justin Masterson is coming off a career-best 14 wins while averaging better than a strikeout per inning in 2013.
Hot batting stat: Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes batted .314 in September last season after failing to hit better than .237 in any of the first five months of the campaign.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the low-50s with a 78 percent chance of rain and wind blowing from left to right field at 8 mph.
Key betting note: Under is 7-0 in Masterson's last seven road starts.
Interleague
Philadelphia Phillies at Texas Rangers (-106, 8)
Hot pitching stat: Rangers right-hander Tanner Scheppers, making his first career major-league start, posted a 1.88 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP in 76 reliev appearances in 2013.
Cold batting stat: Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins had just two homers and nine RBIs in 263 plate appearances in the second half of 2013.
Weather: Temperatures will be in the mid-70s under mostly cloudy skies with wind blowing in from right field at 13 mph.
Key betting note: Rangers are 7-0 in their last seven games as a home favorite.
Baseball Betting: Streaks, Tips, Notes
Sportspic.com
Seattle Mariners vs. Los Angeles Angels
MLB Handicappers looking at this matchup will note that Mariners' ace Felix Hernandez is 4-0 with a 1.33 ERA in six opening day starts. They'll also note Halos are on a sparkling 10-1 winning streak vs Seattle with Jered Weaver taking the ball. With Marines 7-13 on the road as underdog last year in game-one of a series and just 2-7 in Angel Stadium last season, 15-32 since 2009. Halos have been pegged -$1.33 favorites to take the opener.
MLB Odds and Picks
By: The Linemakers
Sportingnews.com
LAS VEGAS -- There’s nothing quite like baseball's Opening Day in the good old USA, and it doesn’t matter if any state is blessed with optimal baseball weather conditions. Opening Day signifies a change of seasons and points to the reality that summer is near. It may not be an official national holiday, but baseball is one of the constants of America’s young history. It's ours. It's America, an original Normal Rockwell painting. Opening Day is also a far better sign of things to come than some groundhog looking for its shadow in Pennsylvania.
Today’s festivities have 13 games on the schedule, and we have five selections among them. Our baseball betting strategy includes rarely taking a favorite priced above -140 odds, and always looking for reasons to support the underdog. In baseball, you don’t have to hit 50 percent winners to show a profit over the long haul. So if there is any reason to support the underdog, whether it’s past performances, team history or spring training numbers, we recommend doing so.
Note to baseball bettors: The Aliante Casino sports book is offering the best baseball line in Nevada, using a five-cent split all the way up to -135. If looking to win over the course of a long baseball season, getting the best number possible is essential, and other books will have trouble beating either side the Aliante offers. Every lit bit counts.
On to today’s picks ….
Indians (Masterson) +124 at Oakland
Justin Masterson won his first three starts last season, allowing only one run combined, and then went on to have a terrific year, setting a career high with three shutouts. He gave every indication this spring that he is capable of being just as good or better this year, as he gave up only three runs in 23 2/3 innings of work in six starts. He’s ready to go, and the price is right.
Braves (Teheran) -109 at Milwaukee
The last time we saw Julio Teheran, he was getting roughed up for six runs against the Dodgers in the playoffs, but we have to respect what he did during spring training, where he allowed only five runs in six starts (25 innings). His strikeout to walk ratio (26-4) was outstanding in the spring, giving us every reason to believe he’s ready to cruise in the opener at Milwaukee. On the other side, the Brewers ace Yovani Gallardo allowed batters to hit .307 during spring. Teheran appears to be a little more polished at this juncture.
Reds (Cueto) +104 vs. Cardinals
For whatever reason, the Reds seem to have Adam Wainwright’s number. They’ve hit him pretty hard, including in his final two starts against them in 2013 -- Cincinnati tagged him for 15 runs in eight innings on consecutive starts in late August and early September. Over Wainwright’s career, the Reds are 9-5 against him. Wainwright had a much better spring than Johnny Cueto, but we’ll go with the familiarity and success the Reds seem to have with him.
Giants (Bumgarner) -128 at Arizona
Madison Bumgarner comes off an outstanding spring, giving up only three runs in 22 2/3 innings of work. Opponents hit just .188 against him, and in his past two starts against Arizona, he’s allowed only one run in 13 innings. Expect Bumgarner to be sharp again against an up-and-down Brandon McCarthy.
Phillies (Lee) -105 at Texas
While we’re still not enthused by the Phillies’ rusty lineup, we believe they should be able to hit Tanner Scheppers in his major league starting debut. This is Scheppers’ third season in the big leagues, but most of his work has been in long relief before being pressed into service due to Yu Darvish being on the shelf. Opening Day may be too tough a task, so we’ll side with Cliff Lee.
MLB Betting Trends for Series Starting March 31
By Kyle Hunter
The Major League Baseball regular season starts Monday afternoon. The boys of summer are here, and that means the warmer weather is just around the corner as well. Opening Day is an exciting day for sports fans. Fans of every team have hope this time of the year.
The St. Louis Cardinals are 29-11 in their last 40 games as a favorite. They’ll likely be favored quite a bit this year, and they are favored for game one of their series against the Reds. The Reds are actually 5-2 in their last 7 games as an underdog.
Jon Lester is an Ace and he has pitched very well in the past year, but the Red Sox are 1-7 in his last 8 starts against the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are 6-1 in Chris Tillman’s last 7 starts against the Red Sox.
David Price starts Monday for the Rays against Toronto. The Rays are an amazing 15-2 in Price’s last 17 starts against Toronto. The Blue Jays are just 14-43 in their last 57 starts at Toronto overall.
The Miami Marlins aren’t a good team, but Jose Fernandez is an elite pitcher. Miami is a perfect 11-0 in Fernandez’s last 11 home starts. He’ll start on opening day for the Marlins against the Colorado Rockies. The under is 7-0 in the Marlins last 7 home games. The under is 8-1-2 in the last 11 meetings between these two teams.
Felix Hernandez and Jered Weaver square off on opening night in Los Angeles. The Angels are 7-3 in the last 10 matchups when Hernandez and Weaver square off. Overall, the Angels are 11-1 in Weaver’s last 12 home starts against Seattle. The under is 5-0-3 in Weaver’s last 8 home starts against Seattle.
The over is a perfect 6-0 in the Braves last 6 games. The Braves will be in Milwaukee for the first series of the year. Atlanta is just 1-8 in their last 9 games at Milwaukee.
Corey Kluber will start Tuesday night for the Indians against the Oakland Athletics. The Indians are an impressive 13-3 in Kluber’s last 16 starts. On the other hand, the Indians are just 8-20 in their last 28 games at Oakland. One of those trends will have to give on Tuesday night.
The New York Yankees have beaten up on the hapeless Houston Astros of late. They’ll start their series on Tuesday in Houston. The Yankees are 6-0 in their last 6 road games against Houston. They are 12-1 in their last 13 meetings with Houston overall.
The Giants are 11-5 in their last 16 games against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks are 0-5 in Wade Miley’s last 5 starts against San Francisco, and he’ll start against the Giants on Tuesday night.
The Nationals are in New York to face the Mets to start out the season. The Nationals are 30-11 in their last 41 games against the Mets. The Nationals are 19-7 in their last 26 games against an NL East foe.