Who's Hot - NL Edition
By Mike Rose
VegasInsider.com
The long road to October has begun in the bigs, as 30 teams with high hopes of being the next team to be a part of the Fall Classic have started their journeys. There can only be so many winners in MLB betting action though, and today, we're looking at the top teams out of the gate in the National League.
San Francisco Giants (5-2, +$372) – We've long said if San Fran can figure out how to get its act together at the plate, it could be a dangerous team. So far, so good from that perspective. The Giants have put up at least seven runs in five of their first seven games this year, and they are averaging 5.71 runs per game. The pitching will also pick up - don't think for one second that this is a team which is going to ultimately rank 16th of the 30 teams in baseball in team ERA.
Atlanta Braves (4-2, +$310) – 1B Freddie Freeman is tearing the cover off of the ball through his first six games of the year, as he already has two homers and splits of .421/.789/1.349. Those are obviously out of this world numbers. We'd like to see the Upton brothers do more than bat a combined .302 between them, but eventually, things should get a little better. Keep an eye on this pitching staff, though. David Hale, Aaron Harang, and what will likely be a fifth starter by committee will have to figure out how to step into the shoes of all of the injured Atlanta starters who are out for the season or for long periods of time.
Miami Marlins (5-2, +$286) – Let's hear it for Miami! The Marlins aren't the best team in the world, but heck, we'll celebrate them for as long as they are in first place. You're not going to see a more towering home run than the one that OF Giancarlo Stanton hit over the weekend, and he is just one of the many who are really hitting the ball well for the Fish. Remember that this is a team which has a ton of young talent on it, and this is the year that that young talent should ultimately start to shine through. Miami likely won’t end up being a winning team when the regular season concludes, but considering the fact that it is going to be an underdog in probably about 120 games this year, finishing anywhere near .500 should make this a team very lucrative to back on the MLB betting odds.