MLB Betting Update
5/3/12
The 2012 baseball season is nearly a month old, and Albert Pujols has yet to hit his first home run of the season. The two-time World Series champion with the St. Louis Cardinals has not earned much of his $240 million paycheck with his new team, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. While the Angels are currently sitting in the basement of the American League West, his former team is leading the National League Central by 4.5 Games, tied for the biggest lead in the majors.
Pujols’ teammate Jered Weaver just tossed the second no-hitter of the year on Wednesday in a 9-0 rout of the Minnesota Twins, showing that pitching is still the most important part of the Game. That would explain why the Cardinals and Washington Nationals have the top two team ERAs in the NL and lead their respective divisions. The Baltimore Orioles also lead the AL in team ERA and are just one Game behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East.
The problem with all of these numbers though is that it’s just too early to tell what will happen down the road. The regular season ends five months from today, and you can bet Pujols will have hit more than a few homers by then. If the playoffs started today, St. Louis, Washington and the Los Angeles Dodgers would be the division winners in the NL while Tampa Bay, the Texas Rangers and the Cleveland Indians lead the AL. The only difference this year is there will be two Wild Card teams fighting for a spot in the Division Series following a one-Game playoff.
The key to betting baseball is to study the statistics carefully throughout the season, ride the hot streaks and avoid the cold ones. Baseball is a marathon, not a sprint, but you can still win during short stretches if you just manage your bankroll the right way and stay consistent with your bets.
Odds are there will be a few different division leaders by the end of the season, and picking your spots and betting them when they get hot will be the way to profit. You can also fade those teams you do not think will be in the playoffs at the end. Whatever you decide to do with your baseball betting strategy, do not risk too much money on any one pick. Remember, it’s a long season, and you will need good money management skills to make it last and come out ahead.