Stephen Strasburg has captured all of the headlines and imagination recently, and he should – his first outing was special in an incomprehensible way. He’s the poster child for the youth movement on the mound these days, but he’s far from the only young guy who is doing some damage against opposing teams. Young pitchers are really paying off at the betting window as well – eight of the 25 most profitable starters who have had at least seven starts this season are under the age of 25, and two more are 25. It seems like it used to take a few years for pitchers to find their stride and settle into the role of strong starter, but guys these days are just jumping out of the gates. Beyond the profitable pitchers there are young guys tearing it up – Tim Lincecum had two Cy Youngs by 25, and David Price is leading the AL in wins at 25.
Sports Betting Section
MADDUX'S WINNING PICKS
MADDUX'S LIVE ODDS
SITE FEATURES
Tag: baseball betting
The Rays have come out of their little slump, when they lost eight of 13 games. They have won five of their last eight and still seem to be the team to beat. Rookie catcher John Jaso has provided some unexpected offense, hitting .307 and getting on base a lot.
Something changes in baseball when the calendar turns to June. Through April and May we will often see players and pitchers post numbers that are far better than they were expected to, or teams that get off to shockingly good starts. By June, though, the season is a third over, and the weight of numbers and reality starts to weigh on players. Overachieving players start to come back to earth, and teams that are playing beyond themselves find that they just can’t do it anymore. June can be especially cruel for pitchers. By the time June dawns starting pitchers have faced many of their rivals at least once, and there is a large sample size of recent performances for opposing teams to scout before they face the pitchers. Good pitchers will still continue to be good pitchers, but those who are getting by because of unexpected or unfamiliar stuff aren’t going to get away with it anymore. Pitchers also have 10 or a dozen starts under their belts, so they are starting to feel the wear and tear of the season on their arms.
Continue reading “The Best and Worst June Starting Pitchers”
Stephen Strasburg is finally poised to make his major league debut. He made his last minor league appearance on Thursday afternoon, and barring anything unforeseen he is scheduled to join the Nationals for his first start on June 8 at home against the Pirates. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Strasburg is the most eagerly anticipated debuting pitcher in league history. Other pitchers have perhaps been as hyped, and have certainly been as talented, but the age of the internet has whipped up more of a frenzy around this one than was possible before. Strasburg’s every move has been followed since well before he was drafted, and highlights of all his minor league starts have been widely available for everyone to see. As we get ready for the arrival of the next great thing here are eight random things that are on my mind about the pitcher and the situation surrounding him:
There are two main ways to bet sides in baseball – the moneyline and the runline. The difference between the two seems subtle, but the more you look at them, the more you appreciate their complexity. The most interesting thing about the two different bets to me is that if you ask baseball bettors what they prefer you’ll get a bunch of different answers, and most of those answers will be passionate. Some people favor betting the moneyline because runlines can present lousy value. Others play the runline because the payoffs are better and about two-thirds of games are decided by more than one run. As is the case in so many things, both opinions can be right or wrong depending upon your perspective and how you look to use them. To know what’s best for you you need to understand the two tools, and their strengths and weaknesses.
We picked out 4 games to preview for todays daytime card. Hopefully this insight will give you an edge in any baseball bets you will make today. Be back later with a couple preivews for 2 night games.
Betting News
Online Sportsbooks
