MLB Tips Online

bet online…

Red Sox vs. Rays @ Tropicana Field (7:00 PM ET, May 16, 2012)

No Comments »

Boston Red Sox (17-19, 8-8 away) will face off against Tampa Bay Rays (23-14, 13-3 home) in Game 1 at Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida (7:00 PM ET, May 16, 2012). On Wednesday, the Red Sox are red hot as they roll into St. Petersburg to begin a two-game series with the Rays. The best MLB betting odds have Sox (17/13) and Rays (5/7).

At Fenway Park, Boston has won five in a row and is coming off a 5-1 homestand. The Sox have outscored their opponents 27-3 in that span and Red Sox starters Daniel Bard, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Felix Doubront have allowed a total of three runs in the last four games. On Wednesday, Clay Buchholz is looking to continue Boston’s recent stretch of strong starting pitching.

Over 6 1/3 innings Friday, the right-hander allowed four runs (three earned), beating Cleveland to improve to 4-1 on the season. Boston has allowed only three runs over the last four of those wins and has outscored opponents 34-8 over its five consecutive victories. At the center of some recent controversy, the Red Sox’s bullpen did not allow a run for the third straight game and Josh Beckett, at the center of some recent controversy, threw seven innings in Tuesday’s 5-0 home win over Seattle. David Ortiz drove in a run and Mike Aviles provided a pair of RBI doubles in a run for a fourth consecutive game with a solo homer.

The Rays will play their next eight games on their home turf and they are returning home from an eight-game road trip. After dropping four of five games to start the road trip, Tampa Bay is coming off a two-game sweep in Toronto. Jeremy Hellickson allowed three runs over 6 2/3 innings. He starts for Tampa Bay after a strong outing against the Orioles on Friday. In seven starts, he has 3-0 this season with a 2.95 ERA.

Against Boston, the right-hander is 2-1 with a 4.99 ERA in six career appearances. On April 14, against the Red Sox, he allowed five runs on three home runs in five innings. A three-run seventh inning was possible by Sean Rodriguez’s home run as Tampa Bay rallied for a 4-3 win in Toronto. Among the eight players on the disabled list for Tampa Bay is outfielder Desmond Jennings (left knee), along with Evan Longoria.

MLB – Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers @ Miller Park

No Comments »

Los Angeles Dodgers will compete against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin in Game 3 (1:10 PM ET, April 19, 2012). In this three game series, Milwaukee leads 2-0. The Dodgers have a 9-3, 3-3 away record, while the Brewers have a 6-6, 3-2 home record. The best betting odds for the game have Milwaukee Brewers (13/16) and Los Angeles Dodgers (6/5).

Since joining the Milwaukee Brewers last year, Nyjer Morgan usually has been as loquacious off the field as much as a solid contributor on it. Batting .304 and seamlessly fitting into a loose clubhouse after uneven stints with both Pittsburgh and Washington, Morgan was a vital cog in helping Milwaukee (6-6) win the NL Central and reaches the league championship series last year.

This year, going 4 for 32 with eight strikeouts, Morgan has struggled out of the gate. In the 10th, he entered Wednesday’s game as a pinch runner and had a huge steal of second base before barely scoring on a shallow sacrifice fly by Ryan Braun. The Brewers posted a 3-2 victory for their second walk off win this season.

Zack Greinke supported the speedy center fielder’s aggressive play, although teammate Zack Greinke supported the speedy center fielder’s aggressive play. Going 6 for 13 with two doubles lifetime against the right-hander, Morgan is hardly a risk against Dodgers scheduled starter Aaron Harang (0-1, 5.91 ERA).

Harang (0-1, 5.91) was lights out at one point by setting a team record with nine consecutive strikeouts and he pitched well enough to win his last start versus San Diego. He then watched his bullpen blow a four-run lead before Los Angeles came away with a 9-8 walk off win.

The Dodgers (9-3) must regroup to try avoiding their first road sweep in any series by Milwaukee since the Brewers joined the NL in 1998, although losing manager Don Mattingly called Wednesday’s winning run “another argument for instant replay”.

Former Dodger Randy Wolf (0-1, 10.61) was roughed up at Atlanta on Friday and he has struggled to get outs in both his starts this season. He was tagged for eight runs and nine hits that included in the 4 1/3 innings. Before eventually losing 10-8, the Brewers got him off the hook for a loss.

Last season, the left-hander split his two starts versus the Dodgers. In the most recent outing was the best of his 12 career starts against them. On Aug. 15 to improve to 4-4 lifetime, Wolf scattered six hits and five walks over eight innings of a 3-0 victory. Matt Kemp is 1 for 10 with seven strikeouts, although Juan Rivera is 7 for 16 with a homer and double lifetime against Wolf.

New York Yankees visit Northwest with series against Seattle Mariners

No Comments »

New York YankeesThe New York Yankees will take on the Seattle Mariners this weekend. These teams are both in contention for their respective divisions this season and this series will be very important for both teams as they continue to compete.

MLB Odds have the Yankees among the top favorites to win the World Series, at 5-1. Seattle is at 125-1.

The Mariners are the 3rd place team in the NL West, but they are just 1.5 games behind the leading Texas Rangers. The Mariners looked like they were on their way towards a last place finish, but they have now won 6 games in a row and they look like a team that could compete in the NL West.

The good news for the Mariners is that they will send Pineda and Hernandez to the mound in this series. Both of these pitchers have been on as of late and they are a major reason for the recent success of the Mariners. If they put up good games in this series, the Yankees will have a difficult time beating Seattle.

The Yankees were counted as dead by many teams, but they have found their way back into the first place position in the AL East. While they are in first place again, it is not encouraging that they are only in first place because Tampa Bay has played terribly as of late. The Red Sox and Blue Jays are in hot pursuit and the Yankees need to win this series to stave them off.

The Yankees will send AJ Burnett, Ivan Nova and Bartolo Colon to the mound in this series.

Friday Clash Between New York Mets And New York Yankees

No Comments »

New York MetsIn interleague play in the famous “subway series,” the New York Mets and the New York Yankees will play against each other. As the fans from each team will be present to cheer on their team, these teams should draw a huge crowd at Yankee Stadium. The series will start on Friday and will last 3 games.

Although you certainly can’t count out the Mets in this one, the Yankees will be the favorites in this game, as they have the better record and they are the home team. The Mets look like they are on their way up, getting fuel from their rejuvenated lineup as they are 7-3 in their last 10 games.

By losing their last 5 games and winning just 3 of their last 10 games, the Yankees seem to be on the way down. In the American League East Standings, they were passed by the Tampa Bay Rays this past week.

Recently, the Mets have seen more production from Jason Bay and Carlos Beltran. Despite suffering from a poor start to the season, big seasons from both of those players could help them find their way back to the playoffs.

From longtime players the Yankees have recently been troubled with drama. Jorge Posada was moved to the 9th spot in the order as he has struggled all season. Because he did not want to bat 9th in the lineup, he recently made some complaints and refused to play in a game. It could be a distraction for the Yankees until they take care of the problem as this has caused a stir in the organization. For this matchup, check out MLB odds closer to the opener Friday.

New York Yankees, Texas Rangers open series Friday

No Comments »

New York YankeesThe New York Yankees and the Texas Rangers will play this weekend in a series between two of the top teams in the American League. Each of these teams are in first place in their respective divisions. The series is scheduled to start on Friday night in Texas.

MLB Betting has the Yankees at 5-1 to win the World Series and the Rangers at 20-1.

The Rangers will be the home team in this game and that should be a huge advantage for them. They are 16-13 on the season overall, but their home record has been outstanding at 11-5. The Yankees have not played many road games this season, and they are 5-3 to this point away from New York.

The Rangers started out on fire, but they have struggled a bit as of late. Luckily the Los Angeles Angels have been struggling as of late as well. Both teams have gone 4-6, so the Rangers have managed to stay atop the American League West despite their struggles.

With Josh Hamilton injured, the Rangers will need Adrian Beltre to step up and play like a marquee player. Last season he was a major weapon for the Red Sox and he had a season with the Dodgers when he was one of the best hitters in the league. The Rangers need Beltre to step up and hit in this series as the Yankees are a great offensive team and should put a lot of runs on the board this weekend.

If the Rangers lose this series, they may get passed up by both the Los Angeles Angels and the Oakland Athletics.

Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox clash in MLB action

No Comments »

Baltimore OriolesThe Baltimore Orioles will travel to Chicago for a 4 game series against the White Sox this weekend. These teams are two of the worst teams in the league, but their series could serve as a spring board for one of the teams to bounce back from their slow start.

Both teams are in the basement of their respective divisions, and are long shots to win the World Series or a pennant in MLB lines.

Both actually looked good a short time ago, but over the last 10 games or so, they’ve really crashed. Both teams are 2-8 in their last 10 games and many of the teams in their divisions have picked it up while they have been down.

The Chicago White sox will be the home team in this game, but they have not played especially well in front of their home crowd this season. They are 4-6 at home to this point. Chicago really needs to find a way to take advantage of their home field and that could help them get through bad stretches like the one they’ve been in lately.

The Orioles have a number of veteran hitters that they hoped would bolster their lineup, but their lineup has been relatively impotent to this point. Only the Twins have scored fewer runs than the Orioles this season.

The White Sox need some help from their pitching staff. While their pitchers have shown flashes of solid play, they have been extremely inconsistent and they have allowed more runs than all but one team in the American League.

This should be a good series for both teams to try to turn things around.

NL Central co-leaders Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals clash

No Comments »

 

Cincinnati Reds logo.

Image via Wikipedia

One of the better rivalries of last season is set to renew this weekend when the Cincinnati Reds travel to St. Louis to play the Cardinals.

The Cardinals are at 20-1 to win the World Series in MLB Betting.

During their intense division race last year, the Reds and Cardinals played several very competitive games towards the end of the regular season. One game got so intense that there was a brawl between the two teams when St. Louis catcher Jadier Molina got into a fight with Reds’ second baseman Brandon Phillips. After the brawl, words were exchanged between the two clubs and there is certainly no love lost between these teams.

Both teams have gotten off to a decent start this season with Cincinnati currently holding a one game lead over the Cardinals. With everyone else in the National League Central Division within three games of each other, no one has separated themselves from the rest of the pack as the early team to beat in 2011.

Perhaps the best part of this upcoming series between Cincinnati and St. Louis is the expected pitching match ups. Friday will be Edison Volquez going up against Kyle McClellan who is 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA this year. Saturday will see Travis Wood take the hill opposite Chris Carpenter. Sunday, which is also the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Game of the Week, will showcase Sam LeCure against Jake Westbrook. If you are a baseball fan that appreciates good pitching, this is a series you might want to tune into.

AL East rivals Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox clash Friday

No Comments »

Toronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox will square off this weekend. These teams are both part of the American League East, a division that is overcrowded with talent. Neither team has fared especially well against their competition to this point in the season as the Blue Jays are 5-6 on the season while the Red Sox are just 2-9.

Baseball betting has the Red Sox among the top favorites at 9-2 odds.

The biggest issue with the Boston Red Sox this season has been their pitching. While their offense has been far from good, it is difficult to expect offense to make up for pitching that allows 6.5 runs per game.

The Sox have a batting average of .230 as a team this season. The good news is that David Ortiz appears to be hitting well. In past years he has been subject to injuries that have caused slow starts. If he hits well you can expect this team to turn things around in no time.

The Blue Jays have been great offensively and defensively, but they have still not been able to win as many games as they’d like to. They have outscored their opponents by 12 runs in the first 11 games, but they remain a game below .500.

This series will take place in Boston. While the Red Sox have won just 2 games this season, both of them have come while playing in Boston. The Blue Jays have been terrible on the road this season, winning just one of their 5 contests on the road to this point.

2011 Boston Red Sox Predictions And MLB Season Preview

No Comments »

The Boston Red Sox perhaps made the biggest enhancement to their team of all the teams that made moves this offseason to improve their ball clubs. The Red Sox also acquired first baseman Adrian Gonzalez after landing coveted free agent Carl Crawford this winter.

In MLB Betting and the Red Sox are one of the top favorites to win the World Series, at +350.

While playing in San Diego the last few years, Gonzalez has quietly been one of the best first basemen in the league. Many analysts are expecting Gonzalez to have a monster year with the move to the hitter friendly Fenway Park.

There are some questions regarding the Red Sox’s pitching staff while the offense is expected to once again be potent in Boston. By leaving fans wondering if they will be able to bounce back and have better years in 2011, Josh Beckett and John Lackey both struggled at times last year. Dice K also now occupies the fifth spot in the rotation as he has not lived up to his monstrous contract yet. The Red Sox should easily win the AL East Division as both the Yankees and Rays are expected to have down years if these three players can have a good 2011 season.

As well with the addition of Bobby Jenks to work the seventh or eighth innings the Red Sox bullpen should be better this year. From a shaky 2010 that still saw him close thirty seven games, Papelbon should bounce back. The Red Sox should be able to win the division rather easily with all of these new pieces and some old players returning to form.

St. Louis Cardinals MLB Season Preview

No Comments »

St. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals entered the season with high hopes, but their hopes may meet disappointment this season. The Cardinals were relying heavily on the fact that they’d be able to put two aces on the mound that would rival the top two pitchers of any team in the Majors. However, their hopes were crushed as Adam Wainwright has suffered an injury that should keep him out for the season.

MLB odds have the Cardinals at +2000 to win the World Series.

Even without Wainwright the Cardinals will still have Chris Carpenter. Last season, Carpenter put 16 wins on the board and pitched 235 solid innings for the Cardinals. They will need another season with a ton of innings from the workhorse in 2011.

The Cardinals will also need their young gun, Jaime Garcia, to step up and pitch the way he did last year. Garcia had a 2.70 ERA last year and looked like a guy that the Cardinals would be able to rely on in the future.

The Cardinals will have one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball in their lineup, even if they won’t have it on the mound. The Cardinals have Albert Pujols, who is widely regarded as the best hitter in baseball. They also have Matt Holliday, a hitter that has proven to have the ability to hit for average and power while knocking in runs.

There are some concerns as to whether or not Pujols will be a distraction for the Cardinals this season. He has asked for a contract extension and the Cardinals were not able to put together a deal that satisfied the slugger.