Where to Watch Dodgers vs Blue Jays

• Date: Friday, October 24th (Game 1)
• Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Broadcast: FOX
• Venue: Rogers Centre

Dodgers Road to the World Series

Despite having to play the Wild Card round, the Dodgers played a smooth series after series, easily advancing to the World Series and allowing them the chance to repeat last season’s success. The Cincinnati Reds were no match for the Dodgers in the Wild Card, as they were beaten 2-0 and had no chance to respond. That was just a hint of what was about to come for their next rivals.

In the NLDS, the Dodgers were facing the No. 2 seed in the NL, the Phillies, in what was expected to be a fight between two big franchises. However, the Dodgers swept the floor with Philadelphia, winning 4-0 in a series of the best of 7. An unfortunate error by Philies’ reliever Orion Kerkering sealed the pass for Los Angeles.

The NLCS brought yet another sweep, this time over the Milwaukee Brewers, who had eliminated the Cubs but couldn’t keep up with L.A.’s pitching rotation. Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani delivered an outstanding stretch. Ohtani stole the show in Game 4, striking out 10 over six innings and hitting three home runs, becoming one of the best postseason performances in the history of the MLB.

Blue Jays Postseason Recap

The Blue Jays skipped the Wild Card round after finishing as the No. 1 seed in the American League. They edged out the New York Yankees via the head-to-head tiebreaker to win the AL East.

In the ALDS, Toronto defeated the Yankees in four games, scoring 34 total runs to punch their ticket to the ALCS, where things got much tougher against the Seattle Mariners.

This ALCS was the best postseason series, according to many critics. The Mariners won the first two games in Canada, heading back to Seattle with the advantage and the hopes of closing it soon. However, the Blue Jays fight back, winning games 3 and 4 to tie things up. The Mariners retook the lead in Game five thanks to a grand slam by Eugenio Suárez in the eighth inning, but Toronto forced Game 7 with a decisive win in Game 6.

Then, in the deciding game, George Springer crushed a three-run homer in the seventh inning to seal the victory and send Toronto back to the World Series for the first time in over three decades.

Blue Jays vs Dodgers Prediction for Game One

The 2025 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays is shaping up as a clash between dominance and destiny.

The Dodgers hold a superior 19–11 all-time regular-season record against Toronto. Still, the Blue Jays have history on their side: in every previous postseason featuring this Championship Series dynamic, the team that went through a seven-game series has gone on to win the World Series.

Our prediction at PayPerHead for Game 1 of the MLB World Series is Dodgers 9–4 over the Blue Jays.

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Over the past months, the Bristol Motor Speedway has undergone a complete makeover, transforming into an MLB field specifically for this special event. This unique setup is poised to host the largest-attended event in MLB history, with 85,000 tickets already sold, surpassing the 1954 record of 84,587 fans at Cleveland Stadium, which then hosted the Yankees.

Marking the first-ever MLB game played in Tennessee, the event promises an unforgettable experience. Fans can look forward to a pre-game concert featuring Tim McGraw, Jake Owens, and Pitbull. Furthermore, specialized features like indoor batting cages, an outdoor bullpen, and the remarkable overall setup solidify this as one of the most imaginative events in recent sports history.

MLB Speedway Classic Teams: Braves and Reds’ Season Performance

The Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds will conclude their series this Saturday, following games on Thursday and Friday. Both teams have endured challenging seasons; the Braves find themselves well behind the top positions in the National League East, holding a percentage under .500. Similarly, the Reds are struggling in the National League Central, vying with the Cardinals and Pirates in a division currently dominated by the Brewers and Cubs, with little sign of change.

Regardless of the standings, this game is poised to be historic and has been treated as such by MLB. The league recently announced that both teams will wear NASCAR-inspired uniforms, and the event will feature appearances by Braves legend Chipper Jones and Reds icon Johnny Bench.

After years of meticulous planning, speedway officials have empowered the construction crew to bring this Major League Baseball event to life, creating something truly beyond imagination. The game will be broadcast live on FOX, with coverage beginning at 6 p.m. ET.

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Baseball is back, but not everybody is happy. No doubt, baseball fans throughout the nation and the world are rejoicing.

But many pay per head agents aren’t rejoicing at all. For many bookmaker software agents, baseball is the fearful season. Profit per head bookies enjoyed during the NFL, NCAAF, and March Madness often are extinguished during baseball season.

For sportsbook owners, pro baseball is a challenging game to manage. Action is often one-sided, and dogs don’t win as much as they should. So managing baseball takes a lot.

Soon, we will publish a blog about how to manage baseball betting action. In this blog, we want PPH bookie agents to know everything they must about the MLB Schedule. Check out the important dates and pertinent information about this year’s MLB schedule.

2022 Major League Baseball Schedule

• When: April 7 – Oct. 5

How many regular season games will MLB play in 2022?

Although the regular season will start eight days later than anticipated, MLB plans on each playing an entire 162-game regular season. Baseball can do this because teams can skip dark days or play double-headers. The first pitch is on April 7 while the final regular season day is on Oct. 5The league schedule is similar, whether it’s the American League or National League. The specific league schedule for the National League includes mostly NL contests. The particular league schedule for the American League includes mostly AL matchups.  

When will the MLB Postseason and 2022 World Series take place?

Like what often happens, Major League Baseball has yet to decide on playoffs or World Series dates.

How will the regular season happen? What about interleague play?

Baseball is a unique sports league. MLB is the parent league. The two leagues under the umbrella are the National League and the American League. There are three divisions in each league and six divisions total.

National League

• NL East
• NL Central
• NL West

American League

• NL East
• NL Central
• NL West

Most MLB games are divisional games. Opponents play divisional games against the other four teams in their division.Divisional games take place throughout the season. For example, the Houston Astros in the AL West will play divisional games versus the other four teams in the AL West: the Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners.The New York Mets play divisional games versus the other four teams in the NL East: the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and Washington Nationals. All teams play their four division games opponents, play the other ten opponents in their league, and play interleague games. See below for the breakdown. 

MLB Teams Schedule Division Games, League, & Interleague Play Breakdown

• Play each of four same division opponents 19 times for a total of 76 same division games
• Teams play the other ten opponents in the same league for 66 games.
• Teams play 20 interleague games.

Now check out the interleague games schedule breakdown for this season.

MLB Interleague Play Schedule Breakdown

• The AL East takes on teams in the NL Central
• The NL West battles teams in the AL Central
• The NL East throws down against teams in the AL West

Heading into the season, the Dodgers offer the lowest odds to win the World Series. See below for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2022 schedule breakdown, including LAD’s interleague games opponents, to better understand how the schedule will play out. 

Los Angeles Dodgers 2022 Schedule Breakdown

• The Dodgers play the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, and Arizona Diamondbacks 19 times each.
• LAD plays all other National League teams 6 or 7 times each
• The Dodgers’  interleague play opponents are the Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Guardians, and Detroit Tigers 4 times each.

MLB 2022 Rules Changes

Although not a rule change, the most significant change this season is that the Cleveland Indians are now the Cleveland Guardians. Chief Wahoo, MLB buried Cleveland’s former mascot.The Guardians even have a new team song. Outside of Cleveland ditching the offensive nickname and going with something more mainstream and modern, current baseball rules will occur in 2022.

The National League Adopts the Designated Hitter

Baseball purists, no doubt, are rolling over in their graves. The National League will use the designated hitter for the first time in history, which means starting pitchers don’t have to bat.The designated hitter in the NL will change how managers like Dodgers’ skipper Dave Roberts and Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker set their lineups. Over should be more prevalent. So although we’re going to write an in-depth blog so payperhead sportsbook agents know how to profit from baseball action, setting max limits on overs in NL games, especially early on, might be wise. 

No More Wildcard Play-in Game

Baseball used to have 2 division winners in each league and a couple of wildcard playoff teams in the NL and AL. The wildcard teams made the postseason, but let’s be honest.The wildcard teams in each league would play in a single-elimination game. So, in reality, the wildcard play-in game was more like the NBA’s play-in tournament except not as fun. MLB has ditched the play-in game this season with a wild card round. Check out the MLB Playoff changes that will affect action on your sports betting agent site. 

MLB 2022 Season Playoff Changes

Twelve teams, 6 from each league, will qualify for the MLB Postseason.

• Division winners seeded 1 through 3
• The top 2 seeds in the AL and NL get a bye from the Wild Card Round
• The 3-seed division winner in each league and the three wildcard teams from each league will play in a three game series
• The winners of the three game series move on to the divisional round
• MLB won’t reseed after the Wildcard Round.

The Ohtani Rule

Los Angeles Angels player and reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani is a two-player. He’s equally brilliant at the plate and on the mounds. So to account for Ohtani’s exceptionalism, MLB came out with a new rule that states once a two-player leaves the game as a pitcher, the player can remain in the game as the team’s designated hitter. 

Managing MLB Action – A Preview

Our follow-up MLB blog goes into more detail, but we thought it an excellent idea to give you a preview of how to manage MLB action.

Ask yourself, “Should I offer free betting software on Major League Baseball options?

Answering the above question will determine whether or not you allow your players to bet on baseball. Why wouldn’t you want players to bet on baseball?Finding baseball-winning options for most players is more straightforward than finding winning opportunities in other sports. Baseball is all about pitcher versus batter matchups. So if you decide to offer baseball betting with your online bookie software, make sure to set max limits on the following matchups.

• New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies
• New York Mets vs. Atlanta Braves
• Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees
• Houston Astros vs. New York Yankees
• Chicago White Sox vs. New York Yankees
• Chicago White Sox vs. Houston Astros
• Minnesota Twins vs. Chicago White Sox

Also, pay attention any time the Dodgers play. Los Angeles should go off the chalk in most of their games. Any time a Dodger pitcher steps to the mound, savvy baseball handicappers could make a lot of money betting against the Dodger pitcher. In our next MLB blog, we go in-depth into how to prevent taking a bath during baseball season. 

Transfer players to PayPerHead and pay nothing for two weeks

Import players to pay per head and use our proprietary sportsbook software free for two weeks. Our software allows you to make online payments and collections.Your players can even deposit into their wagering accounts. In addition, our price per head sportsbook provides options on 80+ leagues.Agents that have switched see a 23% rise in action on average no matter the size of their sportsbook. Check out the pay per head demo or call us at 1-800-605-4767 to get started today.   

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The 2020 MLB Season may have spoiled pay per head agents. The favorite before the season started, the Los Angeles Dodgers, won the World Series. 

Some preseason favorites failed to make a dent while others performed much better than they were supposed to. The real reason sportsbook software agents may have gotten spoiled is because teams played a total of 60 regular-season games.

If you’ve got a sinking feeling about this year’s MLB Season, where teams will play a full 162-game schedule, there’s a reason. MLB betting tips are plentiful, and most baseball bettors know what they’re doing.

Providing online sportsbook services to a baseball expert could end in disaster, which is why you should keep reading. The following information will help ensure your PPH sportsbook makes more profit on this year’s MLB Season than in past seasons.

Set max limit and max payouts on MLB Parlays

In Red’s latest review, he discusses two things. First, he talks about why he dislikes the Major League Baseball season. Second, he discusses how he manages MLB betting parlays.

Red says the same things we wrote in the introduction: expert baseball bettors can take advantage of unsuspecting pay per head service agents. Unlike football and basketball, there is no spread line. 

A player mustn’t lay odds on a team or accept odds on a team. Bookies don’t make money from fees on moneyline wagers. 

In baseball, there are three bets, over or under totals, moneylines, and run lines. Check out a further description of each.

• Moneylines – Just like in football or basketball, players bet on one team to win
• Over or Under Totals – Like in football or basketball, players choose whether a game goes over or under a total. Oddsmaking bookies can charge a fee for over-under baseball totals. 
• Run line – The run line is akin to a soccer handicap. To bet on one team, you must lay 1 ½ runs. The team laying runs often provides above even money odds. The team accepting runs requires more player risk. 

Red says in his review that he accepts as much action as the player wants to lay on straight bets. Online bookie agents like Red can use their layoff accounts to cut risk on straight bets. 

Moneylines in baseball work exactly like moneylines in football, basketball, and soccer. If players wish to score a profit on favorites, they must risk more than even money. 

Sometimes, players call bookie agents looking to add more than two to three teams into baseball parlays. MLB betting like this can lead to sportsbook losses.

Why? The more teams added to a parlay, the higher the payout. Expert baseball handicappers are adept at finding optimal moneylines based on pitcher versus batter stats. 

A two-team parlay pays around 2-to-1. A three-team parlay pays approximately 6-to-1. Players call bookie agents looking to place parlays with four or more teams. 

Because of the higher payouts, Red keeps his parlay limits to three teams. For some players, a two-team parlay limit makes sense.

Use Your Circle Games Tool

It’s also a good idea to circle games. PayPerHead has an updated circle games tool, one which is more intuitive than the previous version.

By circling a game, agents can set specific wager limits based on time period, sport, game type, or profile. It helps to circle games to prevent steam moves, those moves that can dent your book’s profitability. 

With the circle limits tool, you can also hide event lines and hide bet types. Use circle limits to prevent players from adding obvious MLB betting moneylines to parlays or creating steam with a straight bet.   

Add Premium Props to boost MLB betting action

Consider adding the Premium Props platform. Doing so will boost betting on MLB without adding agent exposure. Baseball prop bets are some of the most difficult to hit.

By providing free betting software on prop wagers, you can ensure players continue betting on your platforms. If you add Live+ with game trackers and video streams, you give players even less of a reason to ditch your sportsbook for a competitor’s.

If you aren’t a PayPerHead agent, import players when you can. We use proprietary bookie software, which means we can add platforms more quickly than other payperhead companies. 

We also offer the best referral program in the industry, and we often run multiple promotions. Also, we’re one of only two PPH sports companies that provide a way for you and your players to deposit into your accounts via credit cards, debit cards, and cryptocurrencies.   

The post MLB Betting: Make 2021 Your Most Profitable Season appeared first on PayPerHead®.

The thirty teams that make up Major League Baseball played a 60 game regular season last year. But although there were fewer games, August 2020 broke wagering records in Philadelphia and New Jersey.

Baseball was one reason both the Garden State and the Keystone State doubled up their sports betting handle from August 2019 totals. Worldwide, sports handicappers wager $55 billion on baseball every year.

Agents could see a considerable bump in bets on baseball this season. Two of the most popular MLB teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, are favorites to win the 2021 World Series. 

Also, teams will play a full 162-game schedule. In the pandemic age, typical is good. See below for information on baseball betting options. 

Most bookie software agents know about baseball moneyline, run line, and total wagers betting. But there’s nothing wrong with a knowledge brush up. So keep reading even if you believe you know all of it.

Brush up on MLB betting lines: moneyline, run line, and total

What is a bookie? Bookies run sportsbooks. Some players prefer to wager with bookies instead of online sportsbooks because they like the idea of calling and working with a single person.

Players make different bets on different platforms their bookmaker provides. The three most popular sports leagues in the United States are the NFL, NBA, and MLB.

The most popular betting option for football and basketball is to wager against the spread. Most oddsmaking agents know all about spread betting. 

In spread betting, players either back the team giving points, or back the team getting points. If Team A is at -3, players who support Team A win if Team A beats Team B by at least 4 points.

Players who backed Team B win if Team B loses to Team A by 2 points or less. If Team A beats Team B by 3 points, we call that a “push” or “draw.” 

Against the spread (ATS) wagering doesn’t exist in baseball. There is a form of spread betting in baseball called the run line. 

We don’t place run line betting in the ATS category. Instead, run line betting is a form of handicap betting. Check out the three baseball betting lines for which you must offer free bookie software. 

Baseball moneyline

The baseball moneyline is the most popular MLB bet. Players choose which team wins on the moneyline. 

If they like the Los Angeles Angels in a game against the Oakland Athletics, they back the Angels. If they prefer the A’s, they bet on the A’s. 

Whichever team wins determines whether the player’s bet is a winner or loser. Moneyline betting is simple, which is why price per head bookies must offer them. We also have loads of other advice for how to be a bookie in our guide.

Some players exclusively bet on baseball moneylines. Some baseball betting experts become so good at wagering for or against a single team that they can win thousands of dollars.

To stop this from happening, bookies should do the following.

1. Set max betting limits on all baseball moneylines and parlays
2. Set payout limits on all baseball moneylines and parlays
3. Set parlay limits. Disallow parlays that include more than three to four teams

Baseball run lines betting

Major League Baseball run lines always favor one team at -1 ½. Run lines are more related to soccer handicap betting than to football against the spread wagering.

You want players making wagers on handicap baseball betting lines. Most times, players will lay the 1 ½ runs to ensure they make above even money. 

The three rules for baseball moneylines betting apply to baseball run lines. Set max betting and max payout limits and disallow any run line parlays to include more than three to four teams. 

Baseball totals

Totals in baseball work like they do in soccer, football, and basketball. Lines makers use sportsbook software to set the total. Players bet over or under the total. Here’s an example of a baseball total.

O 9 ½ (-120)

U 9 ½ (+105)

If a player believes the combined runs scored is 10 or more, the player must risk -120 to bet over. If a player thinks the total will be less than 10 combined runs, the player bets under +105.

Baseball futures

Like the NFL and NBA, Major League Baseball provides year-end awards beyond the championship. Players can wager on the World Series baseball betting lines.

Baseball provides more year-end awards than the NFL or the NBA because MLB has two leagues, the American League and the National League.

Your players can make baseball bets on the following.

• AL MVP
• NL MVP
• AL Cy Young
• NL Cy Young
• AL Rookie of the Year
• NL Rookie of the Year

You know what MVP and Rookie of the Year awards are. But what’s the Cy Young Award? In baseball, pitchers don’t usually bat. The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani will try to play designated hitter and pitcher this season. 

He’s the first to do so in a long time. The Cy Young is Major League Baseball’s award for the American League’s or National League’s best pitcher. 

Born in 1867, Young had a 511-315 record, a lifetime 2.63 earned run average, and struck out 2,803 batters. 

Add Premium Props and offer individual pitcher and batter performance options

No doubt, baseball betting lines handicappers will soon call bookie agents looking to make MLB prop bets. Adding Premium Props is a massive step to satisfying players’ requests.

Say your player gets baseball betting tips regarding pitchers and batters for a specific game. On the props platform, they can make individual sports performance bets.

Premium Props has proven to increase action by at least 15%. Some agents should see a much more significant increase due to pent-up demand.

If you have yet to import your players to PayPerHead, do so soon. Every month, we run multiple promotions, and we’re always running a trial. If you sign up soon, you receive a $100 bonus, and you can take part in our best in the industry referral program.   

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Is it finally time for optimism regarding Major League Baseball? If the other professional leagues are any indication, this year, baseball should happen, so lets have a look at our MLB betting projections for 2020.

MLB and the MLB Player’s Association (MLBPA) are in week four of talks to finally kick off their 2020 season. On March 12, COVID-19 stopped pro baseball before it got a chance to start.

But since May 12, the league has been hard at work planning a return.

Bookies should be working just as hard on their sportsbook betting options. All per head agents want to be ready when MLB announces they’re ready to start the 2020 regular season.

What We Know About the 2020 MLB Season

MLB recently rejected an MLBPA plan that featured a 114-game regular season. Players initially offered an 82-game season.

Under that plan, the league’s most prominent names would take the most significant pay cut.

It’s been a back-and-forth of “resoundingly rejected” deals. However, there’s been some progress

• COVID-19 health and safety protocols for teams and players are in place
• Teams will have expanded rosters.
• The National League will include designated hitters.
• Regional, in-division schedules should lead to less travel.
• MLB and players have agreed to a 14-team, expanded playoffs.

What does this mean for PayPerHead bookies?

The designated hitter in both leagues, less travel, and a July Opening Day – when it’s humid, and balls sail higher – and so should help lead to more overs than unders, so take this into account in your projections for MLB betting in 2020.

That could change once we get into September and October.

Odds to win the 2020 World Series

Deep National League teams, like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals, can use a designated hitter in both the regular season and playoffs.

The odds show a projection of the Dodgers as favorites to win the MLB 2020 World Series in the betting. LAD must no longer sit a talented bat to make room for a hitting pitcher.

The Dodgers can comfortably start its best bats, which should make its National League-leading offense even better.

As for the Nats, the reigning World Series champs captured its first title with solid part-time play from Howie Kendrick. One of Washington’s top sluggers, Kendrick batted .344 last season.

Kendrick mustn’t take to the bench in any 2020 game. That gives the Nats a powerful line-up at the plate to back up starting pitchers Steven Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, and Anibal Sanchez.

MLB team projections

MLB wants teams to play regional schedules. For example, AL East teams will play other AL East teams and NL East squads.

How will regional schedules affect teams?

Last season, combined, MLB squads in the NL East and AL East were 16-games above .500. Teams in the NL West and AL West were 42 games above .500 combined.

However, teams in the NL Central and AL Central were a combined 58 games below .500. Also, central teams in both leagues scored a combined 299 fewer runs.

Expect NL Central and AL Central favorites, like the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago Cubs, to rack up victory after victory. Central Division teams could also benefit from the expansion to a 14-game playoff.

Whether a 2020 MLB Season happens or not, bookies should note these betting projections when they sign-up with PayPerHead.

Sharp bettors are waiting to see what happens. Per head agents shouldn’t wait.

Bookies must set up their sportsbooks for MLB’s return. The best way to do that is to sign-up with a sports betting technology company that offers the best pay per head tools.

A company like PayPerHead.com fits the bill. Right now, there’s a more important reason to give PayPerHead a try.

Bookie agents know that the NHL and NBA will soon return. Until either league plays a game, at no cost bookies can get to know PayPerHead’s betting and agent interfaces.

Then, per head agents can use PayPerHead’s bookie tech for two weeks after the first NHL or NBA game.

If MLB doesn’t have a 2020 season, no worries, at least bookies will know if Pay Per Head is the right organization for them heading into the upcoming NFL and college football seasons.

The post Updated MLB Betting Projections for 2020 appeared first on PayPerHead®.

Opening Day is March 29th this year, which means we are less than a month away from regular season baseball.  MLB Spring training camps have been open for a couple of weeks now and have been playing live games in preparation for the upcoming 2020 season, so let’s preview what might happen in the MLB.

Each and every free agent of note has a new home, giving some hopeless teams a real shot at the playoffs this year and leaving some previous contenders with a tough hill to climb.

As with any season, the usual favorites are atop the predictions for each division, but some new faces are coming forth as well.  A recipe made up mostly of conventional thinking with a few pinches of hope mixed in.

This will be the same with sports bettors.  With some betting smartly, siding with the big boys like the Yankees or Dodgers and others taking a shot with the Diamondbacks or new-look White Sox.  The latter are favorites of our PPH agents with these teams having little to no realistic hope of coming out on top.  While I am very high on both Arizona and Chicago having good seasons, they are not equipped for World Series runs. 

With a lot to cover in the MLB 2020 season preview, let’s break down each division so you can play your season as a PPH agent out and find success. 

MLB 2020 American League East Preview

Perhaps the biggest free-agent signing came from the AL East and will really define the MLB 2020 season for this division.  The Yankees pulled the trigger and signed ace Gerrit Cole to lead their starting rotation for the next eight seasons.  So what does $324M buy you in this market?  Well, as far as bookmakers are concerned, not a single extra win. 

The Yankees have the same projection as last season at 101.5 games and are poised to dominate the AL East once again.  The lack of extra wins can likely be attributed to the injuries to James Paxton who and Luis Severino.  Paxton will miss some time as he returns from surgery while Severino will again miss the entire season as he needs Tommy John Surgery.  Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are also dealing with injuries which should be a big worry for anyone looking to bet on this team’s win total.  While they should still take the division, it’s worth keeping an eye on their IR.

The only legit threat in the MLB that the Bronx Bombers have in 2020 comes from the Tampa Bay Rays, who are on track for another 90+ win season.  The Rays put in some solid work in the offseason, adding some pop with Jose Martinez, Hunter Renfroe, and Yoshitomo Tsutsugo to their batting order. 

The Boston Red Sox seem like the clear choice to come in third as the 2020 season nears.  They are still a talented team and can’t be totally written off.  But, they lost two of their best players in Mookie Betts and David Price since the end of last year and have done little to try and replace them.  They are a big market team in a transition year and might be buying at the trade deadline if they are in this division race come summertime. Worth keeping an eye on.

The Totoro Blue Jays might content for third place in this group with a lot of young rising stars.  That group is led by Vladamir Guerror Jr. and Bo Bichette, both second-generation players and true MLB talents.  Toronto also signed the MLB ERA leader from last year in Hyun-Jin Ryue, who ended the year with a 2.32 mark. Tanner Roark and Shun Yamaguchi further bolster this team but they are still a few pieces away from a winning season.

Last, and also least, the Baltimore Orioles.  What is there to say about the Orioles?  No really, What can be said for this disaster of a team.  The only question is whether they will again lose 100 games and lead the division in failure.  Spoiler alert, they will.

American League Central Preview

This division will be tighter than many think with the Twins struggling to repeat their 2019 performance. They exceeded all expectations last year, won 101 games and took a lot of money from a number of sportsbooks early on.  They were the most profitable team to bet on last season but don’t expect an encore.  They won’t be a bad MLB team by any stretch of the imagination in 2020, but they also won’t run away with the AL Central again. The problem for them is the rest of the teams they rival have gotten significantly better.

At the top of that list has to be the White Sox, who had one of the best offseasons in recent memory.  They added catcher Yasmani Grandal, powerhouse Edwin Encarnacion to DH and give them a big boost at the plate.  Chicago did no ignore their pitching staff and added left-handed studs Dallas Keuchel and Gion Gonzalez to help them contend.  Add to that a strong core of youth talent and this team has a real chance to threaten the Twins and are expected to win 85.5 games. 

A close third has to be the Cleveland Indians after adding a legit MVP talent in Josh Donaldson.  They did lose Corey Kluber but managed to hold onto Francisco Lindor and appear to be a team that can’t decide if they need a retool or rebuild. 

The Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Tigers will again be some of the worst teams in the league.  Neither has done anything to improve in the offseason and their own battle this year will be with each other.

MLB 2020 American League West Preview

Public opinion aside, the Houston Astros have a stranglehold on this division and will be locked into a postseason spot yet again.  They should also compete for another pennant despite their cheating scandal which really sent shockwaves throughout the entire league.  Already we are seeing the fallout, with Astros players getting hit by seven pitches in just the first five games of spring training.  Whether teams will be content with making their feelings knows when the regular season starts remains to be seen.  But it’s clear the Astros will be the villains of this MLB league for at least the rest of the 2020 season.  Their season win total right now is 93.5 at most sportsbooks and it will be interesting to see just how they react to being aggressively booed by every fan outside of Minute Maid Park.

The biggest “what if” in this division has to be the Oakland Athletics.  Coming off a very impressive 97 win season, the A’s could very well take the division crown this year if they can repeat such a feat.  Online bookmakers aren’t optimistic about their chances, saddling them with a win total of 89.5.   But they might not have to do much better than that to emerge atop the MLB standings when the regular season ends. 

If things go off the rails in Houston, the Los Angeles Anges also have a shot to usurp them atop the division.  But, they will have to really overachieve to see that goal come to fruition.  LA did well by adding Anthony Rendon to man the hot corner and give Mike Trout another big bat to help him in the lineup.  They do lack depth in the middle of their rotation which might push them closer to a .500 team than expected but their season wins are projected at 85.5.

The Texas Rangers put in some good work this offseason, acquiring veteran help in the form of Corey Kluber and Todd Frazier.  Those moves do ring a bit strange, as the Texans seem to think they can actually contend this year.  The fact is, those two players will help but not enough and betting odds don’t even have set them to improve on their 78 win season.  It seems a waste of money but maybe the main office has a long term plan in place. 

Bringing up the rear will again be the Seattle Mariners who won just 68 games in 2019 and put up a big fat doughnut this offseason.  They made not a single significant move to get better and expectations are that they actually regress en route to a complete franchise rebuild. 

National League East Preview

The Atlanta Braves a strong bet to sit atop this MLB division come 2020 season’s end.  They did lose an MVP player in Josh Donaldson.  But managed to add OF Marcell Ozuna to help fill the void in their batting order along with Will Smith and Cole Hamels to add to their pitching depth.  Felix Hernandez was also signed to a minor league deal, but even if he makes the opening day team, who knows how long he stays there.  Either way, this is a team that, despite losing their best player, might have gotten better overall.  They have significant young talent to play with and should walk into the playoffs with their third straight NL East crown.

The New York Mets will be nipping at their heels, coming off an 86 win season and expected to take a small step forward.  They signed Dillen Betances away from their crosstown rival Yankees and even are taking a bet on Rick Porcello.  Porcello was the 2016 Cy Young Award winner but posted a very poor 5.52 ERA last year and fell out of favor in Boston.  Reigning winner Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard lead this rotation and could easily bring this team to the playoffs if all goes well. 

You might be surprised to see the reigning champions here but the Washington Nationals are expected to win just 90 games and could very well find themselves in third place after a championship hangover.  The reason for their expected slip is due in large part to the loss of Anthony Rendon and their talented veterans getting that one year older.  This team did win it all last year but did it in spectacular fashion as an underdog who needed to win the Wild Card just to get in.  Plus this is looking more and more like a sneaky stacked MLB division in 2020.

The Phillies did add Didi Gregorious and Zack Wheeler to help this team keep Bryce Harper happy.  But the fact this team has too many bad players which outweigh the few great guys they actually have.  This team is still a year at least away from contending for the division but might be making some moves at the trade deadline if they feel like making a run.

The Miami Marlins will again be at the bottom of the NL East, the club which all others beat upon.  Despite adding some intriguing talent with Jonathan Villar, Corey Dickerson, and Matt Kemp, this team still stinks and will contend for nothing in 2020. 

National League Central Preview

The NL West could possibly be the most hotly contested in 2020 with four MLB teams expected to finish within four wins of each other. 

The Cardinals (87.5 wins)  took the crown last year and have the depth and talent to go for two, despite losing Marcell Ozuna to free agency. 

The Cubs (86.5 wins) are perhaps the most jarring story in the division as it seems they have gone from a perennial postseason team to a team in trouble.  They might be in line for a complete rebuild as they seem to be jumping back and forth between buying and selling.  The Cubbies are coming off an 84 win year and have done nothing significant to think this year will be any better.

The Reds (84.5) pulled of a great move by stealing Mike Moustakas away from the Brewers and also added Nick Castellanos and Shogo Akiyama.  Akiyama, for those unaware, is a two time Golden Glove winner and six-time All-Star form the Korea League.  After bolstering their bullpen with Pedro Strop and Wade Miley, they are a very sneaky dark-horse play to win this division.

The Brewers (83.5 wins) had a give and take offseason and should again have a strong season within the division.  They lost catcher Yasmani Grandal and infielder Mike Moustakas to the open market.  But they pivoted quickly and added Avasall Garcia, Justin Smoak and Ryon Healy to help fill in the blanks.  Their biggest issue is their lack of a true ace but they make up for it by having the best player in baseball, Christian Yelich. 

And then we come to the Pirates.  Each division needs a punching bad the Pirates are again the team to beat in the NL Central.  They shipped one of their best players in Starling Marte to Arizona and the only moves made of note were in the front office.  This sets them up for a 2021 rebuild but will be forgettable again this season.

MLB 2020 National League West Preview

After the offseason acquisitions of Mookie Betts and David Price from Boston, the Dodgers have managed to improve a team that led the MLB in wins last year. They reeled off 106, most in franchise history, and won the NL West by a staggering 21 games.  They haven’t won it all since 1988, but unless their team plane crashes, they are a lock to win this division for the eighth straight season.

The Arizona Diamondbacks will likely take the second spot in 2020 behind the Dodgers but hope it won’t be by 21 MLB games again.  The D-Backs signed Madison Bumgarner and Starling Marte in the offseason and could make noise int he postseason if they can manage to snag a Wild Card berth. 

The San Diego Padres have a whole big stinking heap of young talent, led by Fernando Tatis Jr.  But it just won’t be enough to keep them in the playoff hunt down the stretch.  It would take a meltdown from Arizona for them to even have a chance of sniffing the playoffs.  They are a year or two away, but when their talent starts to break out this will be a team to watch. 

The Colorado Rockies had a really rough break this offseason after failing to move star Nolan Arenado.  So instead of starting their rebuild with his massive contract off the books, but they now have a pissed of superstar who will likely opt out of his deal in 2021.  This would leave Colorado with nothing to show for him and are highly incentivized to move him before the trade deadline.  This would leave a bad team without their best player and contending with the Giants for the last spot in the division.

The San Francisco Giants have even worse contract issues than the Rockies.   They are saddled with veterans who are overpaid and untradable which has all roads pointing to a rebuilding year.  They will do all they can to focus on dumping contracts and not winning.

That does it for our quick rundown of each division as we head into Spring Training.  If you are a PayPerHead agent, use this information to help promote baseball betting to your clients and also to get you started in your annual research.

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The 2019 MLB postseason is nearing the end game fast, but the exact details of where, when and who of the Wild-Card games is still up in the air with just four days left to play.  The National League Wild Card game will get things started on Tuesday with the Nationals a lock to participate but their opponent and field of play are still unclear as of this writing.

The Nationals, along with the Houston Astros, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers have at the very least, ensured they play a 153rd game this year.

If the MLB season ended today, September 25th, the National League Wild Card game would go down on October 1st between the Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Nationals.  This will likely be the case no matter what happens, unless either team can catch the St. Louis Cardinals, unlikely but possible.  The NLDS will feature the winner of that game facing the Dodgers while the Cardinals & Braves square off in Atlanta, both series start on October 3rd.

In the American League, the Wild Card game will go down on the 2nd and feature the Tampa Bay Rays & Oakland Athletics.  The Winner of that game will kick off an ALDS series against the Astros while the Twins and Yankees kick off their tilt versus the Twins on the 4th.

In each of the upcoming playoff series, whichever team comes in with the better record earns the right to play the final game of that series, be it game 5 or game 7, on their home turf.  This also allows the team with the best record in baseball the ability to maintain home field advantage through game -7 of the World Series. The Houston Astros take a slight lead over the Yankees into these final days and have the advantage of owning the tiebreaker after beating the Yankees 4 out of 7 games this year. Any tiebreakers related to home-field advantage are based on head-to-head records, then records against divisional foes then their records versus league opponents.

With all this in mind, let’s take stock of each team still alive in the race to the World Series and make some postseason Pay Per Head predictions.

MLB 2019 American League Playoff End Game Previews

Houston Astros (104-54)

Current ‘best team in the Major Leagues, the Houston Astros have enjoyed phenomenal success this season.  With a trio of Hall of Fame caliber starting pitchers, a lethal infield and an outfield full of power and speed, it’s no wonder they are the best team in the league right now. With an ERA averaging 3.02 as a group, their predicted postseason rotation is full of guys who toss quality filth on a daily basis.  Not that Calros Correa has returned from the IR, their in flied is back to firing on all cylinders behind Jose Altuve.  It’s no wonder the Astros continue to dominate the top spot in World Series futures and the Yankees and Dodgers provide their only real competition right now.

New York Yankees (102-57)

While the Yankees are enjoying the best season in a long time, their only focus for the time being is usurping the Astros atop the AL rankings.  Taking the best record in baseball means the Bombers would enjoy home-field advantage through game-7 of the World Series.  The problem for NY right now is while many teams are getting healthy right now, many big name Yankees have gone down with injuries over the last few weeks.  Dillon Betances suffered a season ending injury about 15 minutes after his season started a few weeks ago, coming off a long stay on the IR just to go right back on it. Joining Betances are starting outfielders Mick Tachman (oblique) and Aaron Hicks (elbow) who are both lost to the season.  They have enjoyed the return of young superstar Luis Severino and their power hitter Giancarlo Statnton, but with so little innings this year, how effective will they be?  Perhaps the biggest, most unexpected and tragic loss is that of starting pitcher Domingo German (18-4, 4.03 ERA).  While the details are murky, German is accused of domestic violence and word on the street is that it was witnessed by an MLB official and that is why his punishment was so quick and swift.  The Yankees, much like the rest of the league, will employ a three man rotation with CC Sabathia and J.J. Happ first out of the bullpen.  The Yanks hope that Luis Severing, James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka will give them enough innings to avoid a 4th rotation member.  The Bombers should make quick work of their ALDS counterpart and will be in line for a helluva series in Houston.

Minnesota Twins (99-60)

The Twins are another team who have suffered big losses to their starting roster as the regular season comes to a close. This also explains why their odds to win the World Series have slid to 18/1 over the last couple of weeks.  With Michael Pineda getting suspended again for being a dirty cheater, and Byron Buxton suffering season ending shoulder surgery, the Twins loose weapons on both sides of the diamond. Another loss to the postseason roster will be Sam Dyson who is likely to miss the rest of the 2019 World Series push.  With the Mets eliminated, the Twins are not guaranteed a playoff slot, but just which one remains to be seen.  They are currently one game back from moving into a tie with the Nationals for the first Wild-Card spot and are 1 ½ games back from the Cardinals for the National League Central title. They were heavy favorites just a week ago to reign over the AL, but a week is a long time in the MLB and now they are fighting for home field advantage in the Wild Card game.

Oakland Athletics (95-63)

The Oakland Athletics this week took over the top Wild Card spot from the Twins after being knocked out of the running for the Division.  They took their shot at the America League Central title, but will just have to settle for a one-game series at home against the Rays.  Their last three games come against the lowly Mariners roster.  There is still a possibility that the Rays and Indians will be locked in at the end of the year and will be forced to participate in a tiebreaker game.  This gives the Athletics a distinct advantage in the Wild Card with both other teams having exhausted their best starting pitcher the day before.  Either way, the Athletics are a good bet to make it to the ALDS and get rocked by the Astros.

Tampa Bay Rays (95-64)

The Rays are the only MLB team left on this list that is not guaranteed a spot in the playoffs season end game.  The Indians are currently nipping at their heels, just a half game back from the second wild card bet.  With Yandy Diaz and Brandown Lowe suffering injuries down the stretch, the Rays will need all the help they can get keeping opponents at bay with their diminished scoring potential.  Blake Snell will be a key cog to accomplishing tis task, but he has been a question mark this season and is still not totally stretched out after retuning from the IR.  If all goes well, Snell will join Charlie Morton, Ryan Yardbrough and Tyler Glassnow in the postseason rotation.  It’s a strong quartet of pitchers, one of the better postseason rotation in the league, especially if Snell returns to Cy Young form.  Yonny Chirinos and Brendan McKay will be additions to the bullpen who can also make starts if need be.  McKay also offers them an extra bat on the bench a la Shohei Ohtani.

MLB 2019 National League Playoff End Game Picture

Los Angeles Dodgers (103-56)

The Dodgers remain just one of three teams to surpass 100-wins this year along with the Houston Astros and New York Yankees.  The Braves and Twins each have a shot at hitting that mark before season’s end.  But the only thing the Dodgers are guaranteed is home field advantage through the NLCS after posting the best record in the National League. The Dodgers will play either the Washington Nationals or Milwaukee Brewers in the Division Series, dependent on who wins the Wild Card game on the 1st.  Both are strong teams but the fact of the matter is that, in a five-game series, the Dodgers are head and shoulders above the competition and should have little trouble skating into the NLCS against either the Atlanta Braves or St. Louis Cardinals. Los Angeles will employ three starting pitchers to begin, with Hyun-Jin Ryu, Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler going 1-2-3 starting next week.  There is talk of having a bullpen game as the ‘fourth starter’ with relievers combining to pitch a complete game.  I am skeptical of how this will work down the stretch in the postseason, but I have to assume the Dodgers pitching staff is a bit better at this than I.  Frankly, the Dodgers should walk through the Division Series and have little trouble in the NLCS en route to another World Series appearance.

Atlanta Braves (97-62)

The Braves locked in their end game postseason berth after clinching top spot in the American League East with a shutout MLB win against the Giants last Friday night.  This marks their second AL East title in a row and a possible resurgence for Atlanta baseball which was so dominant in the 90’s.  This will be the 19th division title for Atltanta, which ties the Yankees with best mark since the divisional era started in 1970.  For those nostalgic millennials, you will be happy to hear that this marks the first season in 15 years that the Dodgers, Brewers and Yankees have all won their respective divisions.  With Nick Markakis returning to action last week, he expects to be a huge contributing factor moving forward into the playoffs.

St. Louis Cardinals (90-69)

The Cardinals remain the only team left to hold the top spot in their MLB division and have yet to clinch it with the end game coming up.  They have clinched their first playoff berth since 2015, but would really love to avoid a Wild Card game against the Washington Nationals in St. Louis.  They let the Brewers creep up two games this week to sit just a single game back of the NL Central.  With Milwaukee playing so well right now, there is a strong possibility that the Cardinals stumble enough to put them into the Wild Card game and lost out on another Division Title.

Washington Nationals (90-69)

While the Braves were expected to run away with the division, there are still many surprises which popped up across the league this year.  First off, the Nationals being better off without Bryce Harper turned out to be a rather comical one.  Especially considering the Nationals knocked the Phillies out of the playoffs Tuesday night amidst the Washington crowd raining boos upon Harper.  On the negative side however, is the Nationals’ Bullpen.  A group of guys who were expected to be a dominant force in the league instead became more of a smoldering pile of suck.  While the starters have played up to the hype, with Stephen Strousburg finally coming into his own, the bullpen was another story.  A tragic story full of high drama and even higher scores. The bullpen ERA is 5.48, easily the worst in the majors and they are also posting the worst win probability rate over the last decade.  I mean, what is more desperate than dusting off 42-year-old rust-bucket Fernando Rodney to help them close the year?  Were Armando Benitez and John Rocker not available? Fact is that without such a key ingredient, this is a recipe for disaster come the postseason.  IF they manage to keep their bullpen in the bullpen for the MLB Wild Card game, they have little shot at beating the Dodgers in a series and will see their season end in LA next weekend.

Milwaukee Brewers (89-70)

The Brewers might be the feel-good story of the early fall after such an impressive run to close out their MLB end game this season.  After team and league MVP, Chrisitan Yelich went down for the season a few weeks back, the public immediately dismissed the Brewers from the World Series conversation. Seems nobody bothered to share that news story in the Brewers lockers room.  The Milwaukee Brewers are now 18-2 over their last 20 games played and have firmly entrenched themselves not only in the Wild Card game, but still have a shot at the division if you can believe it.  They have an easy road ahead of the with a three-game series against the Rockies to close out 2019.  It goes without saying that this will be the most dynamic storyline for the remainder of the regular season.  Whether they take the division or not, I see them and the Cardinals playing for the NLDS and leave the Nationals wondering why they traded their best player in history.

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Well the first half of the 2019 MLB season is just about in the books and the baseball betting world can now spend the All-Star mid season break either counting their profits or licking their wounds.  Either way this is a time to take a breath, review results and formulate a strategy for 2nd half betting dominance.

There are no shortage of big names making big news in the league so far, along with many upstart players and teams making noise in 2019.  Between Christian Yelich having yet another historically good season, betting favorites letting their backers down and the Yankees succeeding with ⅔ of their team spending time on the IL this year, there is a lot to be excited about so far this season.

With the task of formulating a solid betting strategy for the 2nd half, let’s take a look at some of the major takeaways from the first half of the MLB season and look forward at somehow some big stories will end in 2019.

2019 MLB Mid Season Favorites (777-522) vs. Underdogs (522-840)

Taking a leap of faith and blind betting either favorite or underdogs in 2019 would have been a mistake on either side.  Favorites went 777-522 (59.82%) for a net loss of 21.68 units (-1.3% ROI) with the underdogs not faring any better at 522-840 (38.32%) for a sickly -38.26 units (-2.9% ROI).

Take this as a lesson if you are one of the unfortunate ‘blind bettors’ who got burned this year.  Last year’s results were no different for those thinking they just had bad luck. In the first half of 2018 favorites were 845-597 for a loss of -22.77 units and dogs were 597-845 for -36.82 units.

This just goes to show that you need to do daily matchup-based research and bet accordingly or you are just firing off shots in the dark.

Home Field Advantage Leads Bettors Astray

It’s no secret that public bettors severely overvalue home-field advantage, especially in baseball when compared to other sports.  Surprisingly, the MLB has proven that home-field advantage actually accounts for very little when it comes to the outcome of a baseball game.  Oddsmakers of course are aware of this and in turn shade the odds for home teams knowing full well that the public doesn’t care and will still bet these teams on the regular.  Bad news for those public bettors as home teams got rolled over so far in the first half going 687-577 (50.43%), losing a gut wrenching -64.23 units for blind backers.

First Half Unders Dominated the MLB

The best side that bettors could have been on by 2019 mid season have been wager on the under totals.  On a whole under betting has a bit extra value because of the public’s infatuation with betting for big points, this creates heightened contrarian value on the under.

Blind betting every first half under would have returned at 51.40%-win rate for a profit of +24.78 units, which any sports bettor would be happy to take to the bank.  Also, under bets seeing 42% or less of wagers with a closing line of 8 or up went a very strong (57.1%) and a massive betting overs, which creates some inflated contrarian value to go the other way.

Betting every first-half under produced a 720-658 record (52.2%) for a profit of almost 60 units.

Will Christain Yelich be a Back-to-Back MVP & Finally win the Triple Crown?

Yelich continues to be the best hitter in baseball this season and is truly showing no sign of slowing down.  Sure, making the move to Milwaukee has helped him immensely, after only reaching double digit home runs twice in 5 years he has already smacked 46 in a season and a half with the Brewers.  While he is currently the favorite to win the MVP again, can he become the first Triple Crown winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and only the 2nd since 1967 when Carl Yastrzemski accomplished the mighty feat?

Well he currently sits 4th in BA (.328), 3rd in RBIs (67) and 1st in HR’s (31).  There is plenty of time for the players above him in BA & RBIs to revert back to career averages and give Yelich a chance to make history.  One thing to note if you are looking at betting futures this week. Yelich says that he will be participating in this year’s MLB Home Run Derby in Cleveland this upcoming Monday.  Maybe wait a week after to place those bets, just in case, as the Home Run derby has been known to mess up a hitter’s swing midseason and lead to a bit of a July slump.

Can the Yankees Continue to win with Injuries still Piling up?

As of the writing of this article at 2019 mid season, the Yankees (57-29) are 8.5 games up in the division on Tampa Bay and 3 games ahead of the Twins and Astros in the MLB American League.  While this might not be all that surprising given the Yankees winning tradition and stacked lineup, they have been struck by the injury bug harder than anyone else in the league this year.  Currently there are 9 Yankees on the IL with Luke Voigt the latest Vitim after suffering an ab strain in London. The other IL members are:

Miguel Andújar Out for season

Jake Barrett, Return TBD

Dellin Betances, Return in August

Jacoby Ellsbury, Return TBD (has not played since Nov 2017)

Ben Heller, Return in July

Jonathan Loaisiga, Return in July

Cameron Maybin, Return in July/August

Jordan Montgomery, Return TBD

Luis Severino, Return TBD

Troy Tulowitzki, Return TBD

Giancarlo Stanton. Return TBD

As bad as that all looks it really only tells half the story.  See Didi Gregorius, Aaron Judge, Jonathan Loaisiga, Gary Sanchez, Clint Frazier, James Paxton, CC Sabathia, Aaron Hicks, and Luke Voit have also all spend time on the IL this season.  So pretty much every impact player aside from Brett Gardner and Aroldis Chapman has taken at least a 10-day break from the active roster in 2019.

And despite all of this, the Yankees continue to win, continue to hit and continue to get quality starts from their rotation.  They recently broke the record for most consecutive games with a HR (28) and also hit a staggering 29 runs in their 2-game series vs the Red Sox in London.  The Bombers sport a .663 winning percentage and sit an impressive 28 games above the .500 mark. One has to consider them World Series favorites at this point due to their thrilling performance with a Frankenstein lineup.  The league best watch their asses when the Yankees finally get back to full strength just in time for the playoffs.

There is still plenty of time left in the 2019 MLB season with plenty of betting left to be done.  Be it game by game wagers, player or team props, or season specials we’ve got a lot of action yet ahead of us.  Be sure to take advantage of our current promotion for new agents, refer your friends, and get started making money on the MLB and more. And keep an eye on this blog for weekly articles pointing you and your money in the right direction.

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If I gave you a $100 bill in March and said: “Bet this on any MLB team to have the best 1st half record in baseball.” Who would you have picked? One thing I can say with a good deal of confidence; I bet it wouldn’t have been the Minnesota Twins.  

Yes, it’s true, as we put May behind us the Minnesota Twins have a 37-18 record, good for best in the Majors.  But they aren’t the only surprise of this MLB 1st half. Let’s take a deeper look at the Twins and also delve into some other early-season shockers that have affected the betting market.

Minnesota Twins sit atop the MLB mountain as June begins

Not only does Minnesota have the best record in the league, but they have also opened up a big ol’ 10-game lead over the Indians in the division.   How have they done this you ask? With the utmost confidence, I can offer just one answer to that question… I have no idea. How about “every Cleveland player is having a career year.”  Perhaps some stimulant has contaminated the clubhouse cooler at Target Field. I mean sure, Jorge Polanco is having an MVP quality season and they have veteran studs Marwin Gonzalez and Nelson Cruz on roster doing damage.  But just how the rest of an honestly average lineup is hitting so well is beyond my comprehension.

What I can comprehend is the law of averages and can say with certainty that this will not last.  I mean we see this every year with a middle of the road player, it just so happens this season’s crop is ALL ON THE TWINS! Unless Rocco Baldelli found the holy grail of hitting clinics, expect regression toward career means and a quick exit from the playoffs.

Great time to lay some money on the Indians so scrape back into this race and come out on top of the division come season’s end.  

The Rays pitching staff are channeling their inner aces

The Rays have been pitching lights out so far this season.  Like black hole level of lights out really… so good. Their starting rotation has a league-leading 2.33 ERA on the season, this is insanity people.  For reference, the next closest team is the Dodgers with a 3.09 ERA followed by the aforementioned twins at 3.45. Not enough for you?  Ok, let’s take a walkout to the bullpen, which ranks third in ERA at 3.49 and 3rd in total strikeouts. They are still making use of an uncommon strategy in baseball by utilizing an opener, think closer but for the 1st inning.  The thought process being that it minimizes the ABs players have against any given pitcher. This doesn’t rank so much in the fade category heading into June as I believe we’ve seen enough of this Rays staff to trust them to continue their excellent pitching.

The Yankees prove they are unbreakable in MLB 1st half

Last week the New York Yankees placed Miguel Andujar on the 60 day IL after season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his throwing shoulder.  This marks the 20th stint on the IL that a Bronx Bomber has occupied at one point this season, a league-leading number and a category you don’t want to be winning at.

But here’s the real twist, the Yanks have the 2nd best record in the division and sit atop the AL East with a 36-19 record, behind just the Twins for best in the Major Leagues.  Let’s review, the Yankees are without the likes of OF studs Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, young ace Luis Severing and now last year’s rookie of the year, Andujar. Despite all of these punches, Bronx’s best just refuses to go down.  Well much like the Rays, we are seeing many new faces who are playing way over expectations.

This squad, missing their 5 best HR hitters from 2018 for most of the season, matched their numbers from last year with 90 home runs in their first 55 games. Guys like Luke Voight and Gio Urshela have been hitting the cover off the ball, and Domingo German is pitching more like El Duque in his debut season in pinstripes.

Now while I do believe the Yankees will continue to succeed and contend for the World Series this season, one thing must be mentioned about their hot start in the 1st half of the MLB season.  “The Baltimore Effect” refers to the fact that The Bronx Zoo has played an astonishing 21.8 percent of their total games against the Orioles this season.  Now this influences their W/L ration due to the putrid team Baltimore is trotting out on a daily basis. This has also inflated their HR numbers with the Bombers hitting 36 long balls in just 12 games vs an O’s team which has allowed a dry heave-inducing 117 dingers so far this season.  But the Yankees will get healthy soon, just in time to start playing teams fielding actual skill this year.

Cody Bellinger is hitting like the lights out

Sure Cody Bellinger has always been a very good baseball player since his debut in 2017, but where has this legendary performance come from? Bellinger’s been good since day one, but he has been off-the-charts good to date this season. He enters this week slashing a bonkers .374 with 52 RBIs & 20 HRs with a .465 on-base percentage to go along with a 1.213 OPS, legendary stuff. Look the kid can’t hit like this all year but at this point, it almost doesn’t matter.  

He has already shown his ceiling to be HOF worthy, he’s 23 years old and appears in line to be a perennial All-Star in this league. Expect this hot start to keep up, though don’t expect him to finish with a BA above .350, regression will occur.

Holy MLB 1st Half Home Runs Batman

The 1st half of MLB 2019 has been about the hitters so far, specifically everyone’s favorite long-ball specialists. Home run totals are up in the first third of this campaign, way up.  Hitters this year have actually kicked in the door to 2019 and have decimated the all-time record for both total home runs and home runs per 9 innings. Not to mention that the league usually sees an uptick in bombs when the weather warms up, so we are just getting started with what should end up as the highest HR total in history.  

Entering June we have seven different players who are on track to eclipse the 50 home run mark.  A feat only 2 people in the last 5 seasons have accomplished – Yankee teammates Giancarlo Stanton & Aaron Judge. And only 2 more over the last decade have reached the mark, Jose Bautista & Chris Davis.  

To date, Yelich, Alonso, Bellinger, Rosario, Bell, Sanchez & Dietrich are all on pace for 50.  If you needed any more reason to trust the power surge this season. As of the writing of this very sentence, news broke that MLB hitters have set a new HR record for a single month with Vlad Guerrero Jr smacking the 1,120 through deep ball in May.

Make the most of the MLB season

There is still plenty of time left in the 2019 MLB season after the 1st half and still plenty of betting left to be done.  Be it game by game wagers, player or team props, or season specials we’ve got a lot of action yet ahead of us.  Be sure to take advantage of our 3$ per head promotion for new agents, refer your friends,  and get started making money on the MLB and more. And keep an eye on this blog for weekly articles pointing you and your money in the right direction.

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