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The most highly contested division in baseball as of June 29th is the Al Central. The Tigers have a ½ game lead over the Twins and a 2 game lead over the White Sox. The Twins are slumping and the other 2 teams are streaking and the division is ripe for the taking. However, the Twins are solid on offense and pitching, which the same could not be said for the Tigers and, especially the White Sox.
Here are the odds at one of the leading sportsbooks for each team to win the AL Central and the AL Pennant.
Minnesota Twins (-200 AL Pennant +350)
The Twins have led the AL central for most of the season, but their recent slump has caused them to recently fall out of the division lead. They have a good offense, but their strength has been their pitching staff, which ranks 8th in the Majors in team ERA. However, it is their pitching that has been killing them lately. They have lost 8 if their last 11 games and over that span they have a team ERA over 7.00. They are a young staff and they may need to go out and get a veteran arm before the trade deadline.
Detroit Tigers (+220 AL Pennant +1200)
The Tigers recently took over first place in the Al Central, but there are some major issues in Motor City USA. Solid set up man Joel Zumaya recently had an elbow injury, which may or may not be serious, and slugger Magglio Ordonez was scratched for the last game with a bad back and will be examined. The loss of Ordonez for any amount of time will be a big blow. The Tigers are in first place, but they only rank 19th in team ERA and are not getting timely hitting ranking 15th in RBI’s. Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera are having good seasons, but they need some other guys to start hitting. Pitching is also a concern and they are one of a slew of teams that need another starter for their playoff run.
Chicago White Sox (+250 AL Pennant +900)
The White Sox have got back in the race after recently reeling off 11 straight wins. However, since their streak they have dropped 2 in a row. It is hard to believe that the White Sox can make a push to win the division much less get back to the Fall Classic, as they rank 25th in batting average, 20th in RBI’s, and 20th in team ERA. Jake Peavy has been up and down and even though he leads the squad in strikeouts he is only 7-5 with an ERA of 4.71. Paul Konerko is having a huge season and he is among the league leaders in HR’s, but the guys around him are not helping him out. The White Sox have been discussing trading for Seattle’s Cliff Lee, but they need more than that for a playoff push.
June 29th, 2010 6:47:09 AM UTC | Posted in Baseball, Futures, Sports, Sports Betting by Jason Green | No Comments
The AL West may be the weakest division in all of baseball and the Angels have had a stranglehold on the division for several years, but this season it is up for grabs. The Rangers, A’s, and Angels have all been in first place this season and as of June 16th the Rangers are in first with a 2 game lead over the Angels.
Here are the odds at one of the leading sportsbooks for each team to win the AL West and the World Series.
Texas Rangers (-120 World Series +1500)
The Rangers are like the weather in Arlington in mid June, as they have won 3 straight and are 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have scored the most runs of the teams in the AL West and unlike the last few seasons their pitching is not killing them. They are in the middle of the pack in terms of pitching, as they have the 15th highest team ERA in the Majors. Just like the past several seasons their offense is solid, as they rank 5th in both team batting average and RBI’s. Picking up DH Vladimir Guerrero was a great move and he ranks 5th in the AL in batting average and ranks 2nd in RBI’s and has 14 HR’s.
L.A. Angels (Even World Series +2500)
The Angels have been playing well for a month now after a slow start to the season. Their offense is decent and even though they only rank 19th in the Majors in batting average they are getting timely hits ranking 6th in RBI’s. Their pitching has been what is killing the Halos, as they rank 21st in team ERA. They really miss John Lackey as the ace of the staff.
Oakland A’s (+500 World Series +7500)
Nobody expected much from the young A’s this season, but they have played well and are at .500 as of June 16th and are 4 games out of first place in the AL West. Their offense is decent at best and while they rank 10th in the Majors in batting average they only rank 25th in RBI’s and 28th in HR’s. They may need to add a good bat before the trade deadline to compete for the division crown. Their pitching has been solid with the league’s 11th lowest team ERA.
Seattle Mariners (+2000 World Series +10000)
The Mariners were supposed to THE dark horse team this season, but not much has gone right in the Great Northwest. They are 17 games under .500 and trail the Rangers by 12.5 games in the AL West. Their pitching has not been terrible ranking 18th in team ERA, but their offense has ranking 30th in HR’s and 27th in batting average, RBI’s, and hits.
June 16th, 2010 7:59:35 AM UTC | Posted in Baseball, Futures, Sports, Sports Betting by Jason Green | No Comments
The Rays have been in first place for quite some time, but the Yankees just caught them, as they are tied for the lead for the division lead as of June 14th. The Red Sox are 4.5 games back but they are streaking and still have one of the best, if not the best, offenses in the Majors.
Here are the three teams that will likely battle it out of for the AL East crown with their odds to win the division and the World Series.
New York Yankees (-200 +300 World Series)
The Yankees have caught the Rays and they have won 3 straight to do that. New York’s offense has scored the most runs in the Majors and their staff is starting to pitch well after being just so-so for the first month and a half of the season. However, their team ERA ranks only 9th in the league, but if they keep hitting like they have been all season that will not matter. If the Yankees remain healthy, especially their starting pitchers, they will be tough to beat and repeating as World Series champions is not possible, but probable.
Tampa Bay Rays (+150 +700 World Series)
After leading the AL East for some time they are now tied with the Yankees. Tampa has been playing .500 ball for a week or so now and that aint gonna cut it with New York and Boston in the division. Their staff has given up the fewest runs in the AL and they have the 4th lowest ERA in the AL, but there have been chinks in the armor lately, especially in the bullpen. While they only rank 14th in the league in batting average they are getting hits when it counts ranking 3rd in the Majors in RBI’s. Their offense should be ok, but how far Tampa goes this season will depend on their young staff.
Boston Red Sox (+400 +700 World Series)
The Red Sox are finally coming around after a poor start and they are only 4 games out of first place in the AL East. Boston’s offense is definitely not a problem, as they rank 1st in hits and RBI’s, 2nd in HR’s and 5th in batting average. However, their pitching has, and may continue, to kill them this season. The Red Sox rank 20th in terms of team ERA and as a team they have Dice K and Josh Beckett hurting. If these 2 stay healthy and the other starter play decent Boston has a legit shot to win the Al East.
All 3 teams cannot make the playoffs, but maybe they should. The reason? It is interesting that Boston has the 3rd best record in the AL East, but if they were in the AL West, AL Central, and NL Central they would be in first place all alone and if they were in the NL West and NL East they would be tied for first place. No matter, the Red Sox and Yankees were the 2 teams many picked to win the division, but the Rays have the talent to get back to the World Series.
June 14th, 2010 4:32:24 PM UTC | Posted in Baseball, Futures, Sports, Sports Betting by Jason Green | No Comments
The NL East may be the hardest division to predict, as every team in the division, except the Washington Nationals, I think, has led the division. With the Braves long win streak a week back they are currently in 1st place and the defending NL and NL East champion Phillies are really struggling and are in 3rd place.
Here are the odds for each team to win the division at one of the leading sportsbooks and the order they are in as of June 13th.
Atlanta Braves +150
The Braves have gone from the basement of the NL East to 1st place in less than a month. Derek Lowe and Tim Hudson anchor a solid staff and after struggling to score runs in the beginning of the season the offense has played well. While they do rank 9th in the league in RBI’s they could use another power bat, as they only rank 22nd in the league in HR’s. At least they are getting hits when it matters, when men are on base. They have the league’s 8th best team ERA, but only rank 28th in saves and their bullpen is a concern.
New York Mets +600
The Mets have won 3 straight, are 8-2 in their last 10 games and only trail the Braves by 1.5 games. Too bad they can’t play all their games at home, as they are 14 games over .500 in the Big Apple and 8 games under .500 on the road. Their pitching is what has been saving them, as they do not rank in the top 20 in the league in batting average or hits.
Philadelphia Phillies -160
The Phillies have really been struggling over the last month and the main reason is the offense. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard have been silent and the Phillies simply cannot score runs. Luckily their pitching, especially Roy Halliday, has kept them in the race. They have lost 3 in a row, are only 3-7 in their last 10 games, and trail the Braves by 3.5 games.
Florida Marlins +1500
The Marlins can be summed up by one word, mediocre. They do not rank in the bottom 10 or top 10 in the league in the categories of batting average, home runs, hits, RBI’s, team ERA, strikeouts, or saves. The thing is mediocre is not going to cut it in the tough NL East. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and trail the Braves by 5.5 games.
Washington Nationals +3000
After being above .500 for much of the first month and a half of the season they are now under .500 and have lost 6 of their last 10 games. Their offense and pitching has been decent, but not great and that will not win the division. They lead the Majors in saves and 1st round pick Steven Strasburg is 2-0 with 22 K’s in his first 2 starts, but there are still many issues the Nationals have to address.
June 13th, 2010 3:41:37 PM UTC | Posted in Baseball, Futures, Sports, Sports Betting by Jason Green | No Comments
Brazil has the second best odds to win the World Cup and the best odds to win Group G. Even though Brazil is stacked again they are in the Group of Death along with 2006 semifinalist Portugal, Ivory Coast, and North Korea.
FIFA World Ranking (1)
One of the leading sportsbooks has Brazil at +500 to win the World Cup and at -222 to win Group G.
Brazil is in a tough group, but they recently surpassed Spain as FIFA’s top-ranked team in the world and their national team has never lost when playing on Africa soil (8-0).
Brazil tends to struggle when they face teams that sit back on defense and pack the back line. With the lineup they have do not be surprised in the teams in Group G do that. Brazil has made all 19 World Cup tournaments and they are the only country that has won the coveted trophy 5 times.
Brazil did not have a tough time qualifying for the World Cup, as they came in first in the South American qualification process.
Brazil plays a very fluid game with lots of long runs and great passing. They are solid on set pieces and are the masters at setting up the counter-attack. They have midfielder Kaka of Real Madrid, who is their best player and the key to their offense. He is one of the best in the world at pushing forward on offense, setting up the strikers, and initiating the counter-attack. Brazil also has a solid defense and great goalie in Inter Milan’s Julio Cesar. Their defense is also one of their main offensive weapons, as they are great at pushing forward and joining the attack.
If teams play very physical against them and interrupt their flowing style of play Brazil can be beat.
Brazil has the team to capture their 6th World Cup title, but they will have to figure out how to score on teams that sit back on defense. Their big matches in the group are the ones against Portugal and Ivory Coast, as they should easily beat North Korea.
Brazil World Cup Schedule
6/15/2010 Brazil vs. North Korea
6/21/2010 Brazil vs. Ivory Coast
6/25/2010 Portugal vs. Brazil
June 12th, 2010 6:47:52 AM UTC | Posted in Futures, International, Soccer, Sports, Sports Betting by Jason Green | No Comments
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