Over the first two months of the season, the success of the league’s two youngest players has astonished fans across the league while creating a riveting narrative. More importantly, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper have rejuvenated their big market teams with their youthful enthusiasm and have helped put both teams into the thick of the playoff hunt.
Welcome to the 2012 edition of MLB Marketwatch, where the team at Sports Insights gives sports fans unprecedented insight into the MLB betting market.
Every week we analyze the sports betting marketplace to pinpoint which games the public is chasing and which the sharps are pounding.
Overall Record: 6-4 (+4.07 units)
The goal of this weekly column is to highlight games that offer true line value. Often, if a line looks too good to be true, there is a reason. You’ll occasionally need the worst teams on the board to come through. We typically buy on bad news and sell on good.
Last Wednesday, Giants’ pitcher Matt Cain tossed arguably the greatest game in the long and storied history of Major League Baseball. In an era dominated by hitters, the 27-year old right hander threw just the 22nd perfect game in league history, complete with 14 strikeouts, in a 10-0 victory over the Houston Astros. Tonight, Cain (8-2, 2.18 ERA) will take the mound for the first time since this dazzling display with many wondering how he will follow up his momentous feat.
The St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants may have won the past two World Series, but interleague play has been dominated by the American League since being introduced in 1997. Perhaps it’s the advantage of having a permanent designated hitter as opposed to a bench hitter. Perhaps AL teams just have higher budgets and more talented teams. Whatever the reasoning, the American League has owned the National League with a 2,003-1,825 record — good for a 52.32% winning percentage.
This trend has continued to rear its head in 2012 with the American League winning 55.17% (64-52) of the time entering today’s action. In fact, if you had bet every AL team, you would have earned +4.85 units this year and +99.27 units since the beginning of the 2005 season. However, that would involve betting on nearly 2,000 games and most bettors aren’t prepared to bet such a high number of contests.
So what are the sweet spots for betting interleague games? Do National League teams have an advantage in their home ballparks? Does a contrarian philosophy add value to your bet?
Welcome to the 2012 edition of MLB Marketwatch, where the team at Sports Insights gives sports fans unprecedented insight into the MLB betting market.
Every week we analyze the sports betting marketplace to pinpoint which games the public is chasing and which the sharps are pounding.
Overall Record: 4-4 (+1.22 units)
The goal of this weekly column is to highlight games that offer true line value. Often, if a line looks too good to be true, there is a reason. You’ll occasionally need the worst teams on the board to come through. We typically buy on bad news and sell on good.
Welcome to the 2012 edition of MLB Marketwatch, where the team at Sports Insights gives sports fans unprecedented insight into the MLB betting market.
Every week we analyze the sports betting marketplace to pinpoint which games the public is chasing and which the sharps are pounding.
Overall Record: 4-3 (+2.22 units)
The goal of this weekly column is to highlight games that offer true line value. Often, if a line looks too good to be true, there is a reason. You’ll occasionally need the worst teams on the board to come through. We typically buy on bad news and sell on good.