Just a day after being burned in their season debut, the Miami Marlins hope to make amends on Thursday night when they travel to Cincinnati in one of the most expensive collection of players to meet ever.
The Marlins, forever ired for their frugal spending habits, went on a spree this winter by adding All-Stars Jose Reyes, Heath Bell and Mark Buehrle.
Buehrle gets the start tonight, following up Josh Johnson’s batting practice session in which he allowed 12 hits and 3 runs. Continue reading
The New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox hit more home runs last year than any other team and were the only one’s to crack 200. It’s no wonder all three teams are heavy favorites to win the World Series in MLB Betting Odds.
As valuable as pitching is, there is no more valued asset than pure, raw power that can change the game in an instant. We saw that this winter when teams spent big to acquire more power to their lineups. The Los Angeles Angels inked Albert Pujols and his 445 career dingers to a massive contract in December. A month later, Prince Fielder stunned everyone by signing with his father’s alma mater, the Detroit Tigers. Continue reading
You could make the argument that 2011 was the year of the pitcher.
It had been almost 20 years since a pitcher won the MVP award and it had become such taboo that few thought it would happen again. But when Justin Verlander goes off and sweeps the pitching triple crown, you have to start re-evaluating yourself. The righty won 24 games with a 2.40 ERA and 250 strikeouts to lead the Detroit Tigers to their first playoff berth since 2006.
Not only did he reopen the conversation on a pitcher’s worth, but he makes 2012 a really interesting year for hurlers. In 2011, Verlander won 24 games, most of any pitcher since 2002, followed by Ian Kennedy and Clayton Kershaw’s 21. It was the first time in three years that many pitchers got to 20 games in a season. Continue reading
It’s been a long winter.
One of the longer one’s I’ve experienced. I can’t remember a season where so many big, premier names switched teams and instantly shifted MLB Betting Odds. And not just guys like Carl Crawford. I actually like him, but Crawford won’t make the Boston Red Sox more of a favorite to win the title anymore than Subway makes a better breakfast.
No, were talking Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, who instantly transformed the Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers from contenders to flatout favorites for the American League crown. Continue reading
The Boston Red Sox bookended last season with two of the worst losing streaks in recent memory, starting the year 2-10 and then finishing it 7-20 in September. Their miserable stretch only ended because there were no more games to lose. It was the game’s worst collapse in history, coughing up a 9 1/2 game Wild Card lead to miss the playoffs. That paved the way for the entire locker room to be ravaged, gutting many of the team’s personnel, including manager Terry Francona.
And still, they avoided losing 20 games in a row. That kind of a feat takes determination, and ineptitude. Although a longshot, Bovada is offering a juicy +900 payout in MLB Prop Betting Odds if a team loses 20-straight. Continue reading
Billy Beane became all the rage this past year when Moneyball, the docu-drama narrative on his rebuilding efforts with the Oakland Athletics in the early 2000s, hit theaters. At the heart of the story was how he bandaged together a caravan of some of the finest transients MLB had to offer, and still managed to win 100 games in a season. Of course, none of that could have happened if not for an improbable 20-game win streak late in the year.
Not the Yankees. Not the Sawx. The stinky A’s. Continue reading
Chicks dig the long ball.
As a result, Jose Bautista has no problem with the ladies.
The general managers that used to play hot potato with his contract are now going to the restroom every time he comes to the plate. If it weren’t for injuries last year, he might’ve hit even 60 home runs. The fact that anybody is still hitting that many home runs these days with the steroid regulations and situational pitchers really separates the Adam Dunn’s from the Jose Bautista’s. So, it comes as no surprise that bovada.lv has “Joey Bats” as the favorite to hit the most dingers. Continue reading
Ever since Don Zimmer’s head was tossed into the wind and Dave Roberts slid in safe into second base, the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry has become something different entirely – what with the Sox now with more championships than New York since 2001. It now involves World Series contenders that are curse-free and includes teams with rosters that add a superstar or two each year.
Winning the season series always seems to be a barometer for pundits comparing the two teams, and this year seems to be as up in the air as any. It’s probably no surprise that after Boston’s collapse in 2011 and the offseason moves made by New York, the Yankees are -130 favorites to win the season series, according MLB Betting Odds available at Bovada Sportsbook. Continue reading
Going to one World Series is one thing. Going to two in a row means you are really onto something. Just like losing two in a row means you are missing something.
A Texas Rangers team with the best lineup since the mid 90s has dominated AL pitching for two years straight and definitely is favored to do it for a third. So why the long face Nolan Ryan? You would think after signing Yu Darvish, the Japanese phenom and Rangers ace, that you would be all smiles. But it’s not so much the moves that Texas made or didn’t make that has Ryan in feeling so caddywampus.
It’s more of what their AL West rival in Los Angeles did in the offseason, putting themselves in serious contention to put a whooping on the world by signing Albert Pujols and former Ranger ace C.J. Wilson. Continue reading
As Felix Hernandez has already shown, pitchers start the regular season ahead of hitters. This is the time as a pitcher to grab a few fairly easy wins before the hitters get caught up to snackin on fastballs. Still, King Felix plays on a team that doesn’t really feel like scoring many runs. That’s been okay for him in the past, but will be a big disadvantage with top pitchers rolling for some of the most explosive AL lineups in years.
Say, like a Justin Verlander, the defending Cy Young award winner that has gained a Prince Fielder in the off-season. In fact, it’s a trend for the most likely candidates to have tons of offensive help that allows them to win a game even when if they give up four runs. The AL favorites are clustered on just a few teams including the Angels, Yankees, Red Sox, Rangers, and Rays. All are heavy favorites to push for the playoffs Continue reading