Baseball’s big online sports betting business, for entertainment and for gambling. Games that matter are now upon us, so let’s kick off the MLB Baseball Betting regular season single-game betting capsules with some great early-season matchups.
Tampa Bay and Boston, Wednesday April 8: Assuming you’re betting a straight money line (which I’ll use as reference for all my MLB matchups), I’d give this a -160 on Boston and a +120 to Tampa Bay. Tampa, even though they were the better team in the fall last year, will still be the underdog in this game. Rest assured, though, it’ll be one of the most energized opening series in recent memory. These two teams – and rightfully so – see themselves as the top two teams in the AL East, and possibly in all of baseball, regardless of what their Bronx neighbors have spent in the off-season. And as unfair as it may seem, Tampa is going to have to prove last year wasn’t a fluke in order to win the respect of gamblers…at least this gambler. Plus I’d take Lester over Kazmir any day for a big-game situation.
Cubs at Astros, Wednesday April 8: In this one, despite the dependable Moehler on the mound, the away team is going to be the favorite, probably by a sizable margin. There’s incredible (and probably unjustified) hype and buzz surrounding the Cubs this year. Harden this, Soriano that…blah, blah, blah. But until they self-destruct, you just can’t dismiss them. You might see a -120 line at sportsbook.com on the Cubs, but I’d be tempted to take the Astros here, especially if there’s a run line (like a spread) fewer than 2.5 runs. I knock the Cubs, but the truth is they’re going to be solid this year, with our without a Milton Bradley meltdown. Expect them to be the favorite in most of the games they play.
Mets at Reds, Wednesday April 8: Everyone and their mother seems to think the Reds are the dark horse this year, that a few sprinkles of well-planted talent will all sprout at the same time and keep them in the NL mix. I’m not buying it, not yet. The Mets have Perez going against the Reds Arroyo. If the don’t play like the playoff Mets of years’ past, they should be the NL favorite this year, at least on paper. I’m calling a -170 Mets against +125 Reds mlb odds money line and I’d take the Mets hands down. Even though the Cardinals roughed him up a little in spring training recently, he’ll come out firing and set a tone for the entire National League.