Articles by Cappers Picks related to Major League baseball gambling online.
How do the Mariners’ MLB odds look for 2009?
Next question, please. Uh, hey, how about that Ken Griffey Jr.? Pretty cool to have him back home, huh?
Sorry for changing the subject, but it’s difficult to discuss the Mariners’ chances in MLB betting without a barf bag present.
After they lost Johan Santana via free agency and then Francis Liriano to injury, not many people thought the Minnesota Twins would be competing for a playoff spot in 2008. But the Twins persevered and finished just one game back of the White Sox.
Seattle Mariners 2008 Record: 61-101, 39 GB in AL West
By far the most disappointing team in baseball last year, the Mariners and new manager Don Wakamatsu look to return some semblance of respectability to the Pacific Northwest. On paper this was a club filled with promise as it broke camp last March, carrying a pitching staff that had the potential to keep the M’s in the playoff chase all season.
Chicago Cubs 2008 Record: 97-64, NL Central Winner
After early post-season exits the past two seasons, the North Siders are in prime position to make a run at their third straight NL Central title. Heartbreak has been a common theme for this franchise since what seems like the dawn of time, but they will once again sport a roster that all but guarantees that they’ll at least be in the mix for a playoff spot in ’09.
If those who bet on MLB take a quick glance at the 2009 Chicago White Sox roster, they’ll realize it’s out with old, in with the new in the South Side. The Pale Hose are only four years removed from a World Series title, but only a few key pieces of that championship squad remain.
2009 is going to be a two horse race between Arizona and Los Angeles. The other 3 teams are relying too heavily on un-proven players. San Francisco is the closest to contend but that will have to wait until 2010.
Here is how I see this division playing out in 2009.
March Madness odds are here! Woo hoo! I – oh, sorry, wrong blog. Just getting a bit ahead of myself, I suppose. I can’t help it, though – there are few events in online sports betting more exciting than March Madness betting. Maybe when (if?) The WBC odds are around long enough to develop cache, they’ll get people more pumped at the sportsbook.
Anyway, why not make a few picks for the next round of World Baseball Classic betting?
Instead of Pools, this round breaks down into two groups, with the top two teams from each group reaching the semifinal.
Group 1: Korea, Cuba, Japan, Mexico
Picks: Cuba, Japan
Forgive me for not respecting Korea in the WBC odds, but I just think it got a bit lucky in winning Pool A. Jung Bong, who has major-league experience, befuddled Japan in a 1-0 shutout. But Japan crushed them 14-2 in the first meeting, so the discrepancy in results looks like a fluke to me. I think Japan may have the best 1-2 pitching punch in the WBC odds in Dice-K and Yu Darvish, so I think it can join Cuba, who has looked as dominant as any team, in the semifinal.
Group 2: Puerto Rico, Venezuela, USA, the Netherlands (!)
Picks: Venezuela, USA
No Puerto Rico? Can you trust me at the sportsbook? I dunno, but I just have a feeling. Puerto Rico breezed through its pool, admittedly, and pounded the Cinderella Dutch twice. But I still think Venezuela matches up to them pretty evenly in talent, hitting-wise and pitching wise. More importantly, the Venezuelans are playing chips on their shoulders, mainly due to some weird political undertones that had Venezuelan fans booing Magglio Ordonez in round one. Puerto Rico hasn’t really been tested yet and could be overconfident, whereas Venezuela had to grind its way out of Pool C. The U.S. is a lock, since it’s the deepest team and has the home-field advantage for the rest of the WBC odds.
Happy WBC betting, folks!
In the 2009 MLB odds, the AL Central looks like a division on the rise. The Cleveland Indians, while they sputtered to a .500 record last year, could be one of baseball’s biggest bounce-back stories this season despite their increasingly tough local competition. They have enough young talent to challenge for the division crown, but only time will tell whether or not it all comes together at once.
Boston Red Sox (2008 Record: 95-67, 2 GB in AL East – AL Wild Card Winner)
After coming within 3 measly runs of another AL Pennant in 2008, the BoSox are back with what could be a much stronger team.
While the boys from the Bronx grabbed the East Coast headlines this Winter by spending enough money to purchase a small country, GM Theo Epstein and crew took a somewhat different approach to retooling. By taking fliers on injury risks with tremendous upside and proven track records like John Smoltz, Brad Penny, and Rocco Baldelli, they may wind up getting the most bang for their buck out of all the 30 MLB teams.
Even if the aforementioned players do not pan out, the Sox still boast a very strong roster. The outfield is made up of a formidable group featuring Jason “don’t call me Manny” Bay, Jacoby Elisbury, and JD Drew in right with Baldelli able to fill in at all 3 positions. Being with the team from the start of the season should boost Bay’s numbers, who still put up a respectable showing after having to fill some really big shoes down the stretch in ’08. The right side of the infield is solid with on-base machines Kevin Youkilis and reigning MVP Dustin Pedroia. The left side, on the other hand, is a bit of a question mark with third baseman Mike Lowell recovering from hip surgery and the shortstop position up for grabs in a battle between veteran Julio Lugo and 25-year old Jed Lowrie.
After a lot of uncertainty over contract details, the Sox were finally able to bring back the man with the C on his jersey to man the backstop. Reduced to a mediocre hitter at this point in his career, Jason Varitek is still crucial to the success of a pitching staff which is relying on some young but effective arms like phenom Jon Lester and even some key bullpen pieces such as Boston native Manny Delcarmen.
The starting rotation is as deep as they come, led by post-season hero Josh Beckett, Lester, and Dice-K, and rounded out by knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and newcomer Penny. Smoltz is expected back in May, which should push either Wakefield or Penny to an already solid pen. If injuries should hit, already experienced youngsters Clay Buckhholz and Justin Masterson are waiting in the wings as well as top prospect Michael Bowden. The fiery Johathan Papelbon may be the best 9th inning man in the league next to Mariano Rivera and he now has ex-Dodger Takashi Saito, a closer in his own right, to set him up. If David Ortiz can bounce back to anything close to his 2007 form, Terry Francona’s squad should once again be playing meaningful October baseball. Look for Boston to finish with around 97 wins this season.
Bet Online Under/Over: Under/Over 95 Wins (-115)
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Baltimore Orioles 2008 Record: 68-93, 28.5 GB in AL East
The O’s finally appear to be headed in the right direction after years of misguided acquisitions and poor draft choices. They are still a few years away from challenging in what should once again be baseball’s toughest division.
The Detroit Tigers flabbergasted MLB betting fans last year; so much talent, such poor results. While the Tigers weren’t the only bust in last year’s MLB odds – the Diamondbacks and Indians come to mind – they may be the least likely to bounce back of all last year’s disappointments.
The AL West has been pretty predictable in the past. This year will be no different. The Los Angeles Angels have been the steady front runner in this division for some time. They play a smart brand of baseball but will be tested this year.
This hasn’t been said in MLB betting circles in ages – maybe the mid 1980s? – but things may finally be looking up for the Kansas City Royals, especially in the anything-goes AL Central. Raise your hand if you knew they went 18-8 last September. All those draft picks are finally arriving and the pitching staff even offers a glimmer of hope.
Derek Jeter had two hits on Tuesday against the New York Yankees.
That’s how important the World Baseball Classic is to the players involved. Jeter is on Team USA, who beat the Yankees 6-5 with Jeter on the diamond for the full nine innings.
Mar 3rd, 2009 – As the Groin Pulls
It’s one of the annual traditions of spring training. Writers may wax poetic on the green grass, the bluer than blue skies and the endless possibilities each team may have for the upcoming season– but what baseball in March is really all about are hip-adductors, namely the adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, gracilis, and pectineusmuscles tearing, as out of shape ball players try to run from here to there.
After just one year of disappointing MLB betting fans and sitting out the postseason, the big, bad Bronx Bombers are back in a big way in the 2009 MLB odds. With a new stadium and some, big, shiny new free agents, the New York Yankees enter this online betting season as the top sportsbook favorites for the World Series.
