MLB Baseball Pick Articles
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Date added: 08.08.11
Bryan Leonard Sports
MLB Underdog Value: Part II
Inexperienced sports bettors can have trouble backing dogs, and this is particularly true in baseball. Last week I outlined several areas that I examine when looking to possibly back a live underdog. Here are some more. Pitcher Home/Away Performance: The home/road breakdowns on pitchers are especially fascinating, offering not only insight into what ... read more
Bryan Leonard Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 08.01.11
Bryan Leonard Sports
MLB Underdog Value Part 1
I've found that inexperienced sports bettors have trouble taking dogs, especially in baseball. Favorites are no problem. It's easy to spot games that favored teams should win, especially with the better starting pitcher. But identifying dogs and getting the courage and confidence to back them often takes time, patience and careful analysis. With that ... read more
Bryan Leonard Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 07.25.11
Bryan Leonard Sports
MLB Quality Starts
One area I pay attention to when analyzing baseball games is quality starts. Sometimes a pitcher may have a rather high ERA, but that's not all that uncommon today. With expansion over the last decade, starting pitching has become thin and the rarest of commodities. Yes, you will find lousy pitchers throwing in the big leagues simply because there ... read more
Bryan Leonard Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 07.14.11
Bryan Leonard Sports
Money Management 101
As you gear up for the second half of the baseball season, this is a good time to talk about the importance of money management, which will carry over into football season, too. I recall an old tale about a gambler. A husband accompanied his wife to the hairdresser, which will take just over an hour. The guy goes next door to the casino and plays five ... read more
Bryan Leonard Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 07.13.11
Jim Feist
MLB: Second Half Surges
The first half of the 2011 baseball season is in the books. There were surprising winners, such as the Indians, Marlins, Reds and Brewers, a lack of hitting league-wide, and some surprises such as the defending champion Giants playing close to .500 baseball. With the surprises out of the way, here's a look at some teams that might be active at the ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 07.11.11
John Ryan Sports
Have the Phillies Begun to Reach their Potential?
The Philadelphia Phillies have established the best record in baseball despite having a largely inconsistent offense. I would not advise anyone on betting against them failing to win the National League East Division Championship and the National League Pennant. Since Charlie Manuel has managed this team the Phillies have played their best baseball ... read more
John Ryan Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 07.08.11
Doc's Sports
MLB: Tips and Advice on Betting Doubleheaders
It is not a stretch to say that no one in baseball likes doubleheaders.The players dislike putting forth that much effort in one day. Managers cringe at the thought of having to burn their bullpens. Umpires loathe having to sit out there for a double-dip, especially the guys that have to work the plate in one game and the field in another. The vendors ... read more
Doc's Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 07.06.11
Bryan Leonard Sports
The Overlooked Edge of Speed
There's been a huge emphasis on power in baseball over the last decade. But home runs are down this season, likely because there is so much steroid testing now. And with teams lacking power like they used to, speed can be an extremely important, and often overlooked, aspect of winning baseball. Speed isn't simply stolen bases, although that's one ... read more
Bryan Leonard Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 07.04.11
Jim Feist
MLB: First Half Roundup
162 games is a long season. Every year teams sprint out of the gate in April and May with October dreams, only to come back to the pack by July. It's not a sprint, of course, but a marathon, where a strong balance of pitching, defense and offense carries the best teams into the postseason. Injuries, too, are key, as well as trades made before the July ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.29.11
Bryan Leonard Sports
The Mental Aspect of Sports
Many of us gauge the success of sports teams based on stats. However, in the world of professional handicapping, many factors come into play when attempting to assess betting lines and profitable wagers. Statistics, to be sure, are a part of the equation, but there are many others, such as home/road play, streaks, matchups, situational handicapping ... read more
Bryan Leonard Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.27.11
Jim Feist
Injured Players Returning + Trades
So who is ready to win the World Series? Well, relax , folks, it is only the end of June and baseball is a marathon. Patience and consistency are keys to being the best in baseball, the same two qualities that are necessary in the world of sports wagering. After all, it is not the hot teams in May and June that win the World Series, it is the team ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.22.11
Bryan Leonard Sports
Handicapping Recent Streaks
One of the many great challenges in handicapping sports is the understanding that it’s not easy to predict the future. That’s essentially what oddsmakers and handicappers do in attempting to set/wager on a number regarding a sporting event. There are many different ways to analyze games, from matchups, to trends, to pure stats, to coaching, ... read more
Bryan Leonard Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.20.11
Jim Feist
The Bull(Pen) By the Horns!
Starting pitchers in baseball get much of the attention (and money) thrown their way. The average starter is asked to go 6-7 innings, while aces are expected to give 7-8 quality innings. Many games are decided in the last three innings, however, making relief pitchers an extremely important, and often overlooked, element. The use of effective relievers ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.14.11
Jim Feist
Hot and Cold Streaks
Baseball is a game of stats and streaks. The Red Sox started this season 2-10 and had all kinds of problems with pitching, injuries and an ice cold offense. However, they made some minor adjustments, got their starting staff straightened out and have been playing great baseball the last two months, back in the pennant race. Three years ago the ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.13.11
Bryan Leonard Sports
Baseball's Overlooked Edge: Speed
There’s been a huge emphasis on power in baseball over the last decade. Certainly there’s been a lot focus on bulk and home runs, speed as an extremely important, and often overlooked, aspect of winning baseball.Speed isn’t simply stolen bases, although that’s one part of the equation. Speed is also the ability of a player to ... read more
Bryan Leonard Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.08.11
Doc's Sports
Surprise MLB Teams Good for the Book
Not many people expected Cleveland to be one of the best teams in baseball.Nor did many think Arizona would be neck and neck with the World Series champs.They didn’t believe Seattle had much of a chance either.And they especially didn’t foresee Pittsburgh flirting with .500.But all four of those teams have failed to live up (or down) to ... read more
Doc's Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.07.11
Bryan Leonard Sports
Baseball's Lefty/Righty Dynamics
In football it’s interesting and unique to have a left-handed quarterback, like Boomer Esiason or Kenny Stabler. The same thing is true in basketball. It doesn’t make any difference if an ace point guard dribbles the ball primarily with his left hand, or a pivot man shoots left handed. It’s something to talk about or point out, but ... read more
Bryan Leonard Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 05.30.11
Marc Lawrence
June Good Month Pitchers
JUNE GOOD MONTH PITCHERSBy Marc Lawrence If it’s June, school is out. And so too will be the NBA (we think). It’s also the time of the season when MLB pitchers look to ace exams in hopes of keeping their teams in the pennant chase. To get a better feel on what to expect, let’s examine their results from exams in the past. Listed ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 05.24.11
Bryan Leonard Sports
The Total Story: Weathering the Storm
When analyzing baseball totals, weather can be even more important than stats and starting pitchers. This particular baseball season has seen terrible weather in the northeast, with ten times as many rain outs already as we saw all of last season.This week the Tigers and Red Sox played a game at Fenway where the weather was cold, drizzly and the wind ... read more
Bryan Leonard Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 05.23.11
Jim Feist
Lean Toward Big Dogs More than Big Chalk
April and May means that many novice sports bettors may look at the matchups and lean toward ace pitchers and lay the big price. But let me say four words to you: Do not do it. Baseball is unique from football and basketball in that there is no point spread. Instead you bet merely on which team will win the game and this translates into a money-line ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 05.13.11
Kyle Hunter
Top Five Underrated Starting Pitchers in Baseball
The season is now a month and a half old. The pretenders will start fading away over the next few weeks, while I expect some of the underachieving teams to pick up the pace. Today, I wanted to take a look at some of the most underrated starting pitchers in all of baseball right now. We know Roy Halladay is the best of the best, but so do the books. ... read more
Kyle Hunter Bio and Picks
Date added: 05.11.11
Doc's Sports
The Importance of Defense in Baseball Handicapping
When is the last time you sat down and analyzed a Major League Baseball team’s defense? The answer is likely either a long time ago or never. The average sports bettor thinks a lot about defense when analyzing a football or basketball game, but I’m convinced that most people don’t think nearly enough about defense when it comes to ... read more
Doc's Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 05.09.11
Jim Feist
Baseball Hot and Cold Starts
More than any other sport, baseball is a game of patience. It's not how you start, but where you finish, and with a 162-game regular season, there is a LOT of baseball left. Did your team get off to a bad start? Well don't panic. There is plenty of time to make adjustments and turn things around. Did your team get off to a hot start? Don't start making ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 04.29.11
Marc Lawrence
May's Good Month Pitchers
The running of the Kentucky Derby each year signals MLB enters its 2nd month of play. And with it a handful of surprise teams take center stage. The key to sustaining will be success, or lack of it, from the pitching staffs. With that thought in mind, let’s zero in on pitchers that will look to keep their team in the race and those that may pull ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 04.08.11
Marc Lawrence
APRIL GOOD MONTH PITCHERS
APRIL GOOD MONTH PITCHERSBy Marc Lawrence • Playbook.com Major League Baseball trades places with College Hoops as the sports flavor of the month in April. And as we usher in America's favorite pastime, let's open the season with one of our favorite handicapping angles – good month pitchers.Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a two-to-one ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 04.07.11
Doc's Sports
MLB Odds: Orioles and Other Early Surprises
The Baltimore Orioles have been a bad team for a long time. The last time they won 70 games was 2006. The last time they had a winning season was all the way back in 1997. Trapped in the AL East with the free-spending Yankees and Red Sox, making the playoffs has been a challenge to say the least.So when the Orioles won the first four games of their ... read more
Doc's Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 04.04.11
Jim Feist
Baseball Pitchers: A Different Breed
As we start the baseball season this week, it's a good time to point out that this is an age of specialization for baseball pitchers. You have starters, closers, middle relievers, long relief, set-up men and lefty specialists. Some pitchers feel more comfortable and excel in the role of set-up man than closer, for example. It can all seem overwhelming ... read more
Jim Feist Bio and Picks
Date added: 04.03.11
Marc Lawrence
April Good Month Pitchers
Major League Baseball trades places with College Hoops as the sports flavor of the month in April. And as we usher in America’s favorite pastime, let’s open the season with one of our favorite handicapping angles – good month pitchers.Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a two-to-one or better success ratio in team starts the ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 03.05.11
Doc's Sports
2011 Philadelphia Phillies Predictions and Odds
by Robert Ferringo - 3/6/2011If you weren’t sure, the Philadelphia Phillies are pretty good.Philadelphia made the most daring and surprising move of the offseason when they usurped Cliff Lee from the Rangers and Yankees. Lee has become the final piece to what is potentially one of the best starting rotations in recent baseball history and has ... read more
Doc's Sports Bio and Picks
Date added: 02.18.11
John Ryan Sports
World Series Futures Bet
My favorite and most profitable sport just started Spring Training. MLB is a sport that so many amateur betters disregard and lose solid money making opportunities in the process. I can’t remember a year, where the spread between the weak and strong teams have so wide. The Phillies, Red Sox, and Yankees are considered to be the best teams ... read more
John Ryan Sports Bio and Picks
