Posts Tagged ‘baseball betting’

New Los Angeles Dodgers Should Be Favorites On World Series Odds

August 26th, 2012 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in MLB Baseball   Comments Off on New Los Angeles Dodgers Should Be Favorites On World Series Odds
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Los Angeles Dodgers Adrian GonzalezGive the Los Angeles Dodgers this much. At least they are going for the gold right now. Now that there is new ownership and new financial backing behind them, they are out to spend all of the money that they can to try to beat the World Series odds in Tinseltown. Join us at Bankroll Sports, as our expert baseball handicappers make their case for why this team should be favored on the odds to win the World Series a day after pulling off the massive trade to bring Josh Beckett and Adrian Gonzalez to Dodgertown.

Manager Don Mattingly has always been looked at as one of the best potential managers in baseball, and now, he has a team at his disposal that could ultimately prove him to be a star. General Manager Ned Colletti has pushed all of the buttons that he has needed to push this year to get his team to the top, and he has done so by amassing just a slew of payroll. Shane Victorino first came from the Philadelphia Phillies, and then Joe Blanton was right behind him in a post-July 31st trade with the boys from the City of Brotherly Love. Hanley Ramirez was a disgruntled member of the Miami Marlins before he was dealt out to the West Coast to be with the Dodgers. But now, in the coup of coups, Josh Beckett and Adrian Gonzalez are in Los Angeles after being sent here in an August 25th trade with the Boston Red Sox, who clearly needed to hit the self-destruct button. Carl Crawford is on his way as well, and that means that next year, someone that is in this crowded outfield is going to be pushed out.

Los Angeles Dodgers Odds To Win World Series 2012
Click on below links to bet on the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series
JustBet Sportsbook: 9 to 1
5Dimes Sportsbook: 16 to 1
Bookmaker Sportsbook: 9.50 to 1
Bovada Sportsbook: 8 to 1

Star power doesn’t always translate into wins, especially in the playoffs, but in this case, we think that there is a real chance for the Dodgers to shine and to beat the World Series betting lines. When you think of the teams in the National League, you see a lot of squads that can pitch. However, what you don’t see a lot of are teams that truly are dangerous from 1 to 8 in their batting order. The Dodgers, when they are totally healthy, are now arguably baseball’s most dangerous team.

When Dee Gordon returns from his wrist injury, he figures to return to the leadoff role and playing shortstop, while Ramirez will likely shift over to third base on more of a full-time basis. Luis Cruz will be pushed out, but the middle of the order will feature the likes of Ramirez, Gonzalez, Kemp, and Ethier in some sort of order. Victorino is likely going to be shoved down towards the bottom of the lineup as well, and that leaves just Mark Ellis and AJ Ellis as the other two batters in the fold. Mark Ellis has done a nice job this year at second base, and he has done a yeoman’s job leading off for this team while Gordon has been out of the lineup. AJ Ellis has very quietly batted .284 this year with 10 homers and an OPS of .815, numbers that most teams would kill for out of their catcher.

It’s not like the cupboard is bare in the rotation either. Clayton Kershaw has a Cy Young under his belt, and though he isn’t going to win the honor this year, he is still going to be amongst the best pitchers in the league in terms of ERA. This will be another season where his ERA ends with a two in front of it, and behind him, there are three other starting pitchers in Chris Capuano, Chad Billingsley, and Aaron Harang that all that winning records and sub-3.70 ERAs. Ted Lilly might be able to make a comeback for the playoffs, and Beckett and Blanton will prove to be the wild cards.

Blanton hasn’t pitched all that well this year, going a combined just 8-12 with a 5.02 ERA, while Beckett has been a disaster and a half in Beantown. Still, both have playoff success and tons of it, and both are going to bring that experience into this staff in one form or another.

It’s not like the bullpen is slacking either. Kenley Jansen has gone 25-of-31 in save chances this year, and he has a 1.93 ERA. Scott Elbert, Randy Choate, and Ronald Belisario are the go-to men out of the pen, and that’s a great combination to parlay with guys like Blanton and potentially Harang from the starting staff for the second season.

Donny BaseballIn the end, the only question that is left in our eyes is whether the squad is going to gel quick enough to get the job done. There are still two games separating the Dodgers from the San Francisco Giants for the top spot in the NL West, and if the playoffs started today, the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals would be in, while the Dodgers would be a half-game out.

The schedule though, is relatively easy. These next 11 games are against Miami (finishing this weekend series), Colorado, Arizona, and San Diego, and there should be at least seven wins in the bunch. From there, the Dodgers embark upon their toughest stretch of schedule. They take on the Giants on the road for three, the D’Backs on the road for two, then get the Cardinals at home for four before going east one last time for six games with the Nationals and Reds. The season finishes with three in San Diego, three at home against the Rockies, and three at home against the Giants, the last three games of the season that could prove to be the difference in the season for both teams.

In the end, if the Dodgers are one of the five teams in the National League that get into the playoffs, watch out! They are going to be a force to be reckoned with, and we think that they have the best team in baseball. The oddsmakers, as you can see, have adjusted their World Series lines (all Los Angeles Dodgers World Series odds listed above), but we don’t think that any of them have adjusted far enough. The Dodgers are here to stay, and they could be the team that goes all the way to win the Fall Classic.

Albert Pujols Signs With LA Angels- 2012 Albert Pujols Props

December 8th, 2011 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in MLB Baseball   Comments Off on Albert Pujols Signs With LA Angels- 2012 Albert Pujols Props
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In a shocking move on Thursday, Albert Pujols was announced to sign a new contract reportedly worth over $250 million with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Here at Bankroll Sports, we are breaking down some of the MLB props that have been recently posted, all courtesy of BoDog Sportsbook!

Los Angeles Angels Win Total Over/Under 87.5: Here’s the thing about the Angels on one blush. They have been a relatively average team over the course of the last few years. In the last four years, they have only won more than 82 games once, and now all of a sudden, they are expected to win 88 games in a division that still features an awfully tough Texas Rangers outfit. Pujols immediately becomes the best No. 3 hitter in the game, and the also newly signed CJ Wilson immediately steps into the No. 2 spot in the rotation behind Jered Weaver. But is the rotation better for it? All of a sudden, the dollars have all been spent, and building a bullpen might be difficult. If Wilson, who has gone 31-15 in his last two seasons, can’t figure out how to keep that pace up this year now that he doesn’t have the tremendous Texas lineup and a huge hitter’s ballpark to help him out, we’re really not all that sure. Don’t be shocked if the Angels, who are the toast of the town right now, still don’t turn out to be pretty much a .500 team once again.

Albert Pujols Over/Under 37.5 Home Runs: This past year was the worst of Pujols’ career, as he only hit 37 home runs. He has 445 bombs in his career, and he is sure to at least challenge the all-time home run mark over the course of the end of his career in Tinseltown. Busch Stadium was a place where Pujols was comfortable hitting. The park factor at Busch Stadium ranked No. 26 in the league at .896, runs per game, and that number has decreased now that he is at Angel Stadium on Anaheim to a .836. Not only that, but Miller Park (No. 10), Wrigley Field (No. 23), and PNC Park (No. 17), all of which are stadiums that typically have treated Pujols well in his career have been replaced by parks like the O.co Coliseum (No. 20) and Safeco Field (No. 26). Angel Stadium ranked No. 25 in MLB park factor for home runs this past year. We expect to see Pujols’ home run production dip, especially as he has to get used to a totally new set of pitchers.

Will Albert Pujols Win the AL MVP Award?: We’re only getting 3 to 1 odds at this point on Pujols, and they certainly aren’t worth backing. For one, we’re really not all that sure that Pujols is going to be playing on a playoff team, which generally eliminates players from MVP consideration. The truth of the matter as well, is that this isn’t likely to be another season in which there just aren’t any MVP candidates in the AL. Players like Miguel Cabrera, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and all of the big bats on the Boston Red Sox are going to have to shine eventually. Pujols will probably need 45 home runs, a .320 batting average, and 130 RBIs to be the MVP in the American League, and we aren’t willing to only take 3 to 1 on that happening.

Free MLB Picks – Top 10 Money Pitchers in MLB Betting Action

June 5th, 2011 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in MLB Baseball   Comments Off on Free MLB Picks – Top 10 Money Pitchers in MLB Betting Action
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Here at Bankroll Sports, we’ve always got our pulse on all of the best MLB betting action, and as a part of all of the action, we’re taking a look at the Top 10 money pitchers in the league through games ending June 4th.

1: Dillon Gee, New York Mets (8-0, +$876) – Is Gee that lucky or that good? The answer is probably a little from Column A and a little from Column B. Gee does have a 3.33 ERA, but he only has 39 strikeouts in 54 innings of work. He also has 20 walks. Still, the 25 year old righty has a bright future with the Mets, and he certainly knows that he isn’t goingt o get that much run support when he comes out to pitch. Gee also spent plenty of time in the New York bullpen this year, which also doesn’t give us all that much confidence that this is going to keep up.

2: Jason Marquis, Washington Nationals (8-3, +$809) – The Nats are finally getting their money’s worth on Marquis after bringing him in from the Colorado Rockies. Marquis had a disastrous year last year, going 2-9 with a 6.60 ERA, and this year, he is already 6-2. No, we aren’t all that impressed with a 4.13 ERA for Marquis, but he definitely continues to get the job done. Of course, it helps that in his last 10 starts, Marquis has gotten at least seven runs of support six times. The righty still has only started 24 games since coming to DC, something that concerns us for a man that had thrown at least 28 starts in his previous six seasons.

3: Aaron Harang, San Diego Padres (9-3, +$708) – The big right hander is absolutely loving his new digs at Petco Park, and he is putting up some phenomenal numbers this year. Harang has a 3.77 ERA, and he hasn’t had a loss since May 2nd. Amazingly, for as well as Harang has pitched at home, he hasn’t lost a start on the road this season. Three of his four starts on the road have been stellar, and the dud at the Colorado Rockies in which he allowed seven runs in 4.1 innings was overcome by his normally shoddy offense.

4: Kevin Correia, Pittsburgh Pirates (8-4, +$686) – We can’t even remember the last time that the Pirates had a pitcher in the Top 10 on the MLB lines this late in the season. Correia doesn’t get a lot of strikeouts (just 34 this season), but he does a great job keeping the ball on the ground and trusting the defense behind him. Correia has three straight wins, two of which came as underdogs, and he is about to notch his third straight season with double digits worth of wins.

5: Kyle McClellan, St. Louis Cardinals (8-2, +$590) – McClellan hadn’t started a game in his entire career before this year. We guess he has a newly found trade at this point. Manager Tony LaRussa really didn’t have a choice but to go with McClellan in his rotation this year when Adam Wainwright went down, and he certainly answered the bell. The righty is 6-2 with a 3.86 ERA. He’s on the DL now with a hip flexor injury, but when he comes back, we’d have no reason to believe that McClellan won’t be able to continue on his torrid pace in his first year as a starter.

6: Bruce Chen, Kansas City Royals (6-1, +$554) – We just don’t know how Bruce Chen continues to stick around in this league. He has been around since 1998, has bounced around to a million different franchises, and yet he already has the third most wins that he has ever had in a season in his career with four. Chen is on the DL right now, and when he comes back, we would be fading him on the MLB odds all the time until he and the Royals come back to earth.

7: Josh Tomlin, Cleveland Indians (8-3, +$552) – The Tribe are still in the driver’s seat in the AL Central, and Tomlin is a big part of the reason why. He has had back to back iffy starts against the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays, but both of those games were on the road. This year at home, Tomlin has been unhittable, and this is why he has a 3.27 ERA and a 7-2 record for the season.

8: Kyle Drabek, Toronto Blue Jays (8-4, +$526) – Drabek is one of the few pitchers that have stayed on this list as one of the best arms to make MLB picks with for the majority of this season. The problem that Drabek has right now is that he is coming off of the worst start of his career. He allowed four runs in just 0.2 innings against the Cleveland Indians in a 13-9 loss. However, he was on the heels of throwing 121 pitches, a career high against the Chicago White Sox the game before, so we tend to give him the benefit of the doubt.

9: Ian Kennedy, Arizona Diamondbacks (8-4, +$506) – Really, since allowing nine runs in just three innings against the St. Louis Cardinals back on April 14th, Kennedy has been fantastic, dropping his ERA down to just 3.16. He has 63 strikeouts against 22 walks this year, and as a result, he has a 6-2 mark. Kennedy is really one of the main reasons for which the D’Backs have come all the way back this season to compete in the NL West, and he needs to keep it up if they’re going to stay in it.

10: Jake Peavy, Chicago White Sox (4-0, +$505) – The last pitcher this year to have at least $500 worth of profits on the MLB lines is a man that has only had four starts under his belt. Peavy has been absolutely electric this year since coming back off of shoulder surgery. He has a 3.24 ERA in 25 frames, and he has a whopping K/BB ratio of 16/1. If Peavy can regain his form of the past with the San Diego Padres, the White Sox really might not be out of the AL Central race yet even though they still have a lot of work to do to get back anywhere near the top of the division.

World Series Picks: 2011 NL West Predictions and Preview

March 30th, 2011 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in MLB Baseball   Comments Off on World Series Picks: 2011 NL West Predictions and Preview
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Complete List of NL West Lines Can Be Found Below

The NL West is one of the more interesting divisions this year in the game, as always. There really aren’t any teams that you can totally count out of this mess, but there aren’t any that you’d think are a surefire lock either. Check out the NL West odds and our NL West preview!

The San Francisco Giants (1.30 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook) are the defending World Series champs, and they largely have the exact same team that they did last year. However, what we have to remember about this team is that it just barely got into the second season last year, and the hope is that it can do a heck of a lot better and get into the dance with plenty of games to spare this year.

The up and coming team on the NL West odds is the Colorado Rockies (2 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook). The Rockies really didn’t do a heck of a lot in the offseason this year, but they did wrap up a ton of their young players to incredibly long contracts. Colorado still has a great starting rotation, anchored around Ubaldo Jimenez, who looked like he had a chance to win 30 games last year before he fell off in the second half of the campaign.

We’re really not so sure why the Los Angeles Dodgers (3.90 to 1 @ BetUS Sportsbook) are in the same sort of discussion right now as the Giants and Rockies. Sure, Manager Don Mattingly is certain to bring in a new flare to the team this year, but when push comes to shove, there just weren’t enough moves that were made to keep this team competitive in all likelihood.

The San Diego Padres (13.50 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook) were the upstart team down the stretch last season, and they really went for it to get into the playoffs. As we know, they didn’t succeed, and they really don’t have that impressive looking of a team. However, it wasn’t all that sharp looking last year either. Now that Adrian Gonzalez is gone though, this isn’t really the best looking team in the world. Don’t really look for the rebuilding Arizona Diamondbacks (20 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook) to compete either, though we know that this team has a great nucleus of young hitters like Stephen Drew and Justin Upton to build around.

Odds to Win NL West @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Arizona Diamondbacks 20 to 1
Colorado Rockies 1.75 to 1
Los Angeles Dodgers 3 to 1
San Diego Padres 10 to 1
San Francisco Giants 1.25 to 1

Betting Lines to Win NL West @ Sportbet Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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San Francisco Giants 1.30 to 1
Colorado Rockies 2 to 1
Los Angeles Dodgers 3.90 to 1
San Diego Padres 13.50 to 1
Arizona Diamondbacks 20 to 1

2011 NL West Odds @ Hollywood Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Arizona Diamondbacks 18 to 1
Colorado Rockies 1.80 to 1
Los Angeles Dodgers 2.75 to 1
San Diego Padres 10 to 1
San Francisco Giants 1.50 to 1

2011 MLB Free Picks: NL Central Preview and Predictions

March 30th, 2011 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in MLB Baseball   Comments Off on 2011 MLB Free Picks: NL Central Preview and Predictions
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Complete List of NL Central Lines Can Be Found Below

The NL Central is a wide open division this season, and there are legitimately four teams that could ultimately end up making the playoffs out of this bunch. Check out how we stack up the NL Central odds this season.

The favorites to win this division this year are the Milwaukee Brewers (2.05 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook). We know that Zack Greinke isn’t going to be in the lineup on Opening Day, but he really has the ability to win 20 games this year for this team. This is largely the same type of squad that made the postseason a few years ago with CC Sabathia, and now, the Brew Crew have the use of Greinke for the whole year. Yovani Gallardo is a great No. 2 starter, while John Axford should be able to anchor the bullpen. Prince Fielder, in a contract season, could be in line for a great year, and if he gets off to a great start, this team really could be a terror on the rest of the division.

The defending champs on the division are the Cincinnati Reds (2.35 to 1 @ Hollywood Sportsbook). Joey Votto in an unheralded star, and Manager Dusty Baker has a great set of bats and arms at his disposal as well. Was Cincy a one year wonder last year in the postseason? We’ll soon find out. However, one thing is for sure, and that’s that the rest of the division is a heck of a lot better this year.

The team that suffered the worst break of the offseason was the St. Louis Cardinals (3 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook). Not only did the team not ultimately end up winning the race with Albert Pujols to get a contract done, but then it lost Adam Wainwright in Spring Training for the year as well. It would be a tremendous accomplishment for this team to make it into the second season this year, and if it doesn’t, don’t be surprised if both Pujols and Manager Tony LaRussa end up flying the Cardinals’ coup.

The team that could be the real upstart this year out of nowhere is the Chicago Cubs (5 to 1 @ Hollywood Sportsbook). The Cubbies were one of the teams that raided the Tampa Bay Rays in this offseason. They picked up both Carlos Pena and Matt Garza in the winter, and those acquisitions really might make up for a number of bad signings over the years. This is the longest shot of the realistic teams that can get the job done, but we aren’t counting out the North Siders yet.

Both the Houston Astros (33 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (45 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook) really have no shot to do that much damage. You can bet that the Pirates are good for yet another season below .500.

Odds to Win NL Central @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Chicago Cubs 5 to 1
Cincinnati Reds 2 to 1
Houston Astros 25 to 1
Milwaukee Brewers 1.75 to 1
Pittsburgh Pirates 40 to 1
St. Louis Cardinals 2.75 to 1

Betting Lines to Win NL Central @ Sportbet Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Milwaukee Brewers 2.05 to 1
Cincinnati Reds 2.35 to 1
St. Louis Cardinals 3 to 1
Chicago Cubs 4.85 to 1
Houston Astros 33 to 1
Pittsburgh Pirates 45 to 1

2011 NL Central Odds @ Hollywood Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Chicago Cubs 4.50 to 1
Cincinnati Reds 1.80 to 1
Houston Astros 40 to 1
Milwaukee Brewers 1.80 to 1
Pittsburgh Pirates 100 to 1
St. Louis Cardinals 3 to 1

2011 NL East Predictions, Picks and Preview with MLB Odds

March 30th, 2011 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in MLB Baseball   Comments Off on 2011 NL East Predictions, Picks and Preview with MLB Odds

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Complete List of NL East Lines Can Be Found Below

The NL East is going to be one of the toughest divisions in baseball this year, and the favorites on the odds to win the World Series are clearly in this division. Check out how we stack up the five squads for our NL East preview.

Even though they didn’t look all that dominating in Spring Training, the Philadelphia Phillies (1 to 2.60@ Sportbet Sportsbook). The Phils really made the coup of the offseason by swiping Cliff Lee from the grasps of both the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees. Lee really was a huge difference maker for this team in the half season that he spent with the Phils two years ago, and he loved his time in the City of Brotherly Love so much that he elected to come back. The man that he was traded for, Roy Halladay is still here, and so are Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton. Sure, Jayson Werth is gone, but the rest of this lineup in still intact. There are some concerns injury wise, most notably Brad Lidge and Chase Utley, and if these two can’t get the job done, they’re in some trouble. If the much maligned bullpen pulls it together though, the Phils won’t be touched in this division.

The Atlanta Braves (4 to 1@ Hollywood Sportsbook) are the one team that really could make a stink this year as well. This is the first time in decades that Bobby Cox isn’t with the team. However, he didn’t leave the cupboard bare, as the starting lineup is still fantastic and the pitching staff is still full of youngsters that are up and coming. The question is going to be whether this very young bullpen is going to keep it together this season. The playoffs aren’t a guarantee.

It seems as though the Florida Marlins (10.25 to 1@ Sportbet Sportsbook) are the team that proves to be the pain in the backside every single season, but when push really comes to shove, they almost always end up falling short. The Fish have one of the best and most underappreciated players in the game in Hanley Ramirez, and they really have one of the best starting pitchers in the game as well in Josh Johnson. Leo Nunez anchors a fantastic bullpen with a ton of arms in it as well. Is it enough to win this division? Probably not. However, we have to believe that there is at least a 10 to 1 shot that the Fish get the job done.

The New York Mets (25 to 1@ Sportbet Sportsbook) and the Washington Nationals (37 to 1@ Sportbet Sportsbook) are a long, long way out of the division race right now. New York just wasn’t able to make any splashes in the offseason due to tight money conditions with ownership, and though Washington did sign Jayson Werth, it also let Adam Dunn get away. Both teams are missing stud pitchers this season as well, as Johan Santana won’t be ready until at least July, while Stephen Strasburg is out for the entire season following Tommy John surgery.

Odds to Win NL East @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Atlanta Braves 4 to 1
Florida Marlins 10 to 1
New York Mets 18 to 1
Philadelphia Phillies 1 to 3.50
Washington Nationals 25 to 1

Betting Lines to Win NL East @ Sportbet Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Philadelphia Phillies 1 to 2.60
Atlanta Braves 3.25 to 1
Florida Marlins 10.25 to 1
New York Mets 21 to 1
Washington Nationals 37 to 1

2011 NL East Odds @ Hollywood Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Atlanta Braves 4 to 1
Florida Marlins 8 to 1
New York Mets 25 to 1
Philadelphia Phillies 1 to 4
Washington Nationals 60 to 1

World Series Picks: 2011 AL West Predictions and Preview

March 27th, 2011 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in MLB Baseball   Comments Off on World Series Picks: 2011 AL West Predictions and Preview
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Complete List of AL West Lines Can Be Found Below

Last season, the Rangers weren’t just able to knock the Halos out of the catbird seat in the AL West, but they nearly won the whole enchilada as well. Will history repeat itself? Check out this year’s AL West preview and the AL West odds to find out.

The Texas Rangers (1.25 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook) are once again the favorites to win this division, but we aren’t so sure that it’s justified. Sure, this was a team that did well most of last season, but Vladimir Guerrero and Bengie Molina are both gone, and Texas wasn’t able to nail down Cliff Lee in the offseason either. The pieces are still in place for Manager Ron Washington to get the job done, but the task is going to be significantly harder now than it was at the end of last season when the Rangers probably did really have the best team in the American League.

As for those Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2.95 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook), they were truly losers in the offseason as well. Not only couldn’t they lure a big time starting pitcher to town, but they didn’t get Carl Crawford or any other big bats via free agency either. The Halos still have a nice looking nucleus, but there were definitely some faults last year, especially after Kendry Morales suffered his season ending injury relatively early on. Dan Haren might be a sneaky pick for AL Cy Young this year though, especially without any huge contenders emerging as early favorites.

The team that really could make strides this year is the Oakland Athletics (2.25 to 1 @ BetUS Sportsbook). There were a lot of great signings in the offseason by General Manager Billy Beane, including Hideki Matsui, Josh Willingham, David DeJesus, Grant Balfour, and Brian Fuentes. None of the moves by themselves are all that amazing, but the whole story is now looking sharp in Oakland. This pen is stacked, and the starting rotation is featuring five up and comers this year, including Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Gio Gonzalez, Dallas Braden, and Brandon McCarthy. This is definitely a squad to watch out for this year.

Rounding out the pack will be the Seattle Mariners (23.50 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook). The M’s just haven’t made enough moves to make us go, “Wow!” Unless there’s suddenly some offense joining Ichiro Suzuki in the lineup, there’s no way that this team plates enough runs to consistently win for any pitcher not named Felix Hernandez. Things would really be disastrous for the Mariners if they had to trade King Felix at the trade deadline, something that is a legitimate possibility if the price is right.

Odds to Win AL West @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 3/27/11):
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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2.25 to 1
Oakland Athletics 2.25 to 1
Seattle Mariners 20 to 1
Texas Rangers 1 to 1.20

Betting Lines to Win AL West @ Sportbet Sportsbook (as of 3/27/11):
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Texas Rangers 1.25 to 1
Oakland Athletics 2 to 1
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2.95 to 1
Seattle Mariners 23.50 to 1

2011 AL West Odds @ Hollywood Sportsbook (as of 3/27/11):
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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 2.75 to 1
Oakland Athletics 1.80 to 1
Seattle Mariners 20 to 1
Texas Rangers 1 to 1