Posts Tagged ‘Chicago Cubs’

MLB Betting: Top 10 Money Making Pitchers (through 5/8)

May 9th, 2010 by Adam Markowitz (Bankroll Sports Columnist) | Posted in MLB Baseball   Comments Off on MLB Betting: Top 10 Money Making Pitchers (through 5/8)

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As we enter another Sunday of MLB betting action, we’re taking a look at some of the best pitchers that baseball has to offer that have made us money over the course of the season. Be sure to keep your eye on these hurlers as the MLB wagering season continues!

1: Andy Pettitte, New York Yankees (6-0, +$630) – No one wants to mess with the Yankees with anyone on the mound right now, but Pettitte has been particularly lethal. The Bronx Bombers have won nine straight times that they’re southpaw has taken the hill dating back to the playoffs last year. Keep an eye on Pettitte though, as he is already scheduled to miss his next start with some elbow inflammation.

2: Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies (6-0, +$600) – Mr. No Hitter has been a hefty chalk every time that he has taken the baseball for Manager Jim Tracy, but so far, he is passing every test with flying colors. The righty has just been sick this year, giving up just four earned runs over 41.1 innings and striking out 44. Jimenez could be the best pitcher in baseball.

3: Scott Olsen, Washington Nationals (4-1, +$577) – It’s not often that you see a pitcher for the Nats on this list, but Olsen is one of the two that is very deserving of his spot as a top money maker. Not many expect to see Olsen as a favorite when he pitches, as he hasn’t be a chalk since 2008 when he was with the Florida Marlins (and ironically, was pitching against these Washington Nationals that day). However, after three straight great starts in which he allowed just one earned run in total, many are going to start considering Olsen as a threat to make some real money.

4: Livan Hernandez, Washington Nationals (4-1, +$533) – The ageless wonder that is Livan Hernandez continues to find ways to win games in spite of the fact that he has more walks (13) than strikeouts (11) on the season. However, with only one loss to his credit, and that coming to Jimenez and the Rockies, it’s hard to ignore than Hernandez has been a great option for MLB bettors this year. You have to go back to last September to find the last time that he allowed more than three earned runs in a game.

5: Kyle Davies, Kansas City Royals (4-2, +$523) – It’s not often that you see a pitcher go 4-2 and be on a list like this, especially after allowing nine earned runs in a start, but the oddsmakers have already made Davies a +150 or higher pup in four starts this year. The Royals’ righty was really clobbered at Texas this week, and his descent back to earth may be just beginning.

6: Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets (5-1, +$488) – Speaking of guys that are bound to come back to earth at some point, what about Mike Pelfrey? New York’s best right-handed starter is nothing more than a career 5.00 ERA type of guy, but he did toss 24 straight spotless frames this year and picked up three wins (and a save!) to show for it. Since then, though? Nine earned runs in 11.1 innings. Buyer beware.

7: Barry Zito, San Francisco Giants (5-1, +$465) – The very, very rich left arm of Barry Zito’s may finally be paying dividends for the Giants. The southpaw is 5-0 with a 1.49 ERA this year, and he hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in a game. Remember when Zito was the laughing stock of baseball and pitching out of the bullpen? That’s not the case anymore, and MLB betting fans would be wise to hop on this bandwagon before it either careens into a ditch or the oddsmakers catch on.

8: Chris Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals (6-1, +$463) – Save a start against Milwaukee back on April 11th, Carpenter looks just as unhittable now as he was last season when he was a candidate for the Cy Young Award. There’s nothing not to like here from one of the top righties in baseball, as he is 4-0 with a 2.80 ERA and has 47 strikeouts against 13 walks in 45.0 innings. Oh, and if anyone thinks that opposing batters are hitting .276 against him for the year, they’re crazy. Carpenter may just be getting revved up.

9: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies (6-1, +$455) – The problem with betting on Halladay is that the oddsmakers are just going to punish you to no end if he loses. That’s if he loses. At 6-1 with a 1.45 ERA, no one is touching Halladay this year, as he has to be the front-runner for the NL Cy Young Award this year through seven starts. Here’s something to watch, though. Halladay has thrown at least 100 pitches in all of his starts this year, including 118 and 119 respectively in his L/2 starts.

10: Carlos Silva, Chicago Cubs (5-1, +$423) – Not a bad consolation prize for getting rid of CF Milton Bradley, huh? Silva hasn’t been lights out this year, but his offense has produced just a slew of runs for him (7.5 per game). No one is going to complain about a 3.50 ERA from a guy who really is no better than a fifth starter on a regular basis. The price tags remain reasonable on Silva as well in spite of the fact that he is pitching for the Cubs, who are normally shaded by the oddsmakers.

2009 National League Central Preview

March 10th, 2009 by Rodney James (Bankroll Sports Contributor) | Posted in MLB Baseball   Comments Off on 2009 National League Central Preview

Within the National League Central, no team made a single impact move that will catapult a team into the World Series. But, the Cubs continue to have the best team in the division on paper, but as we have seen in past years, on paper means very little.

Chicago CubsIn Mesa Arizona, the Chicago Cubs are trying to figure out what went wrong in October of 2008. The Cubs flamed out in three straight games to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Chicago did not make any major additions to improve the team, but they did not have to in order to win the NL Central. The Cubs were close on acquiring Jake Peavy from San Diego, but were not able to pull the trigger. The Cubs did pick-up Milton Bradley to help in the outfield, and they also re-signed Ryan Dempster to assist in the starting rotation. Chicago’s bullpen took a hit when they elected not to re-sign Kerry Wood, instead picking up Kevin Gregg, who appears to be the set-up man for new closer Carlos Marmol. Chicago also let Mark DeRosa go to a trade, which may hinder the Cubs versatility. The starting rotation of Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly Chicago should have a rotation that can match anyone in baseball. Harden appears to be the starting pitcher every seven days to give his arm a rest. The question for Chicago is who can fill in as the fifth pitcher, and also the health of Harden, who has had arm problems year after year. With the addition of Kevin Gregg, along with Chad Gaudin, the Cubs bullpen should be solid in the back end, but will Marmol be ready to fill the role as the closer for the Cubs? Offensively, Bradley should help an already powerful lineup with Alfonso Soriano, Derrick Lee and Aramis Ramirez in the mix. Centerfield will be a rotation of Kosuke Fukudome and Reed Johnson. Fukudome sort of lost some love with the Chicago fans after a dismal second half of the season.

Cincinnati RedsIn Sarasota Florida the Cincinnati Reds have high hopes for a 2009 season. A year after finishing 74-88 for fifth place in the NL Central the Reds have gotten younger and healthier. General Manager Walt Jocketty elected not to re-sign Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr., instead adding Willy Tavaras and Ramon Hernandez to the mix. Cincinnati will definitely be counting on young talent, as opposed to aging veterans. The left field position is the most challenging position in Sarasota, as it appears to be a battle between Jerry Hairston Jr., Chris Dickerson, Jonny Gomes and newcomer Jacque Jones. Hairston spent his 2008 season playing in 80 games, hitting a career high .326. Dickerson played in just 31 games as a rookie, hitting .304 with 6 homeruns, and Gomes comes over from Tampa Bay with good talent, but questionable defense. Jones has been around, and is spending another season in a different uniform. Jay Bruce, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips should anchor the offensive load, but pitching is where the major question marks lie. Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto, along with Homer Bailey have an abundance of talent, but consistency has yet to be seen. Bailey spent last season up and down, and while with the big club, he went 0-6 with a 7.93 era. Volquez came up with a CY Young type season in 2008 starting 32 games and picking up a 17-6 record and a 3.21 era. Cueto struggling during 2008 starting 31 games, winning 9 and losing 14. Cueto’s era ballooned up to 5+ at one point in the season, finally settling at 4.81 on the season. Aaron Harang had a horrid 2008 season going 6-17 with a 4.78 era. His season snapped a string of four straight year of winning 10+ games. One guy to look out for is youngster Yonder Alonso. Alonso was the 7th pick in the 2008 draft. He has big time power, but with Joey Votto manning first base, Cincinnati may have to do some creative thinking.

Houston AstrosWhen your top free agent signing is a 36-year-old pitcher that has made just 13 starts in three seasons, things are not promising. Mike Hampton will join the Houston Astros pitching staff that will once again be anchored by Roy Oswalt. The rest of the staff is very questionable, with Wandy Rodriguez, Brandon Backe and Brian Moehler looking to find consistency. If one falters, look for Bud Norris to get a look with the big team. Norris has a fastball upwards of 97mph and had scouts drooling in the Arizona Fall League The Astros come into the season after finishing in third place in 2008 with an 86-75 record, due in large part to Oswalt and Lance Berkman. Berkman will once again man first base for the Astros. In 2008 Berkman hit .312 with 29 homeruns and 106 knocked in. Brad Ausmus has left the team after several years, and the spring training battle is at the catchers’ position. Houston has Jason Castro waiting in the wings, but until then guys like Humberto Quintero, J.R. Towles and Toby Hall all will fight for playing time.

Milwaukee BrewersA year after the Milwaukee Brewers reached the playoffs, they come into their spring training home in Phoenix Arizona with a bevy of questions for the 2009 season. After losing both CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets to free agency, the Brewers are going to search hard for quality starting pitching. The Brewers signed Braden Looper to go along with Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra and Chris Capuano. Looper looks to be an innings eater for a young staff. Gallardo hopes this is the year he turns his electric stuff into a staff ace. Gallardo missed most of the 2008 season with an injury, as did left-hander Chris Capuano. The Brewers recently released set-up man Eric Gagne to go rehab a shoulder that has been bothering him for sometime. Milwaukee will need some help from the bullpen in order to compete at the level they did in 2008. To close games for Milwaukee will be 41-year-old Trevor Hoffman. Hoffman posted his worst ERA since 1995 in 2008 with a 3.77. Offensively, the Brewers should have enough to compete. With Ryan Braun turning himself into a mega star, along with big man Prince Fielder manager Ken Macha will have an enjoyable time putting the pieces together in the lineup. Bill Hall struggled at the plate last year, but will seemingly improve upon his .225 average. If he is not able to get the job done, veteran Mike Lamb and youngsters Matt Gamel and Casey McGehee will get a definite look. At shortstop J.J Hardy should be the every day starter, but if he is not able to produce look for Alcides Escobar to his shot. Regarded as a top defensive player in the minor league, Escobar also hit .328 in Double A last season.

Pittsburgh PiratesIn Bradenton Florida, the Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to end a 16-year streak in which the team finished below .500. This season looks to continue that streak unless some of the young talent they have attempted to stockpile can come through. After trading Jason Bay away in 2008 Pittsburgh finished the season 17-37 to finish 67-95. The Pirates did very little in the way of free agency in 2009, as they signed Ramon Vazquez and Eric Hinske. Hinske is coming off his best season in the major leagues since he won Rookie of the Year in 2002. Adam and Andy LaRoche will anchor the offense along with Nate McLouth. The question with the LaRoche brothers is, can they put two halves together? Adam LaRoche hit .304 in the second half of the season after putting up horrid numbers in the first half in 2008. His brother Andy, who will man third base, has not quite lived up to the hype that made him the Dodgers top prospect a few years ago. Pittsburgh relies heavily on the LaRoche brothers, so the sooner they can provide solid offense, the better. Gold Glover Nate McLouth may be on his way to moving to left field to make room for a power hitting prospect in Andrew McCutchen. The 22 year old spent last season in AAA Indianapolis and appears to have all the tools for a major league outfielder. It will be tough to remove McLouth from the lineup anytime soon, as his 2008 season was solid hitting .276 and banging 26 homeruns. He also hit for 46 doubles, leading the team. Manager John Russell is scratching his head with the starting rotation in place, but hopefully for Pittsburgh new pitching coach Joe Kerrigan can calm some of the youngsters on the staff down, and turn them into winners.

St Louis CardinalsFor the St. Louis Cardinals, three years removed from their tenth World Series Championship, the team appears to be stuck in a period of transition. With general manager John Mozeliak in his second year on the job, he has done a nice job of developing the farm system, but has yet to produce a championship caliber team at the professional level. The Cardinals drew over 3.4 million fans and they have the NL MVP, but as a whole, fall just short of playoff contention. At 86-76 last season, the Cardinals may have upgraded at shortstop, signing Khalil Greene, and letting Adam Kennedy go. Greene hit just .213 last season, but appears to be a better hit than that, and has more pop than Kennedy. Troy Glaus is going to miss the first two months of the season, so who will fill in at third base, and support Albert Pujols in the lineup is the big question. As the Cardinals train in Jupiter Florida they are keeping a keen eye on the 2005 CY Young award winner Chris Carpenter. He claims he is feeling great, and others are saying he is pitching well. Dave Duncan the Cardinals pitching coach has done miracle work with aging players before; he will be looked heavily upon to work Carpenter back into form. With Carpenter healthy, and adding in Adam Wainwright the Cardinals could have a 1-2 punch that very few could match in the national league. After those two the Cardinals rotation could get choppy, with Kyle Lohse seemingly grabbing the #3 position. Colby Rasmus, a five-tool stud appears to be heading to the big leagues this season. Rasmus has been the “can’t miss prospect” for St. Louis the past couple of years, but was sidelined by a knee injury last June. Many call him the National League’s version of Grady Sizemore. Rick Ankiel and Ryan Ludwick should man the outfield for St. Louis. Ludwick had a dream season in 2008, one that made him an All Star, and Ankiel found his power stroke. Skip Schumacher appears to be heading to second base, a position he grew up playing but has not played professionally. Out of the bullpen young fireballers Chris Perez and Jason Motte will be added with guys like free agent signees Dennys Reyes and Trever Miller, along with Ryan Franklin and Josh Kinney. The closer position appears to be a closer-by-committee role, but if Perez can prove consistency, he looks to be the best option.