Sports betting

MLB Betting Online, Online Baseball Betting, Baseball Gambling

by Kevin Taylor | May 22 2009

Looking at the baseball trends, baseball betting stats, baseball picks and baseball odds for this weekend's action.

Interleague baseball starts today and there are 14 games for bettors to choose from. Here's a look at where the money is moving on some of the biggest matchups on the card.

Major League Baseball's appetizer round of Interleague play starts Friday and with all 30 teams in action, online sportsbooks across the board are reporting solid betting activity on everything form sides and totals to props and series plays as members place their bets.

It seems like it was only yesterday when baseball's head honchos decided that its ridiculously long 162-game schedule could stand for some variety, but this is actually the 13th year of AL vs. NL regular season games and the card is jammed with big time matchups.

Early indications are that the Mets at Red Sox game is snagging the largest amount of attention from bettors and to most, that's no surprise. What may come as a shock is the amount of money flowing in on the home team.

Baseball odds show when the line opened for this game New York was listed as a favorite at -140 and as bettors line up on the streaking Sox the number has tumbled as low as -108.

SPORTSBETTING.COM is reporting over 75% of all the action that has come in on this game has been on the Red Sox.

Johan Santana (5-2) is on the mound for the Mets tonight and with eight years of service on the Twins, Fenway is fairly familiar territory to the ace. It's how Santana has fared at Fenway - 1-3 in four games - that has handicappers leaning the other way.

Combine that with Boston's impressive sweep of the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays and the 15-2 record the Sox have put together in their past 17 home games and it starts to make more sense.

New York, meanwhile, saw its recent west coast road trip do a 180-degree turn this week and is relying on Santana to provide the foothold for a recovery. Three wins at San Fran followed by four-straight losses where the Mets scored a measly six total runs has humbled the team and it needs a solid effort this weekend from the entire order to get back on track. The series price at online sportsbooks is Boston -155.

The biggest favorite on the entire board is Toronto (-164) as they travel to Atlanta. Roy Halladay looks to become baseball's first nine-game winner of the season and while Halladay has been the cure to many a Blue Jay losing streak, there are a few factors working against him.

American League teams were 149-103 vs. the National League in 2008 but Toronto was just 8-10. The Jays did manage a 2-1 mark in their series against Atlanta, however, and with the way the team's been hitting, 2009 could tell a different story.

The best American League interleague records over the past five years belong to the Red Sox, Twins and Tigers, who are each 60-30. All three of those teams are home this weekend and unlike the Sox, Minnesota and Detroit have both been listed by oddsmakers as heavy favorites.

Minnesota (-134) will take on the surprising Milwaukee Brew Crew, who are 8-2 in their last 10 and currently lead the NL Central while the Tigers (-142) host a Colorado team who has struggled to find momentum this year on the road, winning just nine times. Other than in its season opening series at Arizona, the Rockies have failed to win back-to-back games away from home in every attempt. Colorado won its game in Atlanta last night, too, making this game an easy pick for the trend bettors of the world.

Baseball's main course of interleague activity doesn't start until June but this teaser is a great opportunity for the sports betting public to 'cess out the teams that could be ready to take advantage of unfamiliar opponents this year. Check out the odds for interleague betting at your online sportsbook and get in on the action while the lines are hot.

Author: Kevin Taylor is a veteran sports handicapper and student of the sports betting world. He has written for several media outlets, focusing on sports, sports betting and online poker.