MLB Baseball Season Betting – World Series Champions Continue To Struggle

After online betting players finish with some interleague matchups over the weekend, we resume our regular schedule on Monday, but the action in the National League comes in the middle of the week as teams are getting ready for the dog days of summer. Here is a look at three matchups to watch next week.

(All numbers and records as of Friday, May 20th)

Marlins Giants Betting – Tuesday, 10:15 PM ET

A matchup of two pitchers that are overshadowed in their rotations kicks things off on Monday as Florida sends out Ricky Nolasco (3-0, 3.32) to face the Giants’ Matt Cain (3-2, 3.28), and these two would likely get more attention if they weren’t in rotations with Josh Johnson and two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, respectively. Nolasco has great numbers against the Giants, going 2-2 in four starts, but an ERA of 1.91 will usually give your team a chance. Both of those wins came at AT&T Park, and he has an ERA of 0.59 there. Cain is 3-0 in seven starts against the Marlins with a 2.98 ERA, and he has allowed three earned runs or less in each of his last five starts.

Heading into this series opener, the Giants had won six of 10 against the Marlins in San Francisco, along with five games falling under the posted total, along with a push. This should be another low-scoring affair as both have been throwing the ball extremely well this year, and Nolasco would love to bounce back from a subpar outing against the Cubs, his third straight no-decision (all at home). We’re giving a slight edge to the Marlins on the road.

Betting Edge: Florida Marlins

Cardinals Padres Betting – Wednesday, 6:35 PM ET

MLB betting continues on Wednesday in St. Louis between a pair of pitchers who are well off last year’s pace, as Chris Carpenter (1-3, 4.95) takes to the hill for the Cardinals, while the Padres counter with Mat Latos (1-5, 4.38). Carpenter has given up nine hits or more in each of his last four starts, but he has a solid track record against the Padres, going 3-2 in seven starts with a 3.12 ERA, and he’s 2-0 in three starts in San Diego with a 1.29 ERA. Latos is coming off his first win of the season, but he has been awful against the Cardinals, losing both of his starts with a 25.31 ERA.
St. Louis had won six of their last 10 in San Diego coming into this series, which begins on Wednesday, and they’ll be facing a very motivated Latos, who is 0-3 at home in four starts ahead of Friday’s game against Seattle. You should expect this game to be relatively low-scoring as six of the 10 prior to the series had gone under the posted total. Lean towards the home team in this one. 

Betting Edge: San Diego Padres

Reds Phillies Betting – Wednesday, 7:05 PM ET

Two teams that MLB betting players will be looking at to challenge for the National League pennant clash in the City of Brotherly Love on Wednesday, as the Reds send out Travis Wood (3-3, 5.01), while the Phillies go with Roy Halladay (5-3, 2.21), who had tossed back-to-back complete-game losses ahead of Friday’s start against Texas. These two staged a brilliant duel on July 10th of last year, as Wood took a perfect game into the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park, and he settled for a one-hitter, but still lost 1-0 in extra innings. Halladay countered with a five-hitter that day as both took a no-decision, and he is now 1-1 in four starts against the Reds with a 2.84 ERA.

The Reds had lost nine of 10 in Philadelphia ahead of the series opener on Monday, and while we’re not expecting a game like the one that went down in July, Wood had won two in a row ahead of Friday’s start in Cleveland, while Halladay is, well, Halladay. The Phillies need to give him more run support than they have been, and that will be the key in a sports betting victory.