The Boston Red Sox have a slim lead on the rival New York Yankees in the AL East division standings heading into their first MLB betting matchup of the season's second half on Friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Boston won each of its last six games prior to the All-Star Break to take a one-game lead on New York in the division standings, and at Bodog they're the 8/5 favorites to win the AL Pennant in October.
The Red Sox also sit as the top American League club at 7/2 to claim the World Series this season, and they're at -200 on the AL East division futures.
And what about Tampa Bay, the division's forgotten club? At 49-41 heading into Friday's action the Rays are six games back of the BoSox in the AL East, and at 28/1 on the Bodog World Series odds.
Tampa Bay is also at 15/1 on the AL Pennant board, and is a +1500 underdog to wrestle the AL East division title away from both the Red Sox and the Yankees by the end of the season.
Their first chance to put a dent in that lead comes on Friday night at home against the Red Sox, and they'll be up against Boston's Andrew Miller (3-0, 3.57 ERA).
Lefthander Miller has been solid in his four starts so far this season for Boston, giving up a total of 10 runs (nine earned) over his 22 2-3 innings of work. More importantly, Red Sox supporters have seen their team go 4-0 over Miller's four 2011 outings.
David Price (8-7, 3.70 ERA) is lined up to start the series opener for the Rays on Friday; he missed the All-Star Game due to turf toe so his status should be watched.
Updated lines on the weekend's Red Sox/Rays MLB matchup can be found at Bodog.
The New York Mets are expected to get back their best player, shortstop Jose Reyes, for Tuesday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Reyes has been on the disabled list since July 3 with a strained left hamstring. He was eligible to come off the DL on Monday, but the Mets took a cautious approach and wanted him to play one minor league rehab game to see how his hamstring responded to game action. Reyes did play Monday with Class A Brooklyn. He went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Afterward he said he felt fine and expected to play for the Mets on Tuesday.
"Everything went good. I feel happy about it," Reyes said. "I was able to move around the field without any problems."
The 28-year-old shortstop leads the majors in triples (15) as well as hitting (.354). He is also second in hits (124) and steals (30). Reyes, who missed the majority of the 2009 season with a right hamstring injury, is slated to become a free agent at season's end. The Mets have gone 6-5 without Reyes and on Monday host the Marlins in a makeup of a May 17 contest that was postponed because of rain.
Mets right fielder Carlos Beltran missed his second consecutive game on Sunday afternoon with the flu. Willie Harris started in his place and hit third against the Phillies. Beltran is out Monday night as well and Scott Hairston will start in right field. Hairston is batting .500, with a .500 on-base percentage in limited playing time over the past six games. He may start to take some of Jason Bay’s at-bats, as Bay is in a massive slump.
The Philadelphia Phillies got a huge scare on Monday night as ace and leading NL Cy Young candidate Roy Halladay left the Phils’ game against the Cubs in the bottom of the fifth inning because of heat exhaustion.
The game-time temperature in Chicago was 91 degrees and the humidity was extremely high – the heat index was in triple digits. The heat clearly got to Halladay as he labored through a 31-pitch third inning. Twice he backed off the mound and hunched over his knees as he tried to take a breather. Once he went into a full crouch. Halladay opened the game wearing a red-sleeved undershirt. He took it off after the third inning. Halladay (11-4) allowed seven hits and three runs in four-plus innings.
Thus a pretty impressive streak ended on Monday. For the first time since 2007, Halladay started a game on the road and lasted less than six innings. Halladay’s 63 straight road starts with at least six innings pitched was the longest such streak in the majors since the days of Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker. The last pitcher to throw at least six innings in 63 or more consecutive starts on the road was Hall of Famer Walter Johnson. The Big Train did it in 82 straight road starts from 1911 to 1915. Halladay is now 0-3 in his three career starts at Wrigley Field. It’s the first time in his career that Halladay has lost his first three starts at the same ballpark.
The Phils had been 10-0 in Halladay’s previous 10 starts. It was Halladay’s shortest outing as a Phillie and shortest since June 12, 2009 when he left a game due to a groin pull.
Philadelphia, which is just 2-2 since the All-Star Break, turns to Cliff Lee vs. the Cubs on Tuesday. The Cubs go with Matt Garza. The Phils are -158 favorites on Bodog’s baseball odds.
The Atlanta Braves lead the NL wild-card race and are just 3.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East thanks largely to their pitching. That group disappointed on Tuesday night, but the Braves look to clinch at least a split in Colorado behind a streaking Tim Hudson as they face the Rockies in Game 3 of a four-game series on Wednesday night. This game is essentially a pick’em on Bodog’s baseball odds, with both teams at -110.
The slumping Rockies beat Atlanta 12-3 on Tuesday night behind Ubaldo Jimenez, who has been the subject of several trade rumors. Jimenez isn't scheduled to start at home again until after the July 31 trade deadline. It was the first win for Colorado in six tries against the Braves this month. Rockies batters drew 10 walks against Braves pitchers on Tuesday. That's the highest total for Colorado in any nine-inning game over the last two seasons and it's the most allowed by Atlanta in any nine-inning game over the last two seasons.
The one bright spot for Atlanta was second baseman Dan Uggla’s two homers. That extended his hitting streak to 11 games and made him the first player to have a multiple-homer game against Jimenez in the major leagues. Meanwhile, Braves outfielder Jason Heyward is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday. He has missed the last two contests with a left foot contusion.
Hudson (9-6, 3.44) has been practically unhittable of late. He is 4-0 with a 1.83 ERA in five starts since losing 4-0 to the Mets on June 15. He yielded one run over seven innings in Friday's 11-1 rout of Washington to win his third straight start. However, Hudson is 0-2 with a 10.20 ERA in his career at Coors Field. The Rockies counter with rookie Juan Nicasio (4-2, 4.24). He is 4-0 with a 1.64 ERA at home this season.
Bet on Braves-Rockies game odds and player props now at Bodog Sportsbook!
There can be no argument here: The worst free agent signing this offseason was the Chicago White Sox giving a four-year, $56 million deal to former Nationals first baseman Adam Dunn.
How bad has Dunn been? He has struck out 124 times in 284 at-bats and is hitting.158. If the season ended today he’d own the worst average by a regular in the live-ball era by more than 20 points. Dunn, a left-handed hitter, is an incredible 2-for-64 against left-handed pitchers this season. He has just seven hits in his last 79 at-bats, a .089 batting average over that 22-game stretch with 40 strikeouts. His on-base percentage this season is .289, which depending on the day might be less than he weighs. Dunn is a large reason the White Sox have been one of baseball’s disappointments at 47-51. Remember, this is the same guy who entered this season second in the major leagues to Albert Pujols since 2004 with 282 home runs. He hit .260 with 38 homers and 103 RBIs for the Nationals last season.
Dunn has been benched the past two games and now the White Sox are saying he has a sore knee – basically giving the team an excuse to put him on the disabled list. But now there are reports that Dunn might just walk away from the game and all those millions.
“If I’m not having fun anymore, I’ll go home,” Dunn told Yahoo! Sports. “Flat out. I’ll go home. I mean that. Swear to goodness. I’ll. Go. Home. I enjoy playing. Even though I suck. Or have been sucking. I enjoy playing the game. Love it. But as soon as I lose that, I’m gone, dude. It’s true. … How many games can you play doing this? This is ridiculous. You get to a point, and you’re like …”
Dunn has made plenty of money in his career, but there’s no way he quits.
Can the White Sox still win the AL pennant? Bet on MLB futures now at Bodog Sportsbook!
One of the best individual stories in all of Major League Baseball this season belongs to San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong. This is a guy who before this season hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2006 when he was a struggling reliever. Now? He is an All-Star and among the National League’s best pitchers. He faces the visiting Brewers tonight in the second of a three-game series and the Giants are solid favorites on Bodog’s baseball odds.
Vogelsong, who was chosen for the All-Star Game by his manager Bruce Bochy but didn’t pitch, blanked the Dodgers over 6 2/3 innings on Monday to lower his ERA to 2.02 and improve to 7-1 on the season. He has allowed three earned runs or less in all but one of his 15 outings. Not bad for a guy who was a spring training non-roster invitee and who played in Japan from 2007-10. Vogelsong was left off the Opening Day roster, but found a spot in the Giants' rotation when Barry Zito went down with a foot injury. That 2.02 ERA would lead the National League, but Vogelsong, who turned 34 on Friday, doesn’t have quite enough innings pitched to qualify – he fell out of the minimum requirement on Wednesday. Eventually, if he pitches every fifth day, Vogelsong will catch up to the innings requirement to end the season qualified. He needs 64 more innings to finish with 162 innings, which is the final threshold.
The Brewers counter with lefty Randy Wolf (6-7, 3.58). He enters off a loss although he pitched well in Arizona, holding the Diamondbacks to three runs (two earned) on eight hits and one walk in 7 1/3 innings on Monday. The quality start was Wolf's second straight after he allowed 11 runs in just 13 innings of work in his two starts before that. Wolf faced the Giants on May 28, a 3-2 Brewers win. Wolf got a no-decision but held San Francisco to two runs (one earned) on three hits in 7 1/3 innings.
Get the best Brewers-Giants player props at Bodog Sportsbook!
San Francisco's Tim Lincecum is a Cy Young Award winner. Philadelphia's Vance Worley didn't even rate a mention in any discussion of the club's vaunted starting staff heading into this season.
So guess which one of those pitchers has been doing a better job paying off on the baseball betting lines lately?
It's Worley (6-1, 2.02 ERA), who has picked up the win in each of his last four starts and has pitched the Phillies to a 6-0 record in his last six trips to the mound. The righthander hasn't been winning games by fluke either – he allowed a total of four runs over those six contests.
Against the Cubs last time out Worley gave up just one run on four hits over eight innings of work while fanning seven batters, and he'll be looking to turn in a similar performance on Tuesday night when he faces Lincecum and the Giants to open a series in Philadelphia.
Lincecum (8-8, 2.90 ERA) hasn't been pitching poorly lately, he just hasn't been getting many breaks. The righthander took a loss against the Dodgers in his most recent start, but he allowed just one run on five hits over seven innings of work that day; San Francisco didn't manage to score any runs in support.
Over his last seven starts Lincecum has allowed a total of just 10 runs, but the Giants only managed to win three of those MLB betting matchups.
The Giants will need to provide more runs for their pitchers if they're going to repeat as champions this season. Currently holding down first place in the NL West, the Giants are at 7/1 to claim the NL Pennant and at 14/1 odds to win the World Series.
The Phillies, meanwhile, lead the way at 11/10 on the NL Pennant chart and at 5/2 on the World Series odds at the Bodog Sportsbook with about two months left in the regular season.
Trying to bridge the gap between first and second place in the AL West division standings, the Los Angeles Angels open up a home MLB betting series against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.
The Angels, still trying to catch the Texas Rangers for top spot in their division, will send Ervin Santana (6-8, 3.47 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday night, and it'll be hard for him to top his most recent performance.
Righthander Santana no-hit the Indians last time out, issuing one walk and allowing one unearned run while striking out 10 batters in a 3-1 Los Angeles victory.
That marked Santana's second consecutive win on the MLB betting lines at the Bodog Sportsbook, as he'd held the Orioles to one run on three hits over 7 2-3 innings of work in his previous outing.
Overall the Angels have been a lucrative option in Santana starts recently, going 5-1 in his last six trips to the hill. The righthander has given up three or fewer runs in nine of his past 10 outings.
Looking for the win for the Twins on Tuesday night will be Brian Duensing (8-8, 4.35 ERA), and he's not coming off a no-hitter but he did pitch well against the Rangers last time out – one run over 6 2-3 innings of work in a victory.
That was a bounce-back performance for the lefthander, who had just been rocked for seven runs on nine hits in just 4 2-3 innings of work by the Tigers. The Twins are 4-2 in Duensing's last six starts.
Updated MLB lines and totals for this three-game series, along with fresh World Series odds, are available at the Bodog Sportsbook.
The slumping Chicago White Sox have dropped four games in a row to fall to 52-56 and 5.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central, so the Pale Hose really could use the return of team MVP Paul Konerko from injury. But it appears that’s not going to happen on Wednesday night against the Yankees. New York is a -120 favorite on Bodog’s MLB odds in the third game of this four-game set. The game is on ESPN so there will be live betting available.
Konerko has missed the first two games vs. the Yankees after he was hit by a pitch on the left leg Sunday. Manager Ozzie Guillen said he will make sure Konerko is 100 percent ready before returning and that Konerko will play his normal first base and not designated hitter to protect the leg. Konerko leads Chicago regulars with a .305 batting average, 25 homers and 76 RBIs. Chicago has managed just two combined runs in the first two games without him, including getting shut out by a struggling Phil Hughes on Tuesday. New York’s Mark Teixeira was the hitting star with two homers last night. He went yard from both sides of the plate for the 12th time in his career (an MLB record) and has a team-leading 31 HRs.
The pitching matchup would seem to favor Chicago tonight as it starts Gavin Floyd (9-9, 3.96) against inconsistent A.J. Burnett (8-9, 4.23). The Yankees have not scored more than four runs in any of Burnett's starts since June 8, and Burnett was winless for the entire month of July. Rather amazingly, he has never won an August game with the Yanks. Floyd, meanwhile, has posted a 0.81 ERA in three outings since the All-Star break. He allowed one run and three hits in seven innings in Friday's 3-1 win over Boston.
Plummeting back to reality, the Pittsburgh Pirates will be in tough to turn it around this week when they head to San Francisco for an MLB betting series against the Giants, which gets underway at the Bodog Sportsbook on Monday night.
The Pirates challenging for the division title in the NL Central seemed too good to be true for the generally-terrible franchise a few weeks ago, and their poor play of late suggests they were in fact in over their heads.
And as a playoff berth turns back into a pipe dream for the club, they find themselves sitting at a longshot 65/1 at the Bodog Sportsbook on the World Series odds for this season, and at 30/1 odds to claim the NL Pennant in October.
The Pirates will go with Charlie Morton (8-6, 3.80 ERA) for Monday's opener, and the righthander can't be too pleased with his offense after he had to settle for a no-decision against the Cubs last time out despite throwing seven shutout innings. Pittsburgh ended up losing that game 1-0, and they're 4-6 in Morton's last 10 starts.
Against the Giants in Pittsburgh back on April 26 Morton took a no-decision after allowing one run on four hits over six innings of work.
Countering for the Giants on Monday will be Ryan Vogelsong (9-1, 2.19 ERA), and he's coming off an easy win over the Diamondbacks (one run on five hits over six innings of work). San Francisco is 6-4 over Vogelsong's last 10 trips to the mound.
The lefthander faced the Pirates back on April 28, getting the win after surrendering just two runs on four hits over 5 2-3 innings pitched while fanning eight batters.
Wrestling with the D-Backs for top spot in the NL West standings, the Giants are at 10/1 on the current World Series odds and at 11/2 on the NL Pennant list. Head over to the Bodog Sportsbook for all the MLB lines and totals for this week's series.
The Los Angeles Angels have more to think about than just their AL West division race as they begin a three-game MLB betting series in New York against the Yankees on Tuesday night.
The Angels are just behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West standings heading into this series, but if they could pull off a sweep of the Yankees they'd be right in the thick of the AL Wild Card race heading into the season's final stretch as well.
At Bodog Sportsbook the Angels sit at 12/1 on the AL Pennant futures, and they're at 28/1 on the World Series odds list. New York is higher up at 11/4 on the AL Pennant chart and at just 6/1 to walk away with the championship this season.
Los Angeles is scheduled to start Dan Haren (12-6, 2.81 ERA) on Tuesday night, and he's coming off back-to-back wins over the Tigers and Twins in which he allowed a combined two runs on 11 hits over 17 innings of work.
Righthander Haren has picked up six wins over his last 10 starts, and the Angels went 7-3 in those contests.
The Yankees lost some ground in the AL East race over the weekend by dropping two of three games to the rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. That series was capped off by a 3-2 Boston victory in 10 innings on Sunday night.
Phil Hughes was originally scheduled to start for the Yankees in the series opener on Tuesday night against the Angels, but he was pressed into service in relief on Sunday. A.J. Burnett (8-9, 4.54 ERA) will get the ball instead.
The Yankees took two of three games against the Angels in Los Angeles back in June.
The Philadelphia Phillies haven't lost a Vance Worley start since May, and they'll be looking to keep that streak alive on Wednesday night when they continue their MLB betting series on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Worley (8-1, 2.35 ERA) continued to do his Roy Halladay impression last time out, holding the Giants to two runs on seven hits over his seven innings of work in a win.
That made Philadelphia 9-0 in the righthander's last nine trips to the mound, and they haven't been cheapo wins – Worley gave up two or fewer runs in eight of those nine outings, going 6-0 with three no-decisions.
And with Worley rounding out the team's rotation the Phillies are riding high at 9/4 on the World Series odds at the Bodog Sportsbook right now as they continue to shovel dirt on the Atlanta Braves' chances to win the NL East division title. Philly also sits at 10/11 odds to claim the NL Pennant in October.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, are way back at 400/1 to win the World Series this season, and they're at 200/1 on the MLB futures to win the NL Pennant as they play out the string in the depths of the NL West division standings.
Los Angeles goes with Chad Billingsley (10-9, 4.17 ERA) on Wednesday to close out their home series against the Phillies, and he'll be looking to pick up the win for the second game in a row.
The righthander beat the Diamondbacks last time out, surrendering three runs on seven hits over six innings of work. Overall, though, Los Angeles is just 5-5 in Billingsley's last 10 trips to the mound.
Having dropped into second place in the NL West standings, the San Francisco Giants will have a hard time making up some ground this week as they begin an MLB betting series against a tough Braves team in Atlanta on Monday night.
The Giants, cruising along in top spot in the NL West for much of the season, have found themselves passed by the surging Arizona Diamondbacks in the division standings. That should give San Francisco a greater sense of urgency this week, and a little more appeal at the Bodog Sportsbook.
Madison Bumgarner (7-11, 3.53 ERA) will get the ball for the Giants in the series opener and he'll be looking to build on a dominant win over the Pirates last time out – four hits and 10 strikeouts over seven shutout innings.
Overall the Giants are 7-3 in Bumgarner's last 10 trips to the mound, but the last time he faced the Braves back on April 22 he was tagged with a loss after allowing four runs (three earned) in just 2.2 innings of work.
The Braves sit in the wild card position in the National League, and they'll hand the ball to Tim Hudson (12-7, 3.18 ERA) for Monday's contest.
The right-hander has been on a roll of late, allowing three or fewer runs in each of his past 10 trips to the mound and holding the Marlins to two runs on six hits over 7.1 innings of work in a victory last time out.
Hudson pitched against the Giants in San Francisco on April 23, getting the victory that day after allowing only two runs on nine hits in 8.2 innings of work.
On the World Series futures at the Bodog Sportsbook the Braves currently sit with 15/1 championship odds, while the Giants are at 12/1 on those MLB lines. Atlanta then is pegged at 6/1 on the NL Pennant odds, with San Francisco at 13/2 on that list.
Time is running out for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to make their move in the AL West standings, so they'll be gunning for a victory on Tuesday night when they continue their four-game MLB betting series at home against the Texas Rangers. The Rangers took the first game by an 8-4 score.
The Angels haven't been able to make up any ground on the Rangers in the division standings over the past couple of weeks, and they also haven't been able to close the gap on the New York Yankees for the American League's Wild Card berth.
That's kept Los Angeles back at 28/1 odds on the World Series futures at the Bodog Sportsbook, and at 12/1 odds to claim the American League Pennant in October.
The Rangers, meanwhile, are at 12/1 on the World Series odds board, and at 6/1 to bring home the AL Pennant this season.
Texas will send Derek Holland (10-4, 4.30 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday night, and that could be good news for Angels hitters. The lefthander was knocked around in Los Angeles in his July 20 outing, allowing seven runs over his 5 1-3 innings of work.
Against the Mariners last time out Holland settled for a no-decision after surrendering three runs (two earned) on seven hits over six innings pitched. Overall the Rangers are 6-4 in Holland's last 10 starts, with the lefthander tossing three complete-game shutouts in that span.
Tyler Chatwood (6-8, 4.07 ERA) heads to the hill for the Angels on Tuesday night. He lost to the Rangers on July 19 after allowing three runs over five innings pitched.
The Angels are 0-3 in the right-hander's last three trips to the mound, as Chatwood gave up 13 runs in those 17 innings of work. Overall Los Angeles has managed to pick up just three victories in Chatwood's last 10 starts.
Head over to the Bodog Sportsbook for lines and totals for the Angels/Rangers series.
Sitting in first place in the NL West division standings, the Arizona Diamondbacks will be looking to strengthen that lofty position as they continue their MLB betting series on the road on Wednesday against another first-place club, the Philadelphia Phillies.
The D-Backs have surged ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the NL West standings, making them a lucrative option against the MLB lines at the Bodog Sportsbook over the past week.
That streak of success still doesn't have Arizona in the same ballpark as Philadelphia on the MLB futures lists. The Diamondbacks are listed at 25/1 on the World Series odds right now, and at 10/1 to claim the NL Pennant in October.
The Phillies, meanwhile, are favorites at 2/1 to win the World Series and 4/5 to bring home the National League Pennant.
Cliff Lee (12-7, 2.83 ERA) has been a big part of Philadelphia's success this season and is slated to take to the mound at home on Wednesday night against Arizona. The lefthander has won three straight starts and beat the Dodgers last time out after giving up just four hits and fanning 10 over eight shutout innings.
Lee pitched in Arizona back on April 25, taking a loss that day after surrendering four runs on five hits over seven innings of work.
Joe Saunders (8-9, 3.76 ERA) counters for the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, and he settled for a no-decision last time out against the Astros (five runs over six innings). The lefthander pitched against Philadelphia on April 27, losing that game after giving up six runs on 10 hits in his 5.2 innings pitched.
Head over to the Bodog Sportsbook for MLB lines and totals for this three-game set.
The Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox have something in common as they get set to close out their MLB betting series on Thursday night – they both trail the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central standings.
With the Tigers still in shouting distance of both clubs, Thursday's contest will provide a leg up for one of the teams as they gun for a postseason berth.
The Indians will send Justin Masterson (9-7, 2.69 ERA) to the mound on Thursday night, with the right-hander looking to pitch his team to a fifth straight victory. Masterson has given up three or fewer earned runs in nine of his past 10 starts.
Masterson, though, was tagged with a loss by the White Sox in Cleveland on July 24, surrendering four runs (one earned) on four hits over his seven innings of work. In his career vs. Chicago the right-hander is 2-4 in 13 appearances with a 2.00 ERA.
Philip Humber (8-8, 3.67 ERA) gets the ball for the White Sox on Thursday. His team has been tagged with the loss in each of his last five trips to the mound.
Overall Humber has given up four or more runs in five straight starts, with the White Sox going 4-6 in his last 10 outings. The righty pitched in relief against the Tribe in Cleveland on April 3, allowing two earned runs on two hits without recording an out.
Humber will be looking to turn in a better performance as his team looks to improve its World Series odds at the Bodog Sportsbook. Currently the White Sox sit at 45/1 to win the championship this season, and at 22/1 to claim the AL Pennant.
The Indians are at 50/1 to win the World Series and at 22/1 to win the AL Pennant.
Head over to the Bodog Sportsbook for the line and total for this game prior to first pitch.
Detroit ace Justin Verlander takes the hill in Tampa Bay on Monday night as the Tigers visit the Rays in MLB betting action at Tropicana Field (7:10 pm ET).
Verlander, leading the majors with 18 wins and a sparkling 0.88 WHIP, is coming off a 7-1 victory over Minnesota in his most recent outing in which he allowed seven hits over 7 2/3 innings of work and struck out eight on his way to winning his sixth start in a row. The leading Cy Young candidate in the American League has pitched into the seventh inning in each of those six wins, and also leads the major leagues in strikeouts.
Jeff Niemann (8-4, 3.29 ERA) gets the nod for Tampa Bay and the 6-foot-9 right-hander is almost as hot as Verlander, with victories in four consecutive starts including his last outing when he held the fearsome Boston Red Sox to three hits and struck out 10 in a complete-game 6-2 win. In fact, Niemann hasn’t lost a decision since May 4 after starting the season 0-3.
The Tigers are starting to pull away from their competition in the AL Central after sweeping their three-game series against the Cleveland Indians this weekend, and are currently ranked fourth on the MLB futures at 8/1 odds to win the AL Pennant behind the Red Sox (7/5), the Yankees (12/5), and the Rangers (5/1).
The Rays are in tough in both the AL East and Wild Card standings, with the Yankees and Red Sox well out in front of them in both races, and are listed at 75/1 odds to win the AL Pennant.
Visit the Bodog Sportsbook for updated MLB betting odds as well as player and team props.
The Los Angeles Angels didn't help themselves in the standings last week when they dropped three of four games at home against the rival Texas Rangers on the MLB betting lines. They'll look to rebound this weekend in Texas, but first they'll play a couple of games against the Chicago White Sox starting on Tuesday night.
Los Angeles then got an easy series win against the last-place Orioles over the weekend, and that helped to wash away the memory of the rout against Texas, but they’ll be in for a tough series against the White Sox.
Like the Angels, the White Sox are clinging to their playoff hopes in the American League, needing a hot stretch to chase down the Detroit Tigers for top spot in the AL Central standings.
And like the Angels, it's pretty much division title or bust for Chicago's playoffs chances – neither of those clubs is likely to catch the AL East's second-place team for the league's Wild Card berth by the end of September.
That means the Angels and White Sox are both farther back on the baseball futures at the Bodog Sportsbook right now; Los Angeles is at 35/1 to win the World Series and at 18/1 to claim the AL Pennant. The ChiSox sit at 45/1 on the World Series odds and at 20/1 on the AL Pennant odds.
Mark Buehrle (10-6, 3.14 ERA) heads to the hill on Tuesday for the White Sox, while Ervin Santana (9-9, 3.12 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Angels. The Bodog Sportsbook has the lines and totals for this MLB betting series this week.
A couple of 10-game winners will take the mound on Wednesday night as the Boston Red Sox continue their four-game MLB betting series on the road against the Texas Rangers.
Josh Beckett (10-5, 2.46 ERA) heads to the hill for the Red Sox on Wednesday, and he picked up his first victory in a month last time out by holding the Royals to three runs on seven hits over his seven innings of work.
The righthander had gone 0-2 with two no-decisions over his previous four starts, allowing 11 earned runs on 25 hits in those 24 innings pitched. Beckett has yet to face the Rangers this season; in his career against Texas he's 2-2 over seven starts with a 5.53 ERA.
Matt Harrison (10-8, 3.28 ERA) starts for the Rangers on Wednesday, and he's coming off consecutive no-decisions against the White Sox and Athletics (seven earned runs over 9 2-3 innings of work).
The Rangers, though, won both of those contests, and overall they're 8-2 in Harrison's last 10 trips to the mound. The lefthander faced the Red Sox back on April 3 at home, allowing just one run on five hits over seven innings of work in a win that day.
Texas continues to lead the AL West standings, and at the Bodog Sportsbook they're sitting at 5/1 to claim the AL Pennant this season. The Rangers are also high on the World Series odds board, getting 10/1 right now to win the championship.
Boston is above Texas on those two lists – they sit at 7/2 to win the World Series and at 7/5 to win the AL Pennant in October as they continue to jockey with the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East division standings.
Boston won each of its last six games prior to the All-Star Break to take a one-game lead on New York in the division standings, and at Bodog they're the 8/5 favorites to win the AL Pennant in October.
The Red Sox also sit as the top American League club at 7/2 to claim the World Series this season, and they're at -200 on the AL East division futures.
And what about Tampa Bay, the division's forgotten club? At 49-41 heading into Friday's action the Rays are six games back of the BoSox in the AL East, and at 28/1 on the Bodog World Series odds.
Tampa Bay is also at 15/1 on the AL Pennant board, and is a +1500 underdog to wrestle the AL East division title away from both the Red Sox and the Yankees by the end of the season.
Their first chance to put a dent in that lead comes on Friday night at home against the Red Sox, and they'll be up against Boston's Andrew Miller (3-0, 3.57 ERA).
Lefthander Miller has been solid in his four starts so far this season for Boston, giving up a total of 10 runs (nine earned) over his 22 2-3 innings of work. More importantly, Red Sox supporters have seen their team go 4-0 over Miller's four 2011 outings.
David Price (8-7, 3.70 ERA) is lined up to start the series opener for the Rays on Friday; he missed the All-Star Game due to turf toe so his status should be watched.
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