The Los Angeles Dodgers made all the wrong kinds of headlines a few weeks ago with the takeover of the team by Major League Baseball from owner Frank McCourt, but now L.A. is making headlines for the right reasons. Well, more specifically Andre Ethier is. The outfielder’s hit streak is at 28 games entering Tuesday’s home matchup with the Chicago Cubs – bet on it with Bodog’s MLB odds.
Ethier extended it to 28 games, the longest in the major leagues in two years, with an infield single off the glove of Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro in the bottom of the fifth inning on Monday night. Ethier's hitting streak is the longest since Washington's Ryan Zimmerman hit in 30 straight in 2009. Ethier is just three games short of the Dodgers franchise record of 31 consecutive games set by Willie Davis in 1969. Ethier is the 39th player to hit in at least 28 consecutive games since Joe DiMaggio's record and untouchable 56-game streak in 1941.
The hit streak hasn’t helped the Dodgers all that much as they are 15-15 and four games out of the NL West lead – but think where they might be without Ethier. He is batting .393 during his streak with three homers and 17 RBIs, a stretch in which the Dodgers have gone just 13-15.
With Monday’s 5-2 loss, the Cubs fell to 0-10 when their starters fail to reach the sixth inning this season. They hope Ryan Dempster (1-3, 9.58) obviously can remedy that tonight. But Dempster has been terrible this year. He had the worst start of his career in a loss vs. Arizona last Thursday. He faced 10 batters and got one out, allowing seven runs on four hits with four walks. He also hit a batter and allowed a grand slam. Ethier is 7-for-19 in his career vs. Dempster. The Dodgers start Chad Billingsley (2-1, 4.46).
Can Ethier get a hit? Bet on that prop at Bodog Sportsbook!
With the American League betting round up in the books, let’s take a brief look at the MLB betting odds for the National League, as well as the NL's top players early this season.
The Philadelphia Phillies are both National League (3/2 odds) and World Series favorites (3/1 odds). So far, they’ve lived up to the hype. Their rotation is dominant and their hitting has been good enough. The Marlins, on the other hand, have been a huge surprise. Philly finds itself in an early battle with Florida for the National League East, as the Marlins are riding some excellent pitching right now. Florida is still a longshot on NL pennant odds (12/1).
The other dominant team in the National League has been the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies have opened up a healthy lead over the defending-champion Giants in the NL West, and they’ve climbed to 11/2 odds to win the National League. Colorado is even making noise on World Series odds, currently sitting fourth with 10/1 odds to win it all.
There are plenty of early disappointments in the NL, though the Giants and Brewers have to rank right near the top. San Francisco is off to a rough start to defend its world championship, playing sub-.500 baseball. The Brew Crew were a popular sleeper pick that had climbed its way up NL pennant odds in the offseason, but Milwaukee has been sidetracked by injuries and bad luck. Both teams have 11/1 odds to win the National League.
Lance Berkman has rebounded from a poor 2010 campaign, split between the Yankees and Astros, to dominate with the Cardinals this season. “Big Puma” has raised his average to .402 while clubbing nine homers and driving in 27 runs this season. He’s a career .297 hitter, so maintaining a high average isn’t unreasonable.
And while Milwaukee has struggled, Ryan Braun has at least done his part. The Brewers’ Triple Crown threat is among the National League leaders with 10 home runs, 23 RBI, and a .352 batting average.
We’re roughly 25 games into the 2011 MLB betting season, so it’s time for a quick roundup of AL leaders. Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening in American League futures and player stats.
As far as teams are concerned, the Yankees have climbed toward the top of the standings—and they’re climbing up the World Series odds, too. The Yankees are now second only to Philadelphia with 11/2 odds to win the championship. Their rise has come at the expense of the Boston Red Sox, the former AL favorite, which isn’t even playing .500 baseball right now.
The biggest surprise in the American League, however, are the Cleveland Indians. The Indians weren’t even on the map heading into 2011, but they’re leading the American League standings right now. Cleveland’s World Series futures have improved to 25/1, while the team now ranks fourth in the AL with 12/1 odds to win the pennant.
Boston has certainly been one of the more disappointing teams, but nobody has been as big a letdown as the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox. Both teams were supposed to battle for the AL Central title, but they find themselves fighting it out for a spot in the basement. Their AL pennant odds (Twins 22/1, White Sox 16/1) are beginning to crumble.
On the players side, nobody has been more impressive than Jose Bautista, who looks like a legitimate Triple Crown threat. Bautista shocked the world with 54 homers last season, and he looks even better in 2011. The Blue Jays slugger is tearing the cover off the ball (.357 batting average, nine home runs, 16 RBI).
Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera is another early season Triple Crown favorite. He is among American League leaders with seven homers, 22 RBI and a .352 batting average.
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The Florida Marlins look to continue their surprisingly impressive start when they wrap up a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday afternoon.
MLB betting fans have been delightfully shocked by a blistering start by the Marlins. Sleeper teams make the race all the more exciting, and the Marlins find themselves climbing the National League pennant odds (12/1). If they can keep this up, they’ll become a favorite of bettors before long.
The club is doing it in all phases of the game, ranking among the Top 5 in both National League ERA and run scoring. Josh Johnson has been the biggest story, though, and he’s scheduled to pitch on Thursday.
Johnson (3-0, 0.88 ERA) has been nothing short of brilliant. The young righthander has allowed two or fewer earned runs in every game this season, including three shutout performances. Johnson—coming off a brilliant 2010 campaign (11-6, 2.30 ERA)—did it again in his last start, throwing seven scoreless innings (the Marlins lost 4-3).
St. Louis has shaken off a 2-6 start to climb back atop the NL Central. The Cardinals are also looking sharp in both pitching and hitting, though the lineup has been especially impressive; St. Louis is battling for the league lead in runs scored.
Without question, Lance Berkman has been the best of the bunch. He’s benefited from joining a lineup featuring Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, and looks like a legitimate triple crown threat at the moment.
Jake Westbrook (2-2, 6.53 ERA) will get the call for the Cards and, although his numbers look quite ugly, it won’t be surprising to see a solid outing. Westbrook struggled in his first four starts, but he’s been much better in his past two outings, allowing just two earned runs over his last 12 innings.
Both the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox have been disappointments on MLB betting odds this season. The American League clubs will hook up for a four-game series beginning Friday night.
Boston may be turning a corner, though. The Red Sox opened May with a three-game winning streak, and they’ve certainly played better since an 0-6 run to begin the year.
The Sox are slated to send Tim Wakefield, Clay Buchholz, and Daisuke Matsuzaka to the hill over the weekend. Matsuzaka (2-3, 4.33 ERA) was lit up in a relief appearance earlier this week and had his start moved from Friday to Sunday.
As far as the lineup is concerned, Boston is still waiting for massive free-agent investment Carl Crawford to come around. Crawford was supposed to be an elite leadoff man, but he’s been below or around the Mendoza Line all season. Fellow offseason acquisition Adrian Gonzalez hasn’t hit many homers, but he at least leads the club in RBI and is batting over .300.
The Twins (11-18) might also be gaining a little momentum after a horrific six-game losing streak. They’re coming off a two-game sweep of the division-rival White Sox.
Minny will likely go with Scott Baker (1-2, 3.16 ERA), Brian Duensing (2-1, 2.91 ERA), Carl Pavano (2-3, 5.84 ERA) and Francisco Liriano (2-4, 6.61 ERA). Liriano threw a no-hitter against Chicago in his last start, and there’s a chance Minnesota will bump him after he threw 123 pitches in that outing.
Offensively, the Twins are a black hole. They scored just four runs in their sweep of Chicago and are by far the lowest-scoring team in the American League.
The Florida Marlins are off to a shocking start on MLB betting odds this season. They’ll get a chance to prove whether or not they’re for real when they face the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies; the rivals kick off a three-game series on Monday.
Philadelphia will open the series with Joe Blanton, and follow that up with its two aces—Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Blanton (0-1, 5.92 ERA) has ugly numbers but has pitched well in his last two starts, going seven innings each time and allowing just four earned runs.
Halladay (5-1, 2.19 ERA) is already in Cy Young form. The superstar has allowed more than two earned runs in just one of his seven starts this season. He allowed just a pair of runs over seven innings in his last start, while striking out 10 batters. Lee (2-3, 3.69 ERA) has been solid, but the Phillies have lost each of his last three starts. They managed just a single run in those three games.
Florida ended a three-game losing streak with an 8-0 victory over Washington on Sunday. The Marlins will likely go with Javier Vazquez, Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco.
Vazquez (2-2, 6.39 ERA) has allowed at least three earned runs in every start this season. He gave up six runs (four earned) over 5.2 innings in his last start. Johnson (3-1, 1.68 ERA) has been dominant, but he finally got touched up last week; the young phenom allowed five runs in 7.1 innings of work. Nolasco (3-0, 3.23 ERA) fanned 11 batters in his last start, allowing just a pair of runs over seven innings.
Philly and Florida split their two games earlier this season, but none of the pitchers due up saw any action in that series. Both games were tight, with Florida winning 4-3 and Philadelphia winning 3-2.
So could we see baseball history tonight in the Detroit Tigers-Minnesota Twins game? It’s obviously highly unlikely, but Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano has a shot to join Johnny Vander Meer (in 1938) as just the second pitcher ever to throw consecutive no-hitters. Don’t exactly count on that happening, however. The Twins are -115 favorites on Bodog’s MLB odds.
Liriano (2-4) no-hit the White Sox last week but it was one of the ugliest and most unlikely no-hitters in MLB history. Entering that game he was 1-4 with an ERA of 9.13 and probably pitching for his job in the rotation. Liriano walked six White Sox hitters and struck out two in his first complete game in 95 major league starts. The 27-year-old, who reached the big leagues in 2005, matched his career high with 123 pitches. Probably not coincidentally, he had this start pushed back a day, although the Twins are saying it was due to a sore throat. Liriano’s ERA dropped from 9.13 to 6.61 in becoming the fifth Twin in history to throw a no-hitter and the first since Eric Milton in 1999.
Minnesota probably needs a gem by Liriano tonight as the Twins aren’t hitting. They entered Monday’s 2-1 loss to Boston with baseball’s worst run differential and fewest runs scored. The Twins then went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position while stranding 10 runners on base. Minnesota is now hitting .230 as a team with a .292 on-base percentage. Entering Monday's game those numbers were 19 and 26 points, respectively, below the AL average.
The Tigers, who enter off a 10-5 win over Toronto on Monday, start right-hander Rick Porcello (2-2, 3.93). He has allowed just six runs on 26 hits over 26 2/3 innings in his last four starts since losing his first two outings this season.
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It’s about time to take the Cleveland Indians for real if you haven’t already. The Tribe enter Wednesday’s home game with Tampa Bay a stunning 23-11 and 14-2 at Progressive Field for the best overall record and best home mark (by far) in the majors. Bet on tonight’s game with Bodog’s MLB odds.
How well are things going at home for the Indians? They won on a walk-off walk over the Rays on Tuesday night. Michael Brantley drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the ninth inning off Tampa Bay closer Kyle Farnsworth to force in the winning run and give Cleveland its 14th straight win at home. The Tribe have won four in a row in their final at-bat at home and are 14-2 at home for the first time in 111 years. The Indians season got off to a rough start as they lost their first two games of the season (at home) giving up 23 runs. But since then the staff ERA at home is 2.35 and opposing hitters are batting just .229.
Cleveland will face a tough challenge today in Rays lefty David Price (4-3, 3.26), last year’s AL Cy Young runner-up. Price is coming off an outing in which he came up one out shy of recording his first complete game of the season. Price dominated Toronto for 8 2/3 innings in his last start, fanning 10 and not allowing an earned run for his fourth win of the season. He didn't walk a batter and allowed just four hits, none in the same inning. He is holding left-handed hitters to a .163 average this season.
Cleveland is expected to give the ball to Carlos Carrasco (1-1, 4.97) for his first start since April 24 following a stint on the disabled list with a strained elbow. In a Double-A rehab outing on Friday, Carrasco allowed four runs on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks in 3 2/3 innings.
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For the most part, early season National League futures are unfolding just like MLB betting fans expected. The Phillies are good, while the Cardinals and Reds battle in the Central, and the Rockies and Giants clash in the West.
There have still been a few surprises though, both good and bad. The Florida Marlins are certainly the biggest. Florida wasn’t expected to do much of anything this year, yet the club is right on Philadelphia’s heels in the NL East. Florida has been so good, it’s climbed to seventh on the National League pennant odds at 11/1.
One of the teams Florida caught was the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers were a chic playoff pick before the season started. Milwaukee boasted a nice lineup and made some great additions to the rotation (Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum), but the team isn’t even playing .500 baseball. Early-season injuries to the pitching staff were a major factor, though, so a turnaround could be on the horizon. Milwaukee has slid to 11/1 odds to win the NL pennant.
But pennant odds still go through Philadelphia, which is first at 3/2—not to mention first with 3/1 odds to win the World Series. The Phillies have the best rotation in baseball, and their lineup has been solid if unspectacular. There are flaws, though, and Philly is hardly getting a free pass to a league championship.
The defending-champion Giants and division-rival Rockies have a nice battle going out west. Oddsmakers have more faith in Colorado, though, as the Rockies check in with 6/1 odds to win the pennant — second best in the National League. San Francisco has slid to 10/1, tied or behind five other teams.
Two of those teams are in the NL Central—the St. Louis Cardinals (9/1 NL odds) and Cincinnati Reds (10/1 NL odds). St. Louis and Cincy are neck-and-neck in the division, and that’s likely to be the case right into September.
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MLB betting fans thought the Texas Rangers were favorites in the AL West, but it’s the Anaheim Angels who have jumped out to an early lead. The rivals begin a three-game series on Friday night.
Los Angeles (21-17 on MLB odds) has traded wins and losses in six straight games. Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana will try to get the club going against Texas.
Weaver (6-2, 1.87 ERA) has cooled since his incredible start. The righty has lost his past two games, allowing seven runs over 12 innings. Weaver also failed to strike out a batter in last week’s loss to the Indians.
Haren (4-2, 1.87 ERA), on the other hand, has been incredibly consistent—he’s allowed three-plus runs just once all season. It was business as usual last week, as Haren held Cleveland to a pair of runs in 6.2 innings. Santana (1-4, 4.81 ERA) will be the weak spot. He’s been lit up numerous times this season, including a five-run, eight-hit debacle in his last start.
Texas will counter with Alexi Ogando, Derek Holland and C.J. Wilson.
Ogando (3-0, 2.17 ERA) and Wilson (4-2, 3.36 ERA) have been bright spots in the rotation. Ogando has produced quality starts in all but one of his six outings, including a one-run effort over six innings against Seattle last week. Wilson has been a little more inconsistent. Poor control killed him last week, as his five walks led to five runs over seven innings against Oakland.
Holland (3-1, 5.18 ERA) has lucked out with a ton of run support. He’s allowed at least four runs in four of his past five starts. Holland gave up four runs and was yanked after three innings last week.
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The Philadelphia Phillies will try to build some momentum when they visit the division-rival Atlanta Braves this weekend. The clubs kick off a three-games series on the MLB betting board this Friday.
The Phillies (24-12 on MLB odds) have rotated between wins and losses in seven consecutive games. They’re shooting for back-to-back wins when Cole Hamels starts Friday, and he should be followed by Joe Blanton and Roy Halladay.
Hamels (4-2, 2.83 ERA) faced Atlanta in his last start, giving up three runs over seven innings. He’s been sharp on the road, posting a 1.23 ERA. Blanton (1-1, 5.83 ERA) has easily been the worst starter for Philly, but his ERA is misleading—the hefty righty has allowed three or fewer runs in each of his past three starts.
Halladay (5-2, 2.05 ERA) is simply a pitching genius. His strikeouts are above one per inning this season, and he’s held his opponents to two runs or less in seven of his eight starts. Halladay was robbed of a win in his last start, when he held the Marlins to two runs (one earned) in eight innings of work.
The Braves have some great pitching of their own, and will likely go with Brandon Beachy, Jair Jurrjens and Tim Hudson.
Beachy (1-1, 2.98 ERA) is a Rookie of the Year candidate. He’s allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last four starts. He gave up just a single run—unearned—in six innings against Milwaukee in his last start.
Jurrjens (4-0, 1.50 ERA) has been deadly efficient. He’s yet to allow more than two runs in a start this season. Jurrjens held Philly to just a single run over 6.1 innings last week. Hudson (4-3, 3.09 ERA) keeps plugging away at 35 years old, but he was lit up by Washington in his last start; Hudson allowed seven runs (three earned) over five innings.
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The Boston Red Sox are licking their wounds after getting swept on MLB odds in a two-game series against the Blue Jays. Life won’t get any easier Friday, as they kick off a three-game stint with the New York Yankees.
Boston (17-20 on MLB odds) has been incredibly streaky. The Red Sox have won three in a row, lost three in a row, won three in a row, and now lost two in a row. They’ll likely send Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester to the hill this weekend.
Buchholz (3-3, 4.19 ERA) has started upping his game in recent weeks. The young righty has allowed just two earned runs in his past two starts. Buchholz threw five innings of shutout baseball in a victory over the Twins last week. Beckett (2-1, 1.99 ERA) is rolling after shutting out the Twins over seven innings in his last start. Beckett also held the Angels to a single hit and no runs in the start before that, though he lasted just 4.1 innings because of a rain delay.
Lester (4-1, 2.96 ERA) has been the man all season, but he finally got dinged last week, giving up five runs in 5.1 innings of work against the Jays.
New York will likely counter with Bartolo Colon, CC Sabathia and Freddy Garcia.
Colon (2-1, 3.86 ERA) had been a nice surprise this season, going five straight games allowing three runs or less. The wheels came off last week, as the Rangers smacked him around for five runs in just 4.1 innings of work.
Sabathia (3-2, 2.89 ERA) has been solid if unspectacular. He allowed five runs (three earned) over six innings in a 12-5 win over Texas in his last start. Sabathia isn’t quite locked in at the top of his game, but he’s been good. Garcia (2-2, 2.61 ERA) has been surprisingly sharp. He allowed one run over six innings in his last start.
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Madison Bumgarner will be looking to turn around some bad luck on Monday afternoon when he gets the ball for the Giants on the road in their MLB betting matchup against the Cardinals.
Bumgarner has an ugly 1-6 record on the season, but his ERA (3.79) is a better indicator of his performance through 10 starts. The lefthander has given up three or fewer earned runs in each of his last six starts, but earned just one win in that span.
Overall, the Giants are 2-8 in Bumgarner's 10 starts in 2011.
Taking the mound for the Cardinals on Monday will be Kyle McClellan, and he's had no trouble picking up wins so far this season. The righthander is 6-1 in 10 outings in 2011, and boasts a solid 3.11 ERA.
In fact, having McClellan on the mound has almost been a sure thing for St. Louis so far this season – they're 9-1 when he pitches.
McClellan had to settle for a no-decision in his most recent start despite holding the Padres to two runs (both unearned) on two hits over his six innings of work. The lefthander fanned four and walked none that day.
St. Louis hopes to have Matt Holliday back in the starting lineup for Monday; the slugging outfielder has been limited to pinch-hitting duties recently due to a quad injury.
The Cardinals and Giants both sit near the top of the Bodog MLB futures lists through the first two months of the season, with St. Louis at 8/1 odds to win the NL Pennant and San Francisco at 13/2 odds to make it back to the World Series.
The Giants are at 12/1 odds to win the World Series again, with the Cards at 16/1.
The other contenders in the National League East may have really blown their chance to put some distance between themselves and the injury-ravaged Phillies as on Friday night in Pittsburgh the Phils should have their projected Opening Day lineup for the first time in 2011. Bet on Phils-Pirates with Bodog’s MLB odds.
All-Star outfielder Shane Victorino is expected to be activated from the disabled list and play tonight. Thus that should give the Phillies their full lineup on the field for the first time this season, and that includes spring training games. Victorino, due to a strained hamstring, has not played since trying a pinch-hit bunt in a May 18 game and has not started a game since May 14 in Atlanta, the date he suffered his injury. He is hitting .284 with six doubles, five triples, six home runs, and 19 RBIs this season. Philly has had a very inconsistent hitting attack this season. The team was without All-Star second baseman Chase Utley until May 23 and also has seen catcher Carlos Ruiz and right fielder Domonic Brown spend time on the DL. The Phillies just lost back-to-back games to Washington and scored just a total of three runs with 14 hits. Philadelphia is 23-3 this season when they score four or more runs and 11-19 when scoring three or fewer runs. Despite all this, Philly has the NL’s best record at 34-22 and a two-game lead in the division.
Pittsburgh is playing better this year but enters off a crushing loss to the Mets on Thursday. The Pirates were up 7-0 heading to the bottom of the third but ended up losing 9-8. It was the Mets' biggest rally to win since June 30, 2000.
The pitching matchup tonight is Phillies lefty Cole Hamels (7-2, 3.01 ERA) against Pittsburgh’s Jeff Karstens (3-4, 3.58). Hamels has won three straight starts, with a 2.57 ERA and 22 strikeouts in that stretch. He has won four straight starts just twice in his career. Karstens allowed just two earned runs in his last outing and has given up two or fewer earned runs in six of his eight starts.
If you laid down some cash on the San Diego Padres to win the World Series on the Bodog MLB betting odds today and they actually won the championship this season you'd have a nice chunk of change coming your way.
San Diego is a huge 150/1 longshot on the World Series odds list right now, even though they've been playing better baseball over the past two weeks. They're also back at 75/1 on the NL Pennant odds list.
The Padres' Wednesday opponent, the Colorado Rockies, aren't faring much better in the NL West standings right now, but they're still at a respectable spot on the futures chart (28/1 World Series, 14/1 NL Pennant) thanks to a hot start in April.
Colorado is expected to send Aaron Cook to the mound on Wednesday as he makes his season debut. The righthander went on the disabled list in spring training with a broken hand and has been making rehab appearances at Triple-A Colorado Springs.
Cook went 6-8 for the Rockies last season with a 5.08 ERA over 23 starts.
Dustin Moseley (2-6, 3.00 ERA) is the probable starter for San Diego on Wednesday, and he'll be looking for a little help from his teammates as he tries to improve his lackluster win-loss record. The righthander gave up just six earned runs over his past four starts, but went only 1-1 with a pair of no-decisions in those contests.
Moseley was tagged with a loss by the Rockies in Colorado back on May 13, surrendering six runs on nine hits in just four innings of work in that defeat. The righthander fanned three and walked two in that game.
Thanks to Tuesday’s series-opening 6-4 win in the Bronx, the Boston Red Sox have now won five in a row and six of seven overall this year against the Yankees heading into Wednesday night’s game. But New York is a -128 favorite for this one on Bodog’s MLB odds and there will be live betting available.
It appears that the Yankees won’t have Mark Teixeira tonight. The slugger was hit in his right knee by a pitch from Boston’s Jon Lester in the first inning Tuesday. Teixeira went down like he was shot, but X-rays showed no fracture. The team diagnosed its star first baseman with a bone bruise and listed him as day to day. Manager Joe Girardi said he doubted Teixeira would play Wednesday, but did not envision a trip to the disabled list. Teixeira said he would plan on starting but would see how he felt. If Teixeira (.258, 18 homers) is unable to play Wednesday, Girardi said he would decide between Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher to play first base.
Look for New York to potentially plunk Boston’s David Ortiz tonight. After taking Hector Noesi deep for a two-run shot in the fifth inning Tuesday night, Ortiz dramatically flipped his bat and added a pirouette for good measure. The Yanks certainly noticed.
"I didn't really care for it," Girardi said. "I don't know if he was upset that he missed some pitches earlier. I've got a young kid on the mound; I don't know if he was upset that he came in hard on him."
The Red Sox have been on a tear since arriving in the Bronx on May 13, starting a run in which they have won 17 of 23 with a three-game sweep of the Yankees. A win tonight would give Boston sole possession of first in the AL East. The Red Sox go with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (2-1, 4.40). He draws this start so Clay Buchholz can rest his back for a couple of more days. In his last start, Wakefield gave up seven hits and four runs in six innings, taking a no-decision. New York goes with A.J. Burnett (6-3, 3.86). He has not faced the Sox in '11 but allowed 17 runs in 15 1/3 innings against them in '10.
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Big changes may have just begun for the Florida Marlins, as the team has fired its hitting coach in the wake of a 3-2 10-inning home loss to Atlanta on Wednesday night that was Florida’s seventh loss in a row. And the Marlins are +115 underdogs in the series finale tonight on Bodog’s MLB odds.
Florida fired hitting coach John Mallee on Wednesday and announced the hiring of ESPN analyst Eduardo Perez to replace him. Mallee was promoted to hitting coach in June 2010 after spending nine years as a minor league hitting instructor in the Marlins' farm system. Perez, the son of Hall of Famer Tony Perez, will join the team today. He has no major-league coaching experience. Could Florida manager Edwin Rodriguez be the next to go?
The Marlins ranked 19th in MLB in runs, 17th in homers and 15th in team OPS heading into Wednesday’s game. The losing streak is Florida's longest since April 2009. Six of the seven defeats have been by a single run. Last month, the Diamondbacks also had six one-run losses in a seven-game span, but before that no major-league team had suffered such a stretch since the 1988 Braves. The Marlins are batting .148 during their homestand with runners in scoring position. Florida was held without a hit into the seventh inning on Wednesday. The Marlins, who were 10 games above .500 as recently as May 26, are now just two games over and five games behind the first-place Phillies in the National League East. If the Marlins lose again today, they would suffer their second consecutive series sweep at home. They haven’t had an eight-game skid since August 2007.
The pitching matchup tonight heavily favors Atlanta. Jair Jurrjens (7-2, 1.75) has the second-best ERA in the major leagues of any starter. He is 4-1 with a 2.86 ERA in his career against Florida. The Fish start Chris Volstad (2-5, 5.67). He is looking for his first win since April 26. In his last seven starts, Volstad is 0-4.
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The Washington Nationals open a series with the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday and will get back their best hitter: third baseman Ryan Zimmerman. Bet on the series with Bodog’s MLB odds.
Zimmerman went 0 for 5 for Triple-A Syracuse on Sunday in what is expected to be his final rehab start. Zimmerman hasn't played since April 9 and underwent abdominal surgery on May 3. Zimmerman played six minor league games in his rehab, going 8-for-21 (.381) with three doubles and a triple, walking twice. Zimmerman will give the Nationals, who went 27-31 without Zimmerman, a boost as they come off a 6-5 West Coast road trip to face the Cardinals and Orioles this homestand.
“It’s going to be huge for us,” the Nats’ Ian Desmond said to the Washington Post. “That’s our three-hole hitter. That’s the face of the franchise. That’s pretty much the Washington Nationals. He’s that guy. He can answer a lot of our questions. Just his presence alone, I think, will kind of build everybody back up. It gives us kind of that second wind to know that help’s on the way.”
Another All-Star will also be back this week. Twins catcher Joe Mauer could be back by Thursday. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire says Mauer won't play at Triple-A Rochester before returning to the majors. That essentially means he likely would be activated for Thursday’s third game of a three-game series against the White Sox. The 2009 AL MVP and three-time batting champion has been out since April 14 with leg weakness and an injured right shoulder.
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Anyone who wrote off the Boston Red Sox after their slow start to the season probably took at hit in their wallet, as the BoSox have been tearing it up on the MLB betting board over the last month.
Boston enters play on Tuesday riding a nine-game winning streak, which has boosted them into first place in the American League East division standings. The Red Sox are now also the AL Pennant favorites at Bodog at 7/4, and they're second only to the Phillies on the World Series odds list at 15/4.
New York and Tampa Bay are within shouting distance of the Red Sox in the AL East, and as top Wild Card contenders they're at 13/4 and 14/1, respectively, to claim the AL Pennant this season. Toronto and Baltimore, sitting below .500, bring up the rear of the AL East standings.
Over in the AL Central the Indians and Tigers are battling for first place, with those two clubs set to begin a series in Detroit on Tuesday. Detroit is at 11/1 on the AL Pennant list at Bodog, with Cleveland at 15/1 but threatening to fade after losing nine of their past 10 games.
The White Sox are hovering around .500 in the AL Central and need a spark to get into contention, while the Royals and Twins are sliding into also-ran status.
Finally, the AL West standings have been shaping up as a battle between the Rangers and Mariners for first place, as the Angels and Athletics have both been slumping. Texas is at 6/1 on the AL Pennant odds, and at just 14/1 to win the World Series. The M's remain longer shots at 30/1 and 65/1 on those two Bodog odds lists.
Get all your MLB betting lines at Bodog Sportsbook.
There are two-team races in each of the three National League divisions right now as we turn to the MLB futures board for an update on the Senior Circuit's lines.
In the NL East it was all about the Philadelphia Phillies and their vaunted pitching staff at the start of the season – and that hype has put them atop both the World Series odds list (3/1) and the NL Pennant odds list (3/2) at Bodog.
However, the Braves are coming on strong and look like they'll be able to mount a challenge to the Phillies for the division title this season. Atlanta has much more lucrative lines attached to them – 20/1 for the World Series, 9/1 for the NL Pennant.
The Marlins and Mets are hovering around the .500 mark in the NL East standings, while the Nationals are sitting in their usual basement position.
In the NL Central it's the Brewers and the Cardinals who are jostling for first place, while the defending division champs from Cincinnati are struggling to replicate last season's form as they sit a step back from the top two clubs.
The Brewers are up to 14/1 on the World Series odds list, with the Cardinals at 16/1, and the Reds back at 25/1. On the NL Pennant board at Bodog it's the Brewers at 7/1, the Cardinals at 8/1, and the Reds at 12/1.
And out in the NL West the Giants and Diamondbacks are neck and neck for top spot, with the Rockies sliding off the pace. San Francisco sits at 15/1 on the World Series odds list, and at 15/2 on the NL Pennant board. Arizona is at 30/1 and 14/1.
Check the Bodog MLB futures lists for updated odds on all the National League clubs.
Get all your MLB betting lines at Bodog Sportsbook.
Ethier extended it to 28 games, the longest in the major leagues in two years, with an infield single off the glove of Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro in the bottom of the fifth inning on Monday night. Ethier's hitting streak is the longest since Washington's Ryan Zimmerman hit in 30 straight in 2009. Ethier is just three games short of the Dodgers franchise record of 31 consecutive games set by Willie Davis in 1969. Ethier is the 39th player to hit in at least 28 consecutive games since Joe DiMaggio's record and untouchable 56-game streak in 1941.
The hit streak hasn’t helped the Dodgers all that much as they are 15-15 and four games out of the NL West lead – but think where they might be without Ethier. He is batting .393 during his streak with three homers and 17 RBIs, a stretch in which the Dodgers have gone just 13-15.
With Monday’s 5-2 loss, the Cubs fell to 0-10 when their starters fail to reach the sixth inning this season. They hope Ryan Dempster (1-3, 9.58) obviously can remedy that tonight. But Dempster has been terrible this year. He had the worst start of his career in a loss vs. Arizona last Thursday. He faced 10 batters and got one out, allowing seven runs on four hits with four walks. He also hit a batter and allowed a grand slam. Ethier is 7-for-19 in his career vs. Dempster. The Dodgers start Chad Billingsley (2-1, 4.46).
Can Ethier get a hit? Bet on that prop at Bodog Sportsbook!