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2018 MLB Betting Lines and Odds
The baseball season is a marathon sport, but the championship is decided by a series of sprints and we’re on the last one: The World Series.
Forgive the labored metaphor, but after a long season filled with turmoil, franchise records in wins by some teams and losses by others, and a plethora of other highs and lows, we’re left with no more than seven games before the winter begins and America’s Pastime goes on a nearly four-month hiatus until it’s our first sign of spring in late February.
While the baseball season is nearly complete, we’re left with what is the most important and thrilling part.
The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers are the only teams left standing. Boston won more games than any team in Major League Baseball and cruised to the World Series, beating the New York Yankees in four games in the ALDS and then toppling the defending champion Houston Astros in five games in the ALCS.
The Dodgers’ path was a bit more difficult. They took care of business against the Atlanta Braves rather easily in the NLDS but had a Game 163 to clinch the NL West. Rather than winning 108 games like the Sox or even 104 like they did last year, they only won 92 and took an extra game to get there.
This is an exciting World Series matchup of two historic teams meeting for the first time ever in the Fall Classic. Other than the Yankees, no team has been to the World Series as often as the Dodgers. Meanwhile, no team has won more than the Red Sox since the turn of the century, but this will be their first time going head-to-head in the series.
These are two excellent offenses battling it out in this series. In fact, the Sox led baseball in runs scored while the Dodgers topped the NL in scoring and home runs. It shouldn’t be surprising that the two World Series teams are offensive powerhouses. They’re stacked teams, but what is a bit surprising is neither team ranked at the top in bullpen ERA. In a season that the bullpens took on a more prominent role than ever before, the best bullpens failed to make it to the World Series, showing that starting pitching still has an important place in today’s game.
The Dodgers have starting pitching. Clayton Kershaw is still looking for his premiere postseason moment to add to his stellar regular season numbers. The future Hall of Famer is still one of the game’s elites. Chris Sale, on the other side, is a top contender for the AL Cy Young despite missing time. These are two of the best of the best. Behind them are quality arms, too.
While these aren’t two of the premier bullpens in baseball, they do each have a premier closer in Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel. Jansen’s looked good this postseason after pitching well last year, too, but he struggled down the stretch for L.A. after dealing with an irregular heartbeat. He looks back to form, but there is concern there. Meanwhile, Kimbrel’s a strikeout machine, but his command has been off in October, leading to plenty of runs in his outings. He’s been able to escape, to this point, unharmed, saving all five chances, but it hasn’t been clean or easy.
It hasn’t been an easy road to the World Series for either team, but they’ve made it: the two best teams in baseball, at least that’s what we’re supposed to think. The Sox were the best team in the regular season, too, but the Dodgers have their share of bumps on the road. Have they come out stronger for it on the other side? Can they use that to there advantage?
And then there were two. Who will win? Can the Los Angeles Dodgers finish their unfinished business from a year ago? Or will they fall short yet again, giving way to a Boston Red Sox franchise who have as many World Series championships as any team since the turn of the century? If you know who is going to winning it all—or if you want to take on some of the fun prop bets, BookMaker Sportsbook is your place to cash in.
MLB Series for Week of October 22
World Series, beginning Tuesday, October 23
MLB American League Teams
| TEAM |
LOCATION |
STADIUM |
| Baltimore Orioles |
Baltimore, Maryland |
Oriole Park at Camden Yards |
| Boston Red Sox |
Boston, Massachusetts |
Fenway Park |
| New York Yankees |
New York City, New York |
Yankee Stadium |
| Tampa Bay Rays |
St. Petersburg, Florida |
Tropicana Field |
| Toronto Blue Jays |
Toronto, Ontario |
Rogers Centre |
| Chicago White Sox |
Chicago, Illinois |
Guaranteed Rate Field |
| Cleveland Indians |
Cleveland, Ohio |
Progressive Field |
| Detroit Tigers |
Detroit, Michigan |
Comerica Park |
| Kansas City Royals |
Kansas City, Missouri |
Kauffman Stadium |
| Minnesota Twins |
Minneapolis, Minnesota |
Target Field |
| Houston Astros |
Houston, Texas |
Minute Maid Park |
| Los Angeles Angels |
Anaheim, California |
Angel Stadium |
| Oakland Athletics |
Oakland, California |
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum |
| Seattle Marines |
Seattle, Washington |
Safeco Field |
| Texas Rangers |
Arlington, Texas |
Globe Life Park in Arlington |
MLB National League Teams
| TEAM |
LOCATION |
STADIUM |
| Atlanta Braves |
Atlanta, Georgia |
SunTrust Park |
| Miami Marlins |
Miami, Florida |
Marlins Park |
| New York Mets |
New York City, New York |
Citi Field |
| Philadelphia Phillies |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Citizens Bank Park |
| Washington Nationals |
Washington, D.C. |
Nationals Park |
| Chicago Cubs |
Chicago, Illinois |
Wrigley Field |
| Cincinnati Reds |
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Great American Ball Park |
| Milwaukee Brewers |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
Miller Park |
| Pittsburgh Pirates |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
PNC Park |
| St Louis Cardinals |
St. Louis, Missouri |
Busch Stadium |
| Arizona Diamondbacks |
Phoenix, Arizona |
Chase Field |
| Colorado Rockies |
Denver, Colorado |
Coors Field |
| Los Angeles Dodgers |
Los Angeles, California |
Dodger Stadium |
| San Diego Padres |
San Diego, California |
Petco Park |
| San Francisco Giants |
San Francisco, California |
AT&T Park |
Baseball Betting - How to bet on MLB
Money Line Betting
In a money line bet, the player is only concerned with which team will win the game. There is no run total, but a favorite and underdog is still selected by the sportsbooks and determined by different odds.
A tipical baseball betting line would look like this:
- Atlanta Braves - 130
- LA Dodgers +120
In this example, the Atlanta Braves are favorite to win over the Dodgers. The numbers provided are the odds that each team is given to win.
A $100 bet on the Dodgers would win $120. But a bet on the favorites, as they are more likely to win the game, would pay $100 for every $130 wagered.
Run Line Betting
The run line in baseball betting is the equivalent to a point spread in other sports. The run line is usually set at –1.5 or +1.5.
The tipical baseball run line would look something like this:
- Atlanta Braves - 1.5 ( +110)
- LA Dodgers +1.5 ( - 130 )
In this example, the Atlanta Braves are a 1.5 - point favorite, while the Dodgers are considered a 1.5 - point underdog. The number signifies how much is to be added or subtracted from that teams ' run total at the conclusion of the game. In the example, 1.5 is to be subtracted from the Atlanta Braves ' final score, while 1.5 will be added to the Dodgers ' final score. The numbers next to each run total are the odds the bettor will receive on a winning bet.
A bet on the Atlanta Braves means the team has to win the game by at least 2 runs. If the bet is placed on the Dodgers, the team can loose the game by one run ant the bet would still win.
Total (Over/Under) Betting
A bettor can make a single wager on whether or not the combined run total for the game will be over or under set ammount, which is determined by the sportsbook before the game.
this would be a tipical over/Under betting line:
- Atlanta Braves / LA Dodgers O6½ - 105
- Atlanta Braves / LA Dodgers U6½ - 115
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