2018 MLB Odds - Baseball Betting Predictions

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2018 MLB Betting Lines and Odds

We’re down the second to last weekend of the 2018 MLB regular season. As the schedule dwindles down, so to the magic numbers.

The Cleveland Indians have already clinched the AL Central and the Boston Red Sox just need a win against the New York Yankees to capture the AL East. Meanwhile, the Houston Astros have as big of a lead over the Oakland Athletics in the AL West as the A’s have over the Tampa Bay Rays for the second Wild Card spot in the junior circuit.

While Tampa Bay is making a late push, it’s been too-little, too-late to make any real noise as the AL wraps up just how we expected over a month ago.

Of course, that’s not to say that any AL games over the next week are without meaning. While it’s unlikely anything over the next week can impact the postseason, at least in terms of the standings, we do have some potential postseason previews on tap.

The Indians and Red Sox will play each other over the weekend. For this matchup to manifest itself in the playoffs, it’ll have to be in an ALCS showdown as the Sox will get the Wild Card winner in the first round. The Indians are tied with the Rays for the fifth best record in the AL and are seemingly overshadowed by Boston, New York, Houston, and even Oakland. Despite that, Cleveland is built well for October. Their offense is good, their bullpen is starting to come together and their starting pitching can matchup with their likely ALDS opponent, the Houston Astros.

For now, the Indians are trying to get ready for the postseason. They’ve got Trevor Bauer working his way back on the mound. They also have newly acquired Josh Donaldson trying to knock off the rust from having not played much at all this year. With Donaldson at third, Jose Ramirez moves to second and Jason Kipnis picks up an outfield glove. It’s a bit late in the season for such defensive maneuvering, but the Tribe will do what it can to squeeze a former MVP bat into the order.

On the NL side, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies have a four-game weekend series upcoming down in Georgia. This series could clinch the division for the Braves if things go their way, but it also provides an opportunity for the Phillies to jump back in the fray with a series sweep. That’s highly unlikely with how Philadelphia has been playing, but the Braves aren’t lighting the world on fire now, dropping four straight as their division lead has shrunk to 5.5-games.

In the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs could be on their way to a division win, too. They’ve got a 3.5-game advantage, but get the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates over the next week, two teams out of postseason contention. While the Sox should be an easy opponent, the Pirates typically play the Cubs tough and have been playing pretty good baseball in September. They’ve been playing the part of spoilers and could be a team that has an impact on the postseason even without making it.

If the Milwaukee Brewers are going to make a run for the division, it’s now or never. They get the Pirates before the Cubs, but then have the St. Louis Cardinals to contend with next week. The Cards series is especially important as they hold a two-game lead over St. Louis for the first NL Wild Card spot. Not only could their remote chances at the division disappear in that series, but so could their home field advantage in the Wild Card game.

Out west, the Arizona Diamondbacks have faded out of the division picture, leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies vying for the division. While both are still in the Wild Card hunt, too, it’s looking more and more like only one of these two teams will make the playoffs and right now, L.A. has the upper hand. The Dodgers have taken care of business head-to-head and now go into a weekend series against the San Diego Padres while the Rockies have a tough conclusion to their schedule with Arizona, Philadelphia and Washington. While the first two have struggled lately, all three are still above-.500 while the Padres aren’t even close.

MLB Games of the Week for Week of September 20

Phillies at Braves, Saturday, September 22

Red Sox at Indians, Sunday, September 23

MLB American League Teams

MLB National League Teams

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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