HOT
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers are off to an amazing start. They own the league's best record (23-10) and they’ve won nine of their last 10 games. Since opening the year 3-4 the Brew Crew have won 20 of their last 26 games.
Milwaukee’s starting pitching staff has been consistent and the emergence of shortstop J.J. Hardy has sparked the offense. In the last 22 games the Brewers have won eight of 10 games when listed as an underdog.
The value in backing Milwaukee appears to be declining. The Brewers hadn’t been huge favorites, but were -205 or higher faves in three straight games this week.
Detroit Tigers
The defending American League champs have won eight consecutive games. The streak started with a win against the Minnesota Twins and their ace Johan Santana.
Oddsmakers have favored the Tigers in each of their last seven games entering Wednesday’s game. But bettors should pay attention to the Tigers middle relief situation now that Joel Zumaya is out for three months. Manager Jim Leyland will have to do some juggling with his bullpen to fill the void left by Zumaya.
Gary Sheffield is becoming a force in the middle of the lineup. After sleeping through most of April, the Tigers’ designated hitter has hit four home runs and collected eight RBIs in his last six games.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubbies are finally starting to show some value after a shaky start to the season. Manager Lou Piniella has his team playing with enthusiasm, something the club lacked under former manager Dusty Baker.
Chicago's won eight of 10 heading into Wednesday night's game, but bettors should be cautious before investing their bankroll on this team. Only two of the Cubs wins came as an underdog. The Cubs’ hot play has come at the expense of three bad teams.
Still, with Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs lineup has plenty of pop and Jason Marquis and Ted Lilly have pitched exceptionally well at the back end of the rotation. The NL Central possesses some of the most disappointing teams in the league so the Cubs could continue to cash in during divisional play.
COLD
Toronto Blue Jays
Injuries have severely hurt the Jays. Toronto is missing starting catcher Gregg Zaun, leadoff hitter Reed Johnson, closer B.J. Ryan and No. 3 starter Gustavo Chacin.
They only have two left-handed batters in their lineup, which helps explain why the team is hitting just .251 off right-handed pitching.
The Jays haven’t been huge dogs in any games yet so betting against them could still be profitable.
St. Louis Cardinals
It’s been a rough season for the defending World Series champions. The team’s ace hasn’t pitched since opening day, the leadoff spot has been a disaster and the death of relief pitcher Josh Hancock have all hurt the team's play.
The Cards have lost seven of their last 10 games and they’ve played under the total in five of their last six. If the St. Louis bats get hot, the team should start improving. They have one of the best bullpens in the league and, even without Chris Carpenter, the rotation has pitched well.
Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen must start hitting to give slugger Albert Pujols proper protection in the batting order. The Cardinals are the third-worst hitting team in the big leagues.
Chicago White Sox
Scoring runs has proven to be a difficult task so far this season for the White Sox. Chicago has scored only 114 runs in 29 games. Sluggers Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko and Joe Crede are all hitting below .225.
Manager Ozzie Guillen must be anxiously awaiting the return of DH Jim Thome. Thome was the only productive bat in April, but he’s been on the disabled list with a strained rib cage this month. Add to that the fact that leadoff hitter Scott Podsednik is on the DL with a groin injury and things look even worse for Chicago’s lethargic offense.
The White Sox have lost and played under in six of their last eight games heading into Wednesday's game.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers are off to an amazing start. They own the league's best record (23-10) and they’ve won nine of their last 10 games. Since opening the year 3-4 the Brew Crew have won 20 of their last 26 games.
Milwaukee’s starting pitching staff has been consistent and the emergence of shortstop J.J. Hardy has sparked the offense. In the last 22 games the Brewers have won eight of 10 games when listed as an underdog.
The value in backing Milwaukee appears to be declining. The Brewers hadn’t been huge favorites, but were -205 or higher faves in three straight games this week.
Detroit Tigers
The defending American League champs have won eight consecutive games. The streak started with a win against the Minnesota Twins and their ace Johan Santana.
Oddsmakers have favored the Tigers in each of their last seven games entering Wednesday’s game. But bettors should pay attention to the Tigers middle relief situation now that Joel Zumaya is out for three months. Manager Jim Leyland will have to do some juggling with his bullpen to fill the void left by Zumaya.
Gary Sheffield is becoming a force in the middle of the lineup. After sleeping through most of April, the Tigers’ designated hitter has hit four home runs and collected eight RBIs in his last six games.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubbies are finally starting to show some value after a shaky start to the season. Manager Lou Piniella has his team playing with enthusiasm, something the club lacked under former manager Dusty Baker.
Chicago's won eight of 10 heading into Wednesday night's game, but bettors should be cautious before investing their bankroll on this team. Only two of the Cubs wins came as an underdog. The Cubs’ hot play has come at the expense of three bad teams.
Still, with Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, the Cubs lineup has plenty of pop and Jason Marquis and Ted Lilly have pitched exceptionally well at the back end of the rotation. The NL Central possesses some of the most disappointing teams in the league so the Cubs could continue to cash in during divisional play.
COLD
Toronto Blue Jays
Injuries have severely hurt the Jays. Toronto is missing starting catcher Gregg Zaun, leadoff hitter Reed Johnson, closer B.J. Ryan and No. 3 starter Gustavo Chacin.
They only have two left-handed batters in their lineup, which helps explain why the team is hitting just .251 off right-handed pitching.
The Jays haven’t been huge dogs in any games yet so betting against them could still be profitable.
St. Louis Cardinals
It’s been a rough season for the defending World Series champions. The team’s ace hasn’t pitched since opening day, the leadoff spot has been a disaster and the death of relief pitcher Josh Hancock have all hurt the team's play.
The Cards have lost seven of their last 10 games and they’ve played under the total in five of their last six. If the St. Louis bats get hot, the team should start improving. They have one of the best bullpens in the league and, even without Chris Carpenter, the rotation has pitched well.
Jim Edmonds and Scott Rolen must start hitting to give slugger Albert Pujols proper protection in the batting order. The Cardinals are the third-worst hitting team in the big leagues.
Chicago White Sox
Scoring runs has proven to be a difficult task so far this season for the White Sox. Chicago has scored only 114 runs in 29 games. Sluggers Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko and Joe Crede are all hitting below .225.
Manager Ozzie Guillen must be anxiously awaiting the return of DH Jim Thome. Thome was the only productive bat in April, but he’s been on the disabled list with a strained rib cage this month. Add to that the fact that leadoff hitter Scott Podsednik is on the DL with a groin injury and things look even worse for Chicago’s lethargic offense.
The White Sox have lost and played under in six of their last eight games heading into Wednesday's game.
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