MLB Baseball Betting Tips Vol. 2

1. Look for highly regarded big money teams who may be flat to start the season. Back in 2005, both the defending World Champion Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees were very sluggish out of the gate. Oddsmakers priced them like they were going to win 115 games apiece. It took both teams a few months to get rolling. Be sure you're paying special attention to the 2005 playoff teams to see if any will be overpriced this month because they can't get the juices flowing just yet.
2. Look for teams who were able to win on the road. One of the best indicators for early season success is a winning record away from home. There's no reason to get excited about a team that was hot on a homestand. They were supposed to win those games. If a team jumps out to a 6-3 start or better with some road victories.look for the good times to continue.
3. Don't trick yourself into thinking you've got all the teams figured out. Every year I see baseball fans go crazy in the first few weeks because they have so much pent up excitement from the time off. Baseball fans in particular have a love affair with their sport that can prove costly. They pick a few upsets, nail a few Overs, and BOOM, suddenly they think they've got it licked. You've got to evaluate your own first week properly as well as that of the major league players. Be patient and pick your spots even if things are going well.
4. Look for bad teams from last year who are clearly playing with enthusiasm. Often the best "value" teams in April are the teams that nobody wants to bet on because they were so bad the prior season. The past few years we've seen several small market teams play .500 caliber ball in the first three months even though they were underdogs most of the time. You'll make good money catching these teams early.
5. Don't assume it's going to be an "offensive" year just because you've seen a lot of high scoring games early on. This is a short-term thing that's a direct result of starting pitchers being rusty. You'll be tempted to bet Overs later in the month because all the stats in the newspaper make it look like the hitters are on fire and the starters are struggling. You'll see two guys with ERA's higher than 5.00 squaring off.and the Over will be very tempting. Don't make that mistake!
6. Don't overreact to bad performances from your favorite starting pitchers. Many big name guys have trouble in their first couple of starts as they transition from spring training to the regular season. This is compounded if they have to deal with cold weather right away. Don't invest heavily in your favorite guys out of the gate. But you can back them with confidence once they've found their form in a couple of weeks. There is nothing worse than sitting on the sidelines when a money pitcher starts mowing people down. If you give up on a guy because he was sluggish at first, you'll find yourself in that unenviable position.