The MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-29-2024 takes on a matchup between squads exiting big series against playoff contenders. In the meantime, an interesting thing to note: we're 4+ weeks into the 2024 season and scoring is down about one-tenth of a run per team/game compared to this point last year.…
Cool temps couldn't hold the ball in the yard in Saint Louis or Washington, that's for sure. And despite plenty of shaky moments, the AL Central tilt in Minnesota featured in yesterday's post somehow stayed under the total. Cleveland's hit parade in the 3rd was enough to bring home the…
Opening Day is in the books and what a ride Thursday's 4:00 window was. The excitement and the sweats that came with it force me to remind myself that we're only 12 wagers into a 400-600 wager season! With yesterday afternoon's pair of rescheduled games wrapping up unfinished business, the…
Milwaukee persevered in a division of hot runs devoid of staying power. Of course, perennial NL Central favorite St. Louis bottoming out did not hurt whatsoever. The 20-8 start from Pittsburgh flamed out, Cincinnati's early summer heater ran out of fuel, and the Cubbies' post-ASB run petered out in September.…
Much like taking a catcher's mask to the face, failure to plate an early run or two in Anaheim left last Monday's Solo Shot - and my only wager of the evening - a tad short. I appreciate both bullpens following the script, but an L is an L. A…
Indecision on my part with Wednesday's Jays/White Sox game simply did not matter as Chicago succumbed to another day getting pounded by rain. Today I'll shift gears to a conflict between the market and my numbers that has me locked up this morning. The issue is whether to do something…
A sketchy 6th inning in Oakland made things interesting yesterday afternoon to say the least. But that goes with the territory with full game unders...and I wouldn't have it any other way. Let's switch gears today to a pair of team totals in a late MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-16-2023.…
I took it personally when the A's pushed a pair of runs across in the 6th inning Monday night, then quickly got over it with the help of Kansas City's rout of the White Sox. Neither Cease nor Cortes were especially effective despite Oakland going scoreless in the first half…
Today's MLB slate shrinks with wet weather peppering the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for a second day in a row. So we'll head west to find clear skies for a solo shot in the MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-30-2023. It felt good to be on the right side of Cincinnati's late-game…
Much like the Rangers' bullpen meltdown Monday night, the "success" of our featured handicaps ran away and appears to be in hiding. That's the risk of writing up about a third of my total action on the young season. For all of you who keep coming back, we appreciate you.…
A rather blah betting weekend for me with the MLB was in the cards after a decent run to start the season. Saturday's Mets call did not come to fruition against an on-point Logan Webb. After all, riding the David Peterson train can be a bumpy ride at times. But…
I guess playing the bullpen volatility game was the move after all. Lack of execution squandered a shot at sneaking away with the D-backs first 5 innings team total. That was extra frustrating since Darvish was expectedly ripe for the picking. In a Groundhog Day scenario I would bet the…
After a quick break on Sunday, the MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-3-2023 returns with a quick solo shot to get the week started. Unfortunately, the last couple featured handicaps were duds to say the least. So I owe our readers some good ones this week. Let's dive right into a…
The second half of the 2022 MLB season featured a pair of noteworthy NL Central battles. Most importantly was the tug of war for last place between my Cincinnati Reds and their dance partner Pittsburgh Pirates (that's sarcasm, folks). In a fitting conclusion they both held down the cellar with…
The clock is ticking on the first half of the 2022 MLB season with the All-Star Break just a couple days away. This means a break from daily handicapping while providing some time to take a step back to look at the league. I'd lay odds that D-Nice will have…
JJ@BC The MLB Morning Breakdown for 6-18-2022 drops with a pair of handicaps on this windy Saturday morning. Despite staying ahead of the market since my last post on June 14th, I gave some back to the gambling gods this week after returning from vacation (holy LOB, Boston!). Not to…
JJ@BC Despite bombing my featured handicaps while on the road last week, I have NOT yet been exiled from The BetCrushers Team. Yanni kept me around because I kept firing Sunday & Monday and got things back on track for the crew. Admittedly, I rushed some of my handicaps last…
When the Tigers failed to plate the tying run in the 5th yesterday afternoon, I thought of what could have been for my first 5 inning dog bet. Then the Twins piled on 4 more runs in the bottom half of the inning and that thought turned to "damn I…
It's a good day for a Friday edition of the MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-22-2022 fresh off back-to-back feature winners. That may be a low bar, but it's my bar and the money is moving in the right direction after two weeks into the season. Carlos Carrasco's 7.2-inning gem got…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-20-2022 returns after a quick break due to my work schedule. Back-to-back long days at the office sandwiched a very disappointing loss with the manufactured -1 run line on the Rays. Shane McClanahan dazzled but, in my opinion, Monday night's game ball went to Keegan…
I must admit that things got a little sketchy when Alek Manoah's mechanics went south on me last night in the 3rd. But Toronto' defense had his back and George Springer took care of the scoring as the Blue Jays deliver the W. With immense gratitude to Bo Bichette's fielding…
Milwaukee's success, paired with divisional foes who struggled to keep pace down the stretch, resulted in the NL Central's third different champion in as many years. St. Louis's sluggish start made it that much more difficult for the Cardinals to chase down the Brewers, though they certainly made a valiant…
Look, it's not like I didn't try to tell the Giants that Patrick Wisdom was the only Cub who has been doing anything at the plate recently. I made that point twice this in the weekend's handicaps, and twice the NL Player of the Week tried to singlehandedly take down…
So the White Sox versus lefties thing still has an edge, eh? JA Happ came in as the potential stopper against Chicago's finely-tuned offense until Tim Anderson slapped a single to lead off the game. A ChiSox rout was good enough to keep the good vibes going for The BetCrushers…
Let's just say that the St. Louis Cardinals and I are not seeing eye to eye these days. At least the New York Mets had my back Wednesday as David Peterson pitched a gem. Then Ronald Acuna helped us get over the mark to seal up a much-needed winning day…
It's a story that only made sense in the year 2020. While the Cardinals were stuck at home due to COVID-related issues, the Chicago Cubs grew an early lead in the NL Central. They slogged their way to the division title as St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Milwaukee finished no better…
Last year's NL Central crown race was one of the tightest in the league. My eyes, as a holder of a late-season plus-money divisional futures ticket on the Cardinals, were glued to Milwaukee's September charge. The Brew Crew made things way too interesting for my taste, even without 2018 NL…
Miles Mikolas gave up the 3 runs that was expected of him in the Thursday afternoon divisional showdown. Fortunately for us Cardinals backers, he did so over 6 solid innings and the bullpen was stout enough to hold the 6-3 margin. Pittsburgh's Musgrove lived up to what appeared to be…
A combination of family matters and a lack of a convincing bet-on game led to a "day off" from wagering the MLB. I had an opportunity to run through Saturday's slate late on Friday from the hotel and circled one game that looked like a viable opportunity. Arizona and Atlanta…
Speaking of which, it's certainly good to be back on the MLB grind. It doesn't hurt when the Red Sox have your back and smack down the Dodgers 8-1. Rodriguez exceeded our high expectations with only 1 earned run and 10 strikeouts against the potent LA lineup. Maeda was as…
Opportunity knocked Saturday, but the Reds could not open the door...in multiple situations. As noted in yesterday's article, Nats' pitcher Erick Fedde had been solid but was not expected to go past the 5th inning. He left after 4 innings, having run up 85 pitches with 6 hits and 3…
The Orioles proved to be an unlikely hero for me last night, amazingly winning both the F5 and full game underdog wagers against the Giants. A wacky 1st inning saw the Giants put up 5 in their half and the Orioles with 6 in the bottom. You could call it…
A pair of one-run losses last night leads to a nasty -2.4 unit loss for Tuesday, and now makes three one-run losses in a row. We'll see about getting that turned around soon. A sloppy first inning by the Yankees spotted the Padres 4 runs, which was just enough for…
Sunday wrapped up a down week with a 2-1 record that netted +1.00 units, despite going 6-8 for -2.11 in week 8. At week's end, the season tally stands at -0.49 units. Not where we want to be by any stretch of the imagination but a down April is being…
Friday's 2 plays were a...you guessed it: a split. 1-1 on the day (-0.04 units) moves the week to 3-4 for -0.95 units. The weak link was St. Louis. I tried to buck the Cardinals slump off a day of rest with the Braves coming into town after a 13-inning…
Every handicapper and bettor has a particular approach and style. Whether it is the use of a system, access to great information, or a solid handicapping approach, consistent winners find a way to get it done. A guy like me makes 1-4 plays a day during the MLB season (typically…
Luis Castillo's wizardry was damn near thwarted by the 3rd base bag in the 1st inning last night. Fortunately, the unfortunate circumstances at the beginning of the game were returned as a favor via wild pitch in the bottom of the 5th. Cincy held on after a considerable rain delay…
Handicapping bullpens can truly be a "playing the percentages" part of the game. Whether this is more evident in the MLB these days as compared to the past, I do not know and frankly don't have any interest in researching. Consistently good, consistently bad, or downright volatile relief units can…
Wednesday brings us a nice card of MLB action all day. After Tuesday's 0-5, I must say that there isn't too much buyer's remorse from those plays. The only truly regrettable wager was the one behind Dakota Hudson. I had reservations about backing him but liked the way the Cardinals…
Monday's pair of games reverses the 0-2 Sunday and brings in +2.13 units on a couple of short home dogs. As expected, we got a great pitchers' duel in San Diego that featured deGrom and Paddack, the latter of whom struck out 11 over 7.2 innings. The Mets' offense struggled…
Tonight's action ushers out a tumultuous month of April with a full slate of games. I took one shot on Monday; a road dog play on the Oakland A's. The A's knocked Rodriguez around well in the 2nd, but Boston took advantage of a muffed inning-ending double play in the…
After the "gut punch" Monday that saw a Pittsburgh collapse and an Angels letdown in 14, the past couple days have each been 2-2 chops. The major benefit of playing plus-money wagers is that these chop days still add a few bucks to the accounts. Nothing major to speak of,…
After a couple days of wet weather at several ballparks, it looks like Mother Nature is going to let the boys play ball on Easter Sunday. Yesterday's 4 wagers were chopped 2-2 but a bit of aggressiveness payed off with the Reds play, yielding 0.76 units on the day. Pending…
Friday's action started with a dog bet that was blown away by the Wrigley gusts, but finished strong with a solid Mariners road win. In between, Wainwright fell behind quickly to the Mets, the Yankees got to the Royals' pen, and the Pirates jumped out with 4 in the 1st…
Tuesday was a day where I took shots on four aces via the run line. Early in the season I look for solid pitchers at home whose teams have an offensive advantage. My guys yesterday were Sale, deGrom, Castillo, and Greinke. None of those were reasonable money line players due…
A ride with the Phillies on the run line for their 3rd straight game results in another loss with that squad. Spoiler alert: I'm not on Philly this evening. That being said, Monday was a one-play day that knocks us back to -0.63 units on the season. Bouncing around the…
On a day that saw our Cincinnati Reds play get rained out, we experienced highs and lows. The lowest low was my lapse in judgement to grab the Yankees -185 on the run line. Should be able to smash the Orioles, right? The only redeeming factor is that we weren't…