The NL Central typically has the feel of an "up for grabs" division except in reality it's been a two-horse race - at best - since the shortened 2020 season. Milwaukee stands as the cream of the crop the last couple years, though the Cubs have positioned themselves well into…
A telling resolution to yesterday's question about which way to go in Toronto came down to Luis Castillo extending his troubling start to the season to a third outing. 4 more runs given up and another high BABIP outing helped the Jays snag a much needed win in their home…
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.…
A close call with the Marlins Friday evening unfortunately did not pay the bills. Eury did his part to push the first half wager, though the full game position keeps the featured handicap L train rolling down the tracks. It's borderline comical what kind of garbage I'm tossing out there…
A swing and a miss with the Mets yesterday was not the look we were going for when backing the short road favorite. Aside from spectacular defense that both clubs flashed, Jesus Luzardo was a man on a mission. The young lefty absolutely dominated the stout Mets lineup and cut…
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 Talk about one hell of an "engaging" Sunday on the diamonds. And somehow I made it out the other side unscathed. A couple serious sweats in the 5th inning of both first 5 innings positions and a Coors Field under resulted in one near-miss push and three half-unit Ws.…
JJ@BC The MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-14-2022 drops late this morning off of a disappointing loss with the Orioles. Disappointing not so much in Eduardo Rodriguez' good outing but with Baltimore leaving the bases loaded in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings. The O's 14 men left on base is…
My wife said I got lucky with that one. I beg to differ. The Rays rallied for Shane McClanahan and delivered a first 5 inning winner that kept our nice little winning streak rolling. After enough years of doing this, I know how important it is to stockpile some ammo…
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…
A run in the 9th sinks the Colorado under while the Mets and Marlins fuel a winning day - one that made up for Thursday's loss and adds more ammo to the bankroll. But that could be all for not as I load 'em up with a three-play Saturday in…
Getting walked off by the Yankees yesterday afternoon wasn't the best follow up to a decent Opening Day for our featured handicaps. Is it time to start firing on -200 favorites until I'm blue in the face? Not a chance! The MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-9-2022 rolls in with cash…
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…
The MLB Morning Breakdown for 5-30-2021 comes to you on the heels of a...cancelled Blue Jays bet. I knew that weather was going to be a factor in Saturday's game at Progressive Field - but not quite like that. Now I throw a couple of my personal rules aside to…
Despite the best-laid plans, Washington swung for the fences and kept falling short Sunday afternoon. That matchup against a lefty who is prone to getting knocked around was juicy but the results did not manifest. I'll be completely honest and say that was a very disappointing outcome. Realistically, though, not…
After Tuesday's quick in-and-out solo shot on the Nationals/Cardinals first 5 inning position, it's time to stretch out the playbook in the MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-14-2021. And that play was quick because the Cardinals pounded Strasburg for 4 runs in the 3rd and a ton more in the 5th.…
After a weekend on the road and Monday back in the office, the MLB Morning Breakdown for 4-13-2021 is back! I broadened Sunday's card to four plays, but the Tigers fell just short of delivering a nice payday. Looks like they were the play last night though. I need to…
What a fiasco yesterday's betting card was. Unfortunately, our featured handicap position on the Angels was cancelled twice for pitching changes. My BetCrushers partner Yanni took the bait and went over 6 runs - and those guys got the money. Not I, but that's on me for going with listed…
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…
After successfully backing the Cardinals Tuesday, I laid low on the MLB card for a number of reasons. Generally speaking, the card quality peaks in June and then we start seeing too many starters that are tough to back or too expensive to fade. There are still gems in the…
Buying low on the Texas Rangers last night was the result of ill-placed confidence in them righting the ship against a Mariners club that has essentially given up on the season. Marco Gonzales escaped a 2nd inning disaster with a 0-2 deficit and never looked back. Sampson got little support…
Due to a lack of cooperation from the Reds and Diamondbacks, we're off to a lackluster 0-2 start (-2.15 units) to week 9 in the MLB. Cincinnati was super sloppy in game one of their Memorial Day doubleheader with the Pirates. A balk, fielding errors, base running gaffs, and a…
The Twins finally got their series sweep against the Angels yesterday after the game was delayed from Wednesday night. I implemented a -1 run line using a 50-50 split of the money line and traditional -1.5 run line. Turns out that it wasn't necessary as they launched 8 home runs…
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 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…
Yesterday, my guys on the BetCrushers team said they don't subscribe to the "this game's a lock" mentality but that we would all be disappointed if the 2 tickets didn't cash. Well, they didn't cash. So consider me very disappointed. An 0-2 night shaved 2.1 units off the bankroll and…
Monday was a good start to this week. Coming off a brutal week, it was very important to get some good reads and even better results. 2-1 on short dogs got the job done, adding 1.16 units back to the bankroll and shaving the season loss to -6.34 units. The…
Yesterday's four pack of plays went a disappointing 1-3 for a loss of 2 units. Trevor Bauer was not sharp against the Tigers in the first play of the day. Boyd got a lot of weak contact from the Tribe and sealed the deal rather easily. Tampa was chomping at…
Saturday's 1-3 run line result was less than great, skimming 1.55 units from the season total that now sits at -0.93 units. Cardinals, Phillies, and Angels were poised to return midrange plus-money payouts but only LA got the money. All of the run line losses were straight up losses, so…
Tonight's Final Four action is sure to capture the attention of many bettors, and rightly so. As you'd expect, I've got MLB in my crosshairs. Friday's 2-1 on run line plays got me back in the black for the season, yielding +1.65 units for a +0.62-unit advantage since Opening Day.…
Some things don't go according to plan. Yesterday's 1-3 (-1.95 units) result was a good example, bringing the season net down to -1.03 units. Yet again, the Oakland A's were a bright spot on my betting card. A sloppy start for the A's transitioned over to the Sox, who gave…
Opening Day did not disappoint me and the BetCrushers Team (who did better than my solo pick with a couple add-on winners). Berrios was absolutely dominant, which was a must for the Twins to get a +105 W over an on-point Kluber in front of a depleted Tribe lineup. When…