The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a good start in their attempt to defend their world championship. The Atlanta Braves should give them a very strong test this upcoming weekend.

Atlanta Braves @ St. Louis Cardinals – Series Overview

Game 1: Friday, May 11

If you are interested in betting on baseball this season, the upcoming three-game weekend series between Atlanta and St. Louis should offer a compelling encounter that youll want to study. Mike Minor is Atlantas starter in the first game of this weekend set. He has a 5.97 earned-run average thanks to 15 earned runs allowed in his last two starts. St. Louis will go with starter Jaime Garcia, a lefty who has consistently performed much better at home than on the road. Garcia has a 3.76 ERA, which isnt exactly splashy but is certainly a lot better than anything Minor has been able to manage so far this season. The fact that Garcia is so comfortable pitching at Busch Stadium in St. Louis is what should give the Cardinals an extra advantage on Friday night. It would be hard to go against them in this specific spot.

MLB Betting Pick: St. Louis

Game 2: Saturday, May 12

The when you do your homework and assess your best best sportsbook on this second game of the three-game series, you have to pay attention to the man who will take center stage, Brandon Beachy, the Braves ace of the future. Beachy has been rolling along this season, steaming to a microscopic 1.62 earned-run average with his live, young arm, which has been overwhelming opposing hitters. The Cardinals starter in this game, former staff ace Adam Wainwright, has been struggling to find his rhythm after sitting out the 2011 season due to injury. Wainwright carries a 5.61 ERA into this contest, and its going to be hard for him to match Beachy pitch for pitch. If one had to lay odds on this game, theyd definitely be stacked against the Cardinals. Atlanta is an irresistible choice on Saturday in game two of this highly-anticipated clash. If the starting pitchers gave St. Louis the clear nod on Friday, all indications would suggest that the pendulum is going to swing the other way on Saturday, lending balance to this battle in the Midwest.

MLB Betting Pick: Atlanta

Game 3: Sunday, May 13

The Braves will send right-handed starter Tommy Hanson to the bump. Hanson has posted a 3.63 earned-run average to this point in the season, being an entirely solid pitcher but not a shutdown force. On the other hand, Lance Lynn has dazzled as a new member of the Cardinals starting rotation, ringing up a 1.40 ERA and being a very effective innings-eater for new manager Mike Matheny. Lynns emergence has been one of the reasons the Cardinals have been able to maintain their hold on the National League Central Division through one month of play this season. It only stands to reason that in what could very well be the rubber game of this three-game series, Lynns pitching will be the difference maker, enabling the Cardinals to win this series and affirm their credentials as a betting sites National League favorite.

MLB Betting Pick: St. Louis

This guy is doing everything he can to clean up the sport and eliminate consussions.
It’s even made the sport more attractive, because we have more scoring and less defensive hits. (What true NFL fans really love)

People criticise him, but he’s the best thing that has happened to the NFL in a long time.
So the question remains…

Why is Roger Goodell (NFL Commissioner) sooo freaking awesome?

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if by awesome you mean douchebag, i agree. he is the most awesome person in the NFL.

Wow, I have never heard anyone one compliment him before, and yes, it really makes you sound like a window licker

Most douche bags on here don’t even know what Goodell’s authority is. The dumbasses think he’s the boss of the NFL.

People hate commissioners for some reason. It doesnt matter who the commissioner is, fans always dislike them. I think Goodell has done a pretty good job. A commissioners job is to see the big picture, not just YOUR team. He has to worry about the health of the entire league both now and in the future and he sees a huge storm on the horizen with these concussion lawsuits being filed almost every week. The entire future of the NFL is at stake and fans are still whining about their favorite player or team getting fined.

After the Boston Red Sox were labeled preseason MLB Betting favorites to win the World Series a year ago, it was hard for their fans to watch them struggle out of the gate, and then after looking so strong at midseason, collapse down the stretch to miss the playoffs. The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t done much better for their fans so far as the preseason World Series favorites out of the National League, but after climbing back to the .500 mark earlier this week they have the chance to make a statement against the Washington Nationals. The Nationals started strong but lost five-straight to fall back towards the pack in the NL West, setting up one of the most highly anticipated series’ of the weekend.

Philadelphia Phillies @ Washington Nationals
Friday, 7:05 PM ET

The Phillies won’t have to wait long to face their toughest test in the series, as 23-year old phenom Stephen Strasburg starts the opener for Washington against Kyle Kendrick. Kendrick is sporting an awful 6.59 ERA on the season, and Philadelphia has lost all six games that he has started. It won’t be any easier with Strasburg and his 1.13 ERA on the mound for the Nationals, as he has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his six starts. The Phillies’ offense has struggled all season and ranks 25th in runs scored, so it doesn’t really make sense to take them in the opener regardless of their best sportsbook odds.

MLB Betting Pick: Washington Nationals

Philadelphia Phillies @ Washington Nationals
Saturday, 1:05 PM ET

The second time around doesn’t get much easier for Philadelphia with Gio Gonzalez on the mound for the Nationals, but at least they have a weapon of their own to counter with in Vance Worley. Worley has looked dominant in his last three starts with just two earned runs allowed in a combined 20 innings, while striking out 22 batters. Gonzalez has been just as good for Washington, but he did lose a 2-0 game to the Los Angeles Dodgers his last time out and the Phillies really can’t afford to drop this contest with the Kentucky Derby betting going on that first Saturday in May.

MLB Betting Pick: Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies @ Washington Nationals
Sunday, 8:00 PM ET

Nobody projected at the beginning of the season that the Nationals would be in contention for the NL West title in early May, and now that they are there, Washington should fight like heck to stay in contention. A five-game losing streak may have hurt the team’s confidence, but with Jordan Zimmermann set to pitch opposite Cole Hamels in front of a national audience for the season finale, the Nationals have a chance to bounce back in a major way. Zimmermann actually has the better numbers of the two starting pitchers and Washington has played some great baseball at home this season. The Phillies have a pitching staff that ranks among the best in the majors, but until they can start producing on offense look for the teams they play to continue to cause them problems.

MLB Betting Pick: Washington Nationals

With a new ownership group, and the best start in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been back in the MLB Betting spotlight early on this season for all the right reasons.  Every win has helped to make last year’s rough ride a thing of the past, and as the Dodgers head to Colorado to open up a three-game set against the Rockies this week, all that matters is to continue finding ways to put wins on the board.

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Colorado Rockies
Monday, 8:40 PM ET

The Los Angeles has performed much better at home than on the road, and will need to find a way to put up some strong numbers in the high altitudes at Colorado if they are going to keep the Rockies from gaining on them in the National League West. Colorado has won games despite failing to record a ton of hits, so Dodgers’ starter Aaron Harang has to be better than he has been as he gets the call to open the series. Harang has allowed at least 3 earned runs in all four of his starts with the Los Angeles offense making the difference in whether he wins or loses, but Juan Nicasio is coming off of his best start of the season and could make things tough for the Dodgers’ bats as they get adjusted.

MLB Betting Pick: Colorado Rockies

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Colorado Rockies
Monday, 8:40 PM ET

The Dodgers rank 10th in the majors in runs scored, and the majority of that work belongs to early MVP Candidate Matt Kemp, who hit .449 with 10 home runs and 23 RBI through his first 19 games of the season. It’s obviously unlikely that Kemp will be able to continue to produce at such a torrid pace, which is why it is that much more important for depth guys like Mark Ellis and Juan Rivera to remain consistent, and the pitching continue to rank in the upper half of the league in nearly every category. Despite reigning NL Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw in the same clubhouse, veteran Ted Lilly has led the way early on for the starting rotation with just two earned runs allowed through 20 innings of work, picking up a pair of wins along the way. Lilly will get the call against Rockies’ pitcher Jhoulys Chacin, who has allowed at least three earned runs in three of his four starts this betting online season.

MLB Betting Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Colorado Rockies
Monday, 3:10 PM ET

The deciding online best sportsbook game of this series will feature the matchup that Los Angeles wants with Kershaw getting the call against Colorado’s Drew Pomeranz, a 23-year old second-year pitcher who has struggled with consistency early on in his career. Kershaw has opened this season the way that he finish last, allowing just four earned runs in four games to help the Dodgers win all four of the games that he has started. Kershaw had to go seven innings to get his first recorded victory of the season in a 5-1 win over the Houston Astros in his last start, so look for Los Angeles to get him some more run support early on and help him improve to 2-0.

MLB Betting Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers

The defending American League champion Texas Rangers are setting the pace this season as well, busting out to a 13-3 start. Can the Tampa Bay Rays cool them down this weekend?

Tampa Bay Rays @ Texas Rangers – Series Overview
Game 1: Friday, April 27

If you are interested in betting on baseball this season, the upcoming three-game weekend series between Tampa Bay and Texas should definitely grab your attention, because youll want to see how two upper-tier teams fare against each other. In the first game of the set on Friday night, James Shields will start for Tampa Bay while Matt Harrison will take the mound for Texas. Shields has been superb, going 3-0 with an earned-run average of 2.76. However, Harrison has managed to be even better, going 3-0 with an ERA of just 1.66.
Harrison has been lights-out this season, and whats particularly impressive about his pitching is that April is a month which is not typically friendly to pitchers. Harrison has bucked the normal trend in which pitchers need a month to six weeks to find a good groove in a baseball season. It is unwise to pick against Harrison unless or until he shows signs of slumping. For now, Texas should be favored whenever he takes the mound, unless a superstar pitcher such as Justin Verlander is opposing him. Take Texas to win the opening game of this series.

MLB Betting Pick: Texas

Game 2: Saturday, April 28

The team that is a favorite for legions of MLB Betting experts is the Texas Rangers, but with that having been said, when you do your homework and assess your sports bet on this second game of the three-game series between the Rangers and the Rays, the pendulum might swing to Tampa Bay. Jeff Niemann goes to the mound for the Rays in this game, and its true that he has a modest 4.11 ERA. Its also true that Texas starter Neftali Feliz carries a solid 2.70 ERA into this game. However, its worth pointing out that Feliz is transitioning from being a reliever to a starter this season. He threw 119 pitches in an eight-inning outing in his most recent start. Thats a lot of pitches to throw for a game in the month of April.

Clearly, Texas manager Ron Washington showed a lot of confidence in Feliz. However, the laws of averages suggest that Feliz wont have as much velocity on his pitches in this game, or that if he does throw hard, he wont be able to get past the sixth inning. Tampa Bays hitters should be able to work counts and find a number of very hittable pitches. Specific circumstances work in favor of the Rays here.

MLB Betting Pick: Tampa Bay

Game 3: Sunday, April 29

The team that has to be viewed as the American League favorite is the Rangers, and the reason for their supremacy can be found in the depth of their pitching staff. Matt Harrison and Neftali Feliz tote ERAs under three runs per game, and then on Sunday, Texas has the luxury of being able to send another quality pitcher, Colby Lewis, to the hill. Tampa Bays David Price has an okay ERA of 4.20, but Lewis ERA is only 2.03. Texas can shut down opponents with so many quality arms, Lewis being a foremost example. Texas will win this game and the series.

MLB Betting Pick: Texas