After loading up on big-name free agents like Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson in the offseason, it seemed like an obvious conclusion that a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim team that was already competitive a year ago would be able to take that next step and contend for a division title. So far this best sportsbook season though things haven’t gone as planned on the west coast, as the Angels won just six of their first 16 games to fall to the bottom of the American League West. The Tampa Bay Rays’ incredible run was one of the biggest stories in baseball a year ago, and after a strong start to this season it appears as though Evan Longoria and company are set to compete for an AL playoff spot once again. The Rays host the Angels in a three-game set that begins on Tuesday, and while it is still early in the season, Los Angeles has to be anxious about turning things around before they fall too far back.

Los Angeles Angels @ Tampa Bay Rays
Tuesday, 7:10 PM ET

While the focus on the Angels heading in to this season was the big names they had signed, one of their biggest strengths was actually expected to be the solid starting rotation that was already in place, with Jared Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana joined by Wilson. However, the LA pitching staff hasn’t lived up to expectations so far, with Santana experiencing the roughest start. The 29-year old is 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA through three starts, and to make matters worse, he will be going up against David Price for the Rays in the series opener. Price has allowed more than three earned runs in any of his three starts, even though he hasn’t brought his best stuff so far this betting year.

MLB Betting Pick: Tampa Bay Rays

Los Angeles Angels @ Tampa Bay Rays
Wednesday, 7:00 PM ET

Wilson has lived up to expectations so far with just five earned runs allowed through three starts so far, and he will need to bring his best stuff against Tampa Bay starter Jeremy Hellickson in order for the Angels to even up this series. Hellickson is 2-0 already, but was tagged for five earned runs in just five innings in a 13-5 loss to the Boston Red Sox in which he escaped with the no decision.

MLB Betting Pick: Los Angeles Angels

Los Angeles Angels @ Tampa Bay Rays
Thursday, 1:10 PM ET

This series will wrap up with a MLB Betting matinee game on Thursday, with a couple of struggling starters getting the call. Tampa Bay has lost all three games that Matt Moore has pitched, even though he gave up more than three runs just once so far this season. Meanwhile, Jerome Williams gets the call for Los Angeles after earning his first win in a strong performance that saw him go 6.2 with only seven hits and three earned runs allowed after he lasted only 2.2 innings in an 11-5 loss to the New York Yankees in his season debut.

MLB Betting Pick: Los Angeles Angels

After coming so close to bringing home a World Series Championship last season, many online betting fans were curious to see how the Texas Rangers would respond starting over at the bottom of the ladder. Any doubts that fans had about the Rangers being a legitimate contender this season disappeared after the team won 11 of its first 13 games, and all eyes will be on Texas early this week as they host Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees in a three-game set.

New York Yankees @ Texas Rangers
Monday, 7:00 PM ET

While the Rangers have the best record in baseball through the first couple of weeks, the Yankees have stumbled out of the gate with a record that has hovered around the .500 mark. New York split its first six road games, and will be in tough for its first game in Texas when it sends Hiroki Kuroda to the mound opposite Derek Holland. Holland has allowed just two earned runs in each of his last two starts, both of them wins, and is settling down nicely among a group of young starting Rangers’ pitchers that rank among the best in baseball. Kuroda on the other hand has allowed at least four runs in two of his three starts, and is coming off a horrible performance against the Minnesota Twins, in which he allowed eight earned in just 4.1 innings of work.

MLB Betting Pick: Texas Rangers

New York Yankees @ Texas Rangers
Monday, 8:05 PM ET

The Yankees might not be feeling any more comfortable about the second pitching matchup in this series, as Phil Hughes will get the call against Yu Darvish for Texas. Hughes last 5.1 innings against the Twins for his first win of the season in his last outing, but that was his longest of three appearances so far, and when he isn’t throwing strikeouts he is giving up far too many hits. Darvish has settled in nicely for the Rangers after appearing shaky in his debut, and that’s probably because the Texas bats have given him a ton of run support with 27 runs combined to win all three best sportsbook games he has started.

MLB Betting Pick: Texas Rangers

New York Yankees @ Texas Rangers
Monday, 8:05 PM ET

The scariest part about this best best sportsbook series is that while the Rangers have the pitching edge in each of the first two games, their best starter of the three so far this season won’t get the call until the finale. 26-year old Matt Harrison allowed just a single run through his first 14 innings of work to win his first two starts, and has the best ERA in the American League with a 0.64 mark. If New York is going to have any chance at avoiding the sweep, they are going to need to find a way to manufacture some runs against the lefty, with the 2-0 Ivan Nova providing his best outing of the year to keep the Rangers’ from getting too many runs of their own. That could be easier said than done at this point, as Texas continues to play like a team desperate to get back to the World Series.

MLB Betting Pick: Texas Rangers

MLB Betting lines should have Texas and Detroit near the top of the list when it comes to contenders in the American League, and the Rangers defeated the Tigers in last year’s ALCS to reach the World Series for the second straight season, only to lose to St. Louis. The Tigers will get a small measure of revenge this weekend in the “Motor City”.

What: MLB Betting
When: Thursday, April 19th-Sunday, April 22nd
Where: Comerica Park, Detroit, MI
Pick: Detroit Tigers

Thursday, 7:05 PM ET – Yu Darvish (1-0, 4.76) vs. Adam Wilk (0-1, 3.60)

Darvish hasn’t been bad in his first two Major League starts, but his pitch counts are getting up there as he has thrown 212 pitches in 11.1 innings of work and he has yet to make it out of the sixth inning. There is no pushing of the panic button yet, as we’ve seen glimpses of why the Rangers paid over $51 million just for the chance to speak to Darvish.

Wilk is also a youngster who is making his second career start and the Tigers are bringing him along slowly, but he’ll be making his first home start and Wilk will have control his emotions on the mound. He has faced the Rangers once, allowing a run in two innings of relief work.

This could be a wild affair to open this weekend set.

Betting Edge: Detroit Tigers

Friday, 7:05 PM ET – Matt Harrison (2-0, 0.64) vs. Rick Porcello (1-0, 1.84)

The Rangers don’t want to put too much pressure on Darvish, but someone has to step after C.J. Wilson left for the rival Los Angeles Angels and Harrison has the early look of being that guy by allowing a single run over 14 innings. However, he has struggled against the Tigers with a 1-4 record in seven games (five starts) with a 6.89 ERA. At Comerica, Harrison is 1-3 in four games (three starts) with a 5.66 ERA.

Porcello was a promising rookie, but he has been inconsistent since and to open the season, he has looked like the guy from 2009. He has split a pair of starts against the Rangers in his career with a 6.30 ERA.

This could end up being the best pitching duel of the weekend, but the slight MLB free sports picks goes to Porcello at home.

Betting Edge: Detroit Tigers

Saturday, 1:05 PM ET – Neftali Feliz (1-0, 2.25) vs. Justin Verlander (1-1, 2.13)

The Rangers certainly aren’t bringing their former closer along slowly as Feliz tossed 108 yards in his first start, and then 93 in his second. Feliz has met the Tigers eight times, but this will be his first start against Detroit; he has a 1-1 mark with three saves when facing the defending Central champions.

Verlander is showing no signs of slowing down as he has gone into the eighth inning in all three starts in 2012, and the reigning MVP and Cy Young winner is 6-2 in nine starts against the Rangers with a 2.31 ERA. Also, MLB betting sharps won’t soon forget his 133-pitch effort against the Rangers in last season’s playoffs in which Detroit had minimal bullpen options, and performances like that are the reason Verlander became the first pitcher since Oakland’s Dennis Eckersley in 1992 to win the Most Valuable Player award in the American League.

Take Verlander to earn his first win of the season at Comerica Park, where he has been lights out throughout his career.

Betting Edge: Detroit Tigers

Sunday, 1:05 PM ET – Colby Lewis (2-0, 1.83) vs. Drew Smyly (0-0, 0.90)

Lewis has thrown at least 100 pitches in all three starts and he is another player that the Rangers are counting on to fill the void left by Wilson. He is 2-2 in six games (five starts) against the Tigers with a 7.48 ERA, and Lewis is 0-1 in four games (two starts) in Detroit with a 5.79 ERA.

Smyly has been excellent in his first two Major League starts, although he has to get his pitch counts down, tossing 90 pitches in just four innings in his debut, and then 101 through six innings in his second start in Kansas City. He is still 22 years old, but the promise is definitely there and Smyly could be in line for a huge first half, but being so young, he could be a risky pick.

Lewis has more experience to draw from, and Smyly will take a step back in start No.3, so give the Rangers a look in your online betting book on Sunday.

Betting Edge: Texas Rangers

There is never a situation where a team wants to be left behind out of the gate, but regardless of whether a team starts fast or not, maintaining that pace is always more difficult than it appears. The New York Mets opened the best sportsbook season with seven wins through their first 10 contests, but after dropping consecutive games are at risk of allowing that great start to disappear. Next on their schedule is a three-game set against the San Francisco Giants, a team that started slow but appears to be back on track.

San Francisco Giants @ New York Mets
Friday, 7:10 PM ET

The Giants have won two of their first six road games, and for a team that appears to have trouble generating runs once again, pitching will be very important in order to improve as the visiting team. San Francisco opens this series with Barry Zito set to make his third start, and after giving up just two earned runs combined against the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates, his team is hoping for more of the same from the 33-year old. The Giants won both of Zito’s starts, and he matches up well against a fellow left in Jonathon Niese. Niese is coming off his second consecutive win after pitching 6.2 innings of shutout ball against the Philadelphia Phillies, and looks more comfortable after signing a new deal. Still, the Giants’ lineup has a little more power than what the Phillies have shown so far this season, and San Francisco excels in these types of close sports bet games.

MLB Betting Pick: San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants @ New York Mets
Saturday, 1:10 PM ET

Although he continues to allow a ton of runners to get on base, Mike Pelfrey has done a good job this season of making smart pitches in key situations, and has allowed just four earned runs combined through two starts. The Mets hope that Pelfrey can continue to register those types of numbers consistently this season, because when he does he gives his team the chance to win. San Francisco will counter with Ryan Vogelsong, who has dealt with back injuries early on this season.

MLB Betting Pick: New York Mets

San Francisco Giants @ New York Mets
Sunday, 1:10 PM ET

The rubber matinee between these teams will feature a pretty solid MLB Betting matchup as Dillon Gee gets the call for New York against Tim Lincecum. The 25-year old Gee went seven-strong, allowing just one earned run with five strikeouts in a 6-1 win over the Atlanta Braves the last time he was on the mound, and with 11 strikeouts through two starts is on pace to exceed last year’s totals already. Despite some strong strikeout numbers of his own, Lincecum has been a major disappointment for San Francisco this season with at least five earned runs in all three of his starts, which have all been Giants’ losses. It is hard to say for sure what has been the problem for the two-time Cy Young award winner so far, and he could be in tough for his first sports betting win of the season once again if Gee has another strong outing and the Mets’ bats can do their thing.

MLB Betting Pick: New York Mets

Just a little bet my two buddies have with each other and were surprised to see that there was not anything online about it. You would think somebody else would have wondered.

Yes. One example is Rollie Fingers who hit one as a closer in 1972. I’m sure there are plenty of other instances.

Found another. Lee Smith hit one in 1982.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/fingero01.shtml

Hoyt Wilhelm hit a dinger in his first MLB at-bat, his only hr in a 21 year career,
in which he pitched in 1070 games (227 saves so I would consider him a closer)

Rick Camp hit one, a memorable one. He wasn’t really a closer in 1985 — his final season — but had been previously. And in this specific game, he was called upon because the bullpen was running low. Camp took the mound in the top of the 17th. The game, Mets at Braves, was tied 10-10. He was Atlanta’s sixth relief pitcher of the night.

Camp allowed a run in the 18th. In the bottom half, with two outs, Camp went deep for the only time in his career, tying the game. Alas, his heroics were not enough, as the Mets scored five off him in the top of the 19th, and his Braves could muster only two more in the bottom half. Camp himself struck out to end the game, Mets 16 – @Braves 13, at about four in the morning, 04-July-1985 (though of course it was July 5th when the game ended).

The Braves, in one of the worst PR decisions ever, decided to go ahead and set off the promised fireworks display. At, yes, four in the morning. Adjacent residential neighborhoods were NOT amused.