As often is the case, the team's with the best records in the NL West, the Giants and the Padres, also rewarded baseball betting devotees with the division's best ROI (Return On Investment), +10.6 and +9.6 percent, respectively, if you bet San Francisco and San Diego in each of their games last year.
Will that be the trend again in 2011?
Let's see if we can develop a baseball betting strategy for this season in the National League West Division:
BY THE NUMBERS:
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (2010 Finish: 102-74, Won World Series)
Future Book Odds for 2011: World Series: 15/1, Pennant: 7/1, Division: 2/1
By the Numbers:
Favorite: 65-39, Underdog: 38-35
Home: 54-34, Away: 49-40
Day: 32-25, Night: 71-49
Vs. Left: 28-20, Vs. Right: 75-54
Over/Under: 80-89-8
One-Run Games: 34-25
Sportsbook Buster: The Giants had an ROI of +16.2 percent as an underdog.
Sports Betting Angle: San Francisco had an ROI of +13.9 percent on the road.
COLORADOROCKIES (2010 Finish: 83-79)
Future Book Odds for 2011: World Series: 25/1, Pennant: 10/1, Division: 3/1
By the Numbers:
Favorite: 61-45, Underdog: 22-34
Home: 52-29, Away: 31-50
Day: 34-21, Night: 49-58
Vs. Left: 34-27, Vs. Right: 49-52
Over/Under: 76-83-3
One-Run Games: 28-30
Sportsbook Buster: The Rockies had an ROI of -23.7 percent in away games.
Sports Betting Angle:Colorado had an ROI of -11.1 percent against left-handed starting pitching.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS (2010 Finish: 80-82)
Future Book Odds for 2011: World Series: 35/1, Pennant: 15/1, Division: 7/2
By the Numbers:
Favorite: 56-42, Underdog: 24-40
Home: 45-36, Away: 35-46
Day: 17-22, Night: 63-60
Vs. Left: 23-27, Vs. Right: 57-55
Over/Under: 76-81-5
One-Run Games: 26-24
Sportsbook Buster: The Dodgers had an ROI of 115.4 percent as underdogs.
Sports Betting Angle: LA had an ROI of -17.3 percent against left-handed starting pitching.
SAN DIEGO PADRES (2010 Finish: 90-72)
Future Book Odds for 2011: World Series: 75/1, Pennant: 40/1, Division: 15/1
By the Numbers:
Favorite: 49-37, Underdog: 41-35
Home: 45-36, Away: 45-36
Day: 31-24, Night: 59-48
Vs. Left: 31-20, Vs. Right: 59-52
Over/Under: 70-82-10
One-Run Games: 28-2
Sportsbook Buster: The Padres had an ROI of +23.3 percent as underdogs.
Sports Betting Angle: San Diego had an ROI of +18.7 percent on the road.
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (2010 Finish: 65-97)
Future Book Odds for 2011: World Series: 100/1, Pennant: 50/1, Division: 20/1
By the Numbers:
Favorite: 27-27, Underdog: 38-70
Home: 40-41, Away: 25-56
Day: 13-32, Night: 52-65
Vs. Left: 19-32, Vs. Right: 46-65
Over/Under: 88-70-4
One-Run Games: 19-23
Sportsbook Buster: The Diamondbacks had an ROI of -28.3 percent in road games.
Sports Betting Angle: Arizona had an ROI of -21.6 percent in games started by left-handers.
ON THE FIELD: The Giants won it all last year with great starting pitching, an elite closer in Brian Wilson and solid defense, a formula they'll try to utilize again this season. Catcher Buster Posey might be the game's best hitter in a year or two but this team will win or lose with its arms. OF Carlos Gonzalez (.336, 34 HR, 117 RBI) and SS Troy Tulowitzki (.315, 27 HR, 95 RBI) give the Rockies as good a 3-4 hitters as there is in the league and with an underrated pitching staff led by Ubaldo Jimenez (19-8, 2.88 ERA), Colorado should be in the hunt for at least a wild card invitation to the playoffs this season. The Dodgers should have enough starting pitching to compete with the Giants and the Rockies but have a hole to fill behind the plate and questions regarding the desire of Matt Kemp, who seemingly is content with being a good player when many think he could be a great player. The Padres lost what little punch their lineup had last year when they traded Adrian Gonzalez (.298, 31 HR, 101 RBI) to the Red Sox. Pitching will only take San Diego so far, which isn't to the post-season. The Diamondbacks don't appear to have much of anything, especially starting pitching, and look like a lock for their third consecutive last place finish in the National League West Division.
Last of a baseball betting series.
This article was written by Luken Karel for http://www.thegreek.com. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online sportsbooks offering college football betting and sports betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and all other major sports. The Greek is a must have sports betting and entertainment portal with one of the largest wagering menus available online. Article reproductions must include a link pointing to http://www.thegreek.com
