Theoretically, all things are supposed to equal out for baseball teams over the course of the 162-game season. Good teams are supposed to end up rising to the top, while bad teams are supposed to fall to the bottom.
Of course, we know that in actuality, things don't pan out that way. Case in point is the Oakland Athletics (14-29 SU, -20.51 Units), who have already cost bettors over 20 units of profits this season heading into Monday's clash with the Detroit Tigers (25-17 SU, +5.65 Units).
PITCHING MATCHUP
Shane Greene left his May 15 start against the Cardinals with an ulnar nerve issue, but he showed no ill-effects of that against the Brewers on Wednesday night.
We're still a little concerned for Greene, knowing that he has pitched on exactly four days of rest in every start here in May. The last time he made four starts in a row on four days of rest without that extra day, he surrendered eight runs in just four innings against the Indians in his worst start of the year.
Last year, Greene didn't start on four days rest more than three consecutive starts, which puts him in rather uncharted waters. Still, live bettors should be very aware of the small sample size here and tread cautiously if they want to bet on Greene.
Jesse Hahn has done a nice job keeping the A's in games this season. He has a rather ugly 4.43 ERA on the season, but here at home, he hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in any start.
It should be noted though, that Oakland has only won one of Hahn's starts this season, a stat which just can't keep up if the righty keeps having outings like he had in his last start in which he allowed three runs over six reasonable innings.
ADVANCED STATS
Yoenis Cespedes has been killing the baseball of late. On Wednesday and Thursday, he went a combined 6-for-6 at the plate with three walks. It would be proactive of live bettors to think that when he is coming up to the plate to go for it on the Tigers in live betting, especially knowing that you also get the benefit of having Miguel Cabrera up in the same inning.
However, we hate Cespedes right now. His strikeout rate is way too high at 22.9 percent, and his walk rate is way too low at just 3.6 percent. His BABIP of .342 is 51 points higher than it was last season, and he isn't going to keep this tear up.
We'll probably find out before Monday that the Cuban's hot streak is over with, but even if it isn't by then, we would have no problem betting on Cespedes to make out on all of his at bats at favorable odds in live betting.
TALKING BULLPENS
The Oakland bullpen is in shambles right now. Sean Doolittle is at least getting closer to a return to the pen, but Edward Mujica was just placed on the DL with a hand injury.
Mujica finally looked like he was going to be the missing piece to the puzzle to bring it all together for the A's. He had thrown 5.1 scoreless innings before going on the DL, and now, there are a ton of questions once again at the back in Oakland.
Evan Scribner, Tyler Clippard and Dan Otero just don't strike fear in anyone, and those huge bats for the Tigers could be ready to go off as a result. Live betting in the late innings should clearly be on Detroit, especially with its suddenly solid bullpen after some rocky goes of it early in the year.
The baseball betting odds for this game will first be available at BookMaker Sportsbook. BookMaker is going to have multiple betting options available for this baseball matchup. Live wagering during commercials offers and adjusted moneyline, individual inning run totals and next hitter results. Log in, and start gambling during the game now!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The game between the Oakland Athletics and the Detroit Tigers will start at 4:05 p.m. ET on Monday, May 25, 2015 at the O.co Coliseum in Oakland, CA. The matchup will be televised nationally on ESPN.
