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The seventh week of the 2021 MLB betting season will come to an end in Busch Stadium under the lights of ESPN’s national telecast with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals set to close out their first series of the year. The Redbirds hosted their hated rivals sitting atop the division standings with a 2.5-game lead representing one of the better investments of the young season. David Ross’s squad just pulled over the breakeven point and into the black at online sportsbooks after taking the f... 

All the talk leading up to the 2021 MLB betting season had only to do with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres duking it out for divisional bragging rights. But with six weeks in the books, it’s the San Francisco Giants that currently sit atop the standings with a slim lead over the latter. Even so, online sportsbooks don’t look to be buying in evidenced by LA still the decided -330 favorite to win the NL West a ninth straight time followed by the Friars who offer up just over a 2-1 return on investment; the Giants come in at a disrespected 15-1! San Francisco had all kinds of issues with the Dodgers a season ago dropping six of the 10 overall meetings, but will get a chance to improve upon that mark when Logan Webb squares off against Walker Buehler in the middle game of this weekend’s pivotal three-game set. ... 

The MLB betting week closes out with what looks to be an excellent pitching matchup on paper with Kwang Hyun Kim set to square off against Dinelson Lamet in the finale of a three-game set between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres. Making this week’s ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecast all the more intriguing is that it pairs two teams currently in the thick of the NL pennant race at online sportsbooks. Entering Thursday, only the San Francisco Giants boasted a better overall record th... 

The Minnesota Twins entered the 2021 MLB betting season neck-and-neck with the Chicago White Sox on the futures odds to win the AL Central. With five weeks of the regular season now in the books, the Twinkies find themselves well off the pace evidenced by a +800 return should they come back and win it for the third straight season. The Oakland A’s were expected to play the role of bridesmaid to the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels in the AL West, but it’s Bob Melvin’s squad that currently o... 

As bad the New York Mets have been a month into the season, both the Philadelphia Phillies +400 and Atlanta Braves +180 find themselves looking up at them on the current odds to win the NL East at online sportsbooks. That’s a bit more understandable with Philly considering it’s already dropped six of nine matchups to the Metropolitans to date, while Atlanta is yet to run up against their other division rival. Regardless, the Phillies will enter this series fresh off a handling of the Milwaukee B... 

The battle for first place in the NL West commences on Saturday afternoon when the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants pick their series back up from Oracle Park. While the Friars were expected to make some noise within the division and have a realistic shot at cashing World Series futures ticket odds in at online sportsbooks, the Giants never seriously entered the conversation. But through the first month of play, Gabe Kapler’s squad has let it be known the race towards the division pennant is no longer includes just two horses in the Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. Should Kevin Gausman be fully recovered from the side effects from the coronavirus vaccine, he will toe the bump for the home team in a stellar pitching matchup against Joe Musgrove who is one of a few pitchers that’ve already thrown a no-hitter this season. With that, both offenses should be held in check in the second game of the series. ... 

The Chicago Cubs find themselves in the basement of the NL Central standings after dropping two of three in Cincinnati over the weekend. David Ross’s squad has won a total of 12 games through their first 28 tries. Do you know who else has won 12 games within the division? If you said the Pittsburgh Pirates, you’re a winner! The only main difference is that Chicago owns a payroll of nearly $158M while the Buccos clock in at $58M. That right there lets it be known just how disappointing the Cubs have been for their fans, and more importantly those attacking the MLB odds at online sportsbooks. Only five other teams have cost MLB bettors more money to this point of the season. The odds of picking up a win in Hump Day’s series finale with the Los Angeles Dodgers looks all the more bleak with Trevor Bauer toeing the bump for the visitors. He dominated in his pair of starts against Chicago as a Red last season, and I’m of the belief tonight will be no different. LA owns a 4-3 series advantage in the last seven meetings with the over also cashing in at a 4-3 clip. ... 

The Sunday nighter will mark the conclusion of the third series of the 2021 MLB betting season between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies when the rivals close out a three-game set from CBP. The home team dominated in the first two series with the Phillies taking two of three and the Mets answering by busting the brooms out in the showdown in Queens. Unfortunately, MLB bettors at online sportsbooks won’t get a pitching matchup between aces in the finale with left-hander David Peterson set to square off against righty Zach Eflin. It will mark the third time Bryce Harper and his mates will have stared back at the south paw this season, while Eflin will throw at the Metropolitans for the first time since 2019. Philadelphia will be tabbed modest sized favorites to come out of this one with it the owner of the better pitcher and the Mets managing just three wins in their last 10 visits to the City of Brotherly Love. ... 

Though the Chicago White Sox are currently staring up at the Kansas City Royals atop the AL Central standings, it’s the Pale Hose that remain the -134 favorites to win the division at online sportsbooks. Tony LaRussa’s squad +480 also only sits behind the New York Yankees +300 on the futures odds to win the AL Pennant. Linemakers continue to be bullish on this team even though it’s gotten out to a 12-9 start to its 2021 campaign that’s barely made money for MLB bettors almost a full month into the season. While the Cleveland Indians are one of 11 AL teams to have logged 10+ wins, oddsmakers look to be much more bullish with the 2021 installment of Terry Francona’s squad evidenced by its rates of returns to win the division +700, AL +2850 and World Series +6500. The division rivals have crossed paths five times with the White Sox holding the upper hand winning three games and outscoring the Tribe by the aggregate score of 22-14; the under cashed in three times. ... 

Neither the Chicago Cubs nor Atlanta Braves have gotten out to the starts their dedicated fan bases would’ve liked three weeks into the MLB betting season. Each currently rates out as the fourth place team in their respective divisions with the Cubs sitting a single game under .500 at 10-11 and the Braves playing to a 9-12 record after getting swept in Sunday’s doubleheader by the Arizona Diamondbacks. These teams just opposed one another at Wrigley Field from April 16-18 in a series that saw the Braves take two of three. Both teams scored 13-4 wins, and both games saw each of tonight’s pitchers on the wrong side of the offensive eruptions. That means both Kyle Hendricks and Huascar Ynoa will get a chance at redemption in the third of this extended four game series. Atlanta has held the upper hand in the recent rivalry at online sportsbooks taking seven of the last 10 overall meetings with the over cashing in at a 5-4-1 clip. ... 

NL heavyweights close the MLB betting week out in this week’s installment of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball when Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres lock horns with Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers for the seventh time in 2021. These NL West rivals partook in one of the more exciting series of the young baseball season last week at Petco where the reigning World Series champs managed to take two of three. This will be the finale of an extended four-game series with Joe Musgrove expec... 

The NL East figured to be one of the more competitive divisions in all of baseball heading into the 2021 MLB betting season. Through nearly three weeks of play, it’s lived up to expectations with all five of the division’s members currently in the mix for bragging rights. The New York Mets currently sit atop the heap sitting a lone game over .500, while the Washington Nationals bring up the rear playing two games below the breakeven point. This series marks the first for the Nats against divisio... 

The Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees have been two of the more disappointing teams for MLB bettors two-plus weeks into the season. Though the Braves just took two of three in Chicago after blasting the Cubs 13-4 in the Sunday nighter, the triumph only moved them to 7-9 overall. As for the Yankees, they currently bring up the rear of the AL East with an atrocious 5-10 overall record. That’s simply unacceptable when you take into account the payroll upper management dolls out every passing game... 

The Chicago Cubs deserve everything earned to this point of the season. It’s hard to believe they’ve actually cashed in five times at online sportsbooks as terrible the offense has been thus far! As a diehard fan of the franchise, I have zero sympathy for the running joke that is the everyday roster taking the field every passing day. They’ve got a billionaire owner crying poor. No moves were made in the offseason to shore up the prior team’s deficiencies because of it. There’s still no lead-off... 

Since getting the brooms busted out on them by the Baltimore Orioles to kick off the 2021 MLB betting season, the Boston Red Sox have rattled off nine straight wins to enter this weekend’s extended series with the Chicago White Sox in the catbird seat of the AL East. Not bad for a team that was left for dead entering the year after bringing up the rear of the division in last year’s COVID shortened regular season. Due to the doubleheader the BoSox were forced to partake in at Minnesota earlier i... 

Through a week and a half of play, the Philadelphia Phillies are the toast of the MLB betting community with it clocking in as the best money earner in the league. The same can’t and won’t be said for the New York Mets who’ve had a tough time finding traction due to COVID-19 and Mother Nature. Having said that, these teams have already run up against one another and it was Bryce Harper and company who came out the series victor at online sportsbooks by taking two of three at Citizens Bank Park. ... 

The Philadelphia Phillies enter Friday’s series opener with the Atlanta Braves owners of the top spot in the NL East. They got to that point by sweeping their division rivals in their opening series outscoring Atlanta by six total runs; all three tilts combined for low scorers. The Braves’ bats simply failed to show up for that series, and the Phillies much-improved bullpen was able to take advantage of it. That likely won’t sit well with Ronald Acuna Jr. and company who just rediscovered their ... 

The Oakland A’s only just finally tasted the thrill of victory after walking it off in extras to save some face and not get swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Had Mitch Moreland not lined the game winning single, the reigning AL West champs would’ve been forced to eat a big helping of humble pie after getting swept in each of its first two home series. Before the Dodgers had their way, it was the Houston Astros that continued rubbing the A’s noses in it. Remember, there’s some really bad blood be... 

The Los Angeles Dodgers have picked right back up where they left off mashing the baseball and getting superb pitching to get out to a near perfect 5-1 start. The only loss was incurred Opening Day in a wild one at Coors Field against the Rockies. Due to COVID-19, the Washington Nationals only just started their 2021 campaign on Tuesday when Juan Soto raked a walk-off winner to send the fans home a bunch of happy campers. But with a number of key bats and starting pitchers currently on the IL due to coronavirus protocols, things could get ugly real quick over the course of this series. Walker Buehler is likely to be installed a hefty home favorite at online sportsbooks in his second trip to the bump with it the home opener for the defending champs. While many a league winner normally struggles when they get their rings, LA will be locked in for this series with it the first time they’ve run into Washington since losing to them in five games during the 2019 NLDS. ... 

The Chicago White Sox enter the 2021 MLB betting season with high hopes even though it just lost a major producer in the form of Eloy Jimenez for a bulk of the year. Only the Padres +800, Yankees +550 and Dodgers +350 have shorter odds than the South Siders +850 to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy. Pretty impressive for a team that finished third in the AL Central a season ago! On top of that, it’ll be breaking in a new manager though Tony LaRussa has proven numerous times he’s capable of handlin... 

The defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers begin the defense of their World Series title against the division rival Colorado Rockies whom online sportsbooks believe will be the worst team in the NL East and possibly the entire league. The defending champs enter the 2021 season as the only team on the board with a season win total greater than 100. On the flipside, the Rockies check in at the complete opposite end of the spectrum with a 63.5 game win total. LA has made a mockery of t... 

Closing out ESPN’s quadrant of Opening Day baseball telecasts will be the Houston Astros and Oakland A’s in the first of what’s expected to be many heated battles over the course of the regular season. Making the first of their numerous AL West matchups must-see TV is the fact that Dusty Baker’s squad bounced the A’s from the postseason in four games, and did plenty of chirping along the way so as to not let Oakland forget about it. Getting the starting nod for the visitors will be the ageless Z... 

The NL East looks to be one of the more heavily contested divisions in all of baseball with the New York Mets +164 and Atlanta Braves +112 expected to rule the roost. But don’t sell either the Philadelphia Phillies +942 or Washington Nationals +683 short! The first game of this scheduled three game set should be a good one with Jacob deGrom set to square off against Max Scherzer in a battle of recent Cy Young Award winners. Online sportsbooks are likely to have the visiting team installed favori... 

Managers are hired to be fired, so it goes without saying we’ll see at least one bench boss get the axe at some point during the 2021 season. And sports gamblers can wager on the misfortune of others, if that’s your thing. There are odds posted for the first manager to get fired during the 2021 MLB season and Baltimore’s Brandon Hyde tops the list. We typically see managers of a wayward team get rel... 

You don’t have to win a bunch of games to claim the NL Manager of the Year Award, but winning at least 90 games in a full season is the benchmark. Miami’s Don Mattingly claimed the honor last season with his Marlins going 31-29. Over a full 162 game schedule that equates to just under 84 wins. That was the exception and not the norm since the 2020 season was all kinds of weird. Now that it looks like some bit of normalcy has returned, we can bank the winner on a complete slate of games. While Mattingly took a bunch of no-names and came away with a winning record, I don’t think the Marlins are going to be in the running leaving Donny Baseball out of the mix for another award. And besides, there’s only been one back-to-back winner in the NL and none in the AL so that all but excludes him. Atlanta’s Brian Snitker won the award in 2018 and sits atop the odds board. Let’s take a look at a few of the managers who have value in the NL Manager of the Year futures market. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of odds and to make your wager. ...