Get ready for a unique 2020 Major League Baseball season that begins on Thursday, July 23rd. Each team will play just 60 games this season so every game will take on added importance. The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees begin the season as World Series favorites, while Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole are two of the favorites to win major awards this year. Let’s look at what to expect from this COVID-19 impacted season, rule changes, how sportsbook lines could be impacted and some things to consider as you bet baseball games this season.
MLB Restart
While there will still be Major League Baseball games at home parks, there is really not much of a home field edge this season. No fans will be in attendance and in the case of the Toronto Blue Jays, they won’t even be playing in Toronto. The Blue Jays were told by officials in Canada that they will have to play their games outside of the country this season because of the coronavirus. The U.S.-Canadian border is closed through August 21st and those crossing have to self quarantine for 14 days. The Canadian government didn’t grant the Blue Jays an exemption, so there will not be any MLB games in Toronto this season. The Blue Jays may end up playing their home games in Buffalo or perhaps share PNC Park with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The MLB schedule for 2020 will see each team play 60 games with 40 of those games taking place within the division. The other 20 games will be Interleague games against teams from the other geographic division.
Rule Changes
- All games this season will feature the DH. In past seasons the National League had the pitcher hit, but that will not be the case this season. Look for higher totals on National League games at online sportsbooks.
- When games go into extra innings, each team will begin their at bat with a runner on second base. The runner will be the player who was listed in the batting order before the leadoff hitter of the inning.
- All relief pitchers this season must face a minimum of three batters unless the inning ends.
- There are also some rule changes to the number of players on the active roster and there is a new trading deadline which will seem really quick, as it is August 31st, just about a month after the season begins.
- Players will be tested for COVID-19 on a regular basis and there will be injury lists that are 10 day and 45 days and there will be separate lists for injured players and for those who test positive for COVID-19.
MLB Odds and MLB Betting Impact
The first thing you will notice about 2020 MLB Baseball lines is that there will be no listed pitchers at the BookMaker. Starting pitchers are not expected to pitch deep into games early in the season and there are some teams that are considering piggybacking starters. You might see tandem starters where each pitcher throws three innings in the same game. There are other teams that have already decided to go with a six-man starting rotation instead of a five-man rotation.
Because it is a 60-game schedule there could be some different teams that make the playoffs and some favorites may disappoint. Just look at last year for a perfect example. Through their first 60 games a year ago, the Washington Nationals went 27-33 and they were out of a playoff spot in the National League East. The Nationals ended up turning things around and winning the World Series. A bad two week stretch in 2020 will doom a team’s chances.
Depth is always important in baseball, but in 2020 it could be the deciding factor. Bullpens will be critical and those teams that have deep bullpens could be poised to make the playoffs. Teams like Tampa Bay and Milwaukee could give bettors solid value because of their strong bullpens.
There will be some big name players who won’t be in action this season. Chris Sale, Noah Syndergaard, Luis Severino, Jameson Taillon and Chris Archer are all out for the season due to injury. Choosing not to play because of COVID-19 are Ryan Zimmerman, Joe Ross, Ian Desmond and Mike Leake.
Check out the latest MLB Betting Odds at BookMaker Sportsbook.
