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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. ... 

Keep in mind that a team has to be pretty good in order for its manager to be considered for this award. The American League welcomes three new bench bosses for the 2021 season, though none are first timers and one has four Manager of the Year trophies on his mantle already. Tony LaRussa inherits a stacked lineup upon his return to the Chicago White Sox, with whom he won the award three times, though the last was nearly 30 years ago. LaRussa also earned the honor with St. Louis in the National League more recently in 2002. If things go well in Toronto this season Charlie Montoya could reap the benefits. The Blue Jays have an abundance of talent and are positioned as a threat in the Eastern Division leaving Montoya as the favorite to win the honor this season. Let’s take a look at a few of the managers who have value in the AL Manager of the Year futures market. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of odds and to make your wager. ... 

Unlike the American League, the top of the odds board for the 2021 National League MVP has five players listed at shorter than 10/1 odds. And once again southern California will rock the two favorites with Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts topping the odds list, slightly ahead of teammate Cody Bellinger. This is a familiar spot for Betts who looks to become an MVP in both leagues joining Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players to do that. Betts won the award in 2018 as a member of the Bos... 

It’s probably not a smart move to bet against Mike Trout for the AL MVP Award. While we start a new baseball season some things don’t change. Trout is the overwhelming favorite at online sportsbooks to win his fourth MVP and no one is even close on the odds board. That’s probably the way it should be since Trout has finished first or second in the voting in seven of his nine years in the big leagues. So that begs the question: where is the value in this betting market? Well, a $10 wager on Jose ... 

Chicks dig the long ball and they’ll really dig the player who hits the most in 2021. Home runs are being hit at an astronomical rate and MLB’s big boppers are listed on the futures market to lead baseball in round trippers. It’s not a complete surprise to see the best player in baseball at the top of the odds list. Mike Trout is the betting favorite with Pete Alonso a close second. They are the only two players currently with shorter than 10/1 odds. If you trust Luke Voit to have another monste... 

In a span of nine seasons from 2011 to 2019 there were five winners of the National League Cy Young Award. The mound was dominated by a few arms with Clayton Kershaw winning the honor three times in four years and Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer going back-to-back in that span. Those three are all on the board to win another NL Cy Young Award in 2021 with deGrom the betting... 

It’s hard to think of baseball right now with other leagues in full swing and fans getting ready to remember what March Madness feels like. But with the boys of summer getting amped up for their season it’s time to look at the futures markets for MLB’s biggest awards. Cleveland’s Shane Bieber was a runaway winner of the AL Cy Young Award in last year’s abbreviated season. Can he duplicate that performance over a full slate of games? There is some stiff competition at the top of the odds board wi... 

The Los Angeles Dodgers will try and do something that has not been done in more than 20 years, and that is win the World Series in consecutive seasons. The last team to defend their World Series title was the 2000 New York Yankees. The Dodgers begin the 2021 season as a solid favorite to repeat at odds of +330. The New York Yankees are the second choice in the betting odds at +520... 

By way of some insanely terrible Atlanta baserunning, awesome defense (Mookie Betts) and some clutch hitting in the late innings of NLCS Game 7, the Los Angeles Dodgers punched their ticket to the World Series for the third time in the last four seasons. In doing so, Dave Roberts’ squad became only the second team to pull off that feat since 1969! LA also became the first team to battle back from a 3-1 series deficit to win a series since the Chicago Cubs did it back in 2016. The comeback ended up snapping the Cubs 108-year World Series championship drought. Los Angeles will attempt to remain on that same path when it battles a Tampa Bay Rays outfit that found a way to outlast the Houston Astros in the ALCS by winning the seventh and deciding game after nearly blowing a 3-1 series lead itself. The Dodgers are without a doubt the more experienced and talented team in this matchup having qualified for the playoffs each of the last eight seasons, but the title has eluded them each and every time. Regardless, online sportsbooks currently have them installed -210 favorites to finally seal the seal and win the World Series. ... 

To the extent that its possible the Houston Astros are the bad boys of Major League Baseball. Their sign stealing scandal that broke over the past offseason caused outrage from millions of fans and gamblers along with a great deal of the baseball community. Not that sign stealing hasn’t been going on since before radio and television were invented but, hey, it was a pretty elaborate scheme. The scandal took away from the fact that the Astros have been one of the most talented and successful teams over the past six seasons. Their American League Championship Series opponents are the low budget “Moneyball” Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa Bay has few fans and less revenue but wins with complicated metrics that measure players like stocks. ... 

The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to be solid favorites in the upcoming National League Championship Series that will open on Monday from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Gamblers will be treated to the two best teams in the National League. Beyond that these are two of the best offensive teams in the game. The Dodgers and Braves can and do score at will and no lead is ever safe against them. Ultimately, however, the old adage of pitching being 90% of the game may prove to be the difference here. Atlanta boasts the best bullpen in the game but the Dodgers ranked third best. Starting pitching is where the Dodgers could have the ultimate advantage. ...