March 2 - Now that the Super Bowl has come and gone, American sports
betting fans can start gearing up for the 2010 Major League Baseball season
that will kick off in April. MLB betting fans have already started
picking their favourites and in the NL East Division the Philadelphia Phillies
are the obvious choice.
After finishing at the top of this division for the last three seasons, the
chances are good that the two-time defending National League champs will make it
four in a row. Especially when you consider that this year's team replicates
last year's team except for the addition of pitcher Roy Halladay, who replaced
Cliff Lee.
But the Phillies sheer dominance of this league could make it the least
interesting division to follow this season, unless more teams step it up a notch
and give the Philadelphia team a taste of their own medicine. Still, judging by
early reports the Phillies have no intention of letting any other team get the
better of them.
In terms of best pitching rotation going into this season in the National
League, you have to look at last season where it was a close contest between the
Phillies and the Atlanta Braves. The Braves chalked up a staff ERA of more than
a half-run better than the Phillies. But this season they lost Javier Vazquez to
the Yankees.
However, for the Braves to post big ERA numbers this season, they must fill the
void left by Vazquez and are hoping to do that with Tim Hudson, who's reportedly
recovered from his surgery. While some Atlanta fans may see this as a gamble,
Braves management view their $28 million investment in Hudson as sound.
But only time will tell. For the Braves will also have to ensure that Derek Lowe
improves on last season. His form took a dive in the last six games of the
season so hopefully he did some soul-searching in the off-season. Meanwhile,
Jair Jurrjens, who had a stellar season last year, is already reporting shoulder
pains.
In terms of the best batting order for this season, the Philadelphia Phillies
are the team to beat. That said, the Phillies will no doubt continue to put a
lot of stock in Jimmy Rollins, a player who had his fair share of ups and downs
last year. However, he'll be supported by Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Raul
Ibanez.
Here are the top 5 betting odds for the MLB Outright Winner in 2010 as laid by
leading online sports betting site,
Bodog.com:
New York Yankees - 4.50
Philadelphia Phillies - 7.50
Boston Red Sox - 8.00
Los Angeles Dodgers - 15.00
St Louis Cardinals - 15.00
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