Baseball Gambling

The MLB trade deadline will change things drastically when it comes to gambling on baseball, find out the ins and outs of how major and minor trades will affect the rest of this years baseball wagering.

How will the trades affect baseball gamblingcome the "Dog Days of August?"

For one thing, the top teams in each league will be even stronger, which will be reflected in the odds when they match up against weaker competition. The eight teams with the best records in the game, from Detroit down to Toronto, have been favored at an astronomical rate 83% the last three-plus weeks, with the Tigers leading the pack at 24-1 in their last 25 games. How can a gambler keep one step ahead of the game? Keep on top of all the trades that take place this week and see which teams are giving up on the season.

As previously mentioned, the Indians traded their stopper to the Braves and are 1-3, down -275 units since the deal. It looks as if the Nationals will send pending free agent, Alfonso Soriano to a top-notch contender, most likely the White Sox or Tigers. The All-Star left fielder is two home runs behind Albert Pujols for the NL lead and without him, the Nats have only two other players (Nick Johnson and Ryan Zimmerman) that have gone deep over nine times. Washington is 6-2 in its last eight games as the favorite, but with zero contests left against the Cubs and Pirates, the club may not be favored the rest of the way.

Speaking of Soriano, one statistic that has been severely overlooked this year is his propensity to get on base. His .361 OBP is by far the highest of his career and the free-swinger already has more walks this season, in 200-300 less at-bats, then in any of his five previous campaigns.

The National League West is up for grabs and the Giants already went out and improved their chances by trading for Shea Hillenbrand. One has to think Los Angeles will follow suit, especially with a plentiful farm system. The Dodgers, 1-11 in their last 12 games, are giving up an average of six runs per contest over their last nine. The offense has also faded away, as they have scored three runs or more in only two of their last 12. General Manager Ned Colletti spent a ton of money in the off-season bringing in Nomar Garciaparra and Rafael Furcal among others, so he won't throw the season away despite being six games under .500. Until they make a trade, keep betting against them.

The best way to make money is by going against teams on losing streaks of three or more. LA has certainly helped that with its disastrous play the past two weeks.

Staying in the National League, another team to keep an eye on is the Cardinals. They are looking to acquire another big bat before the deadline and if they do, it might not matter who they throw on the mound. St. Louis is currently averaging five runs per game, tied for second best in the NL behind the Mets. The Cards are 11-3 in their last 14 games, but two of their three defeats came at the hands of two southpaws in Jeff Francis and Horacio Ramirez. St. Louis has had a hard time beating the left-handers this season, especially at night., and that should remain on top of everyone's list of trends as the season continues. Incredibly, the Cards are 29-33 under the lights after going a combined 136-72 the last two years. Also, Tony La Russa's squad is only 16-22 vs. lefties, including the two defeats at the hands of Francis and Ramirez the last two games facing southpaws.

The Twins will be an interesting team to keep an eye on the next couple of weeks. After their series winds down with Chicago, they play 16 of their next 23 games at the Metrodome, where they 20-1 since June 11. Minnesota welcomes in Detroit for a huge weekend series and the Tigers have defeated the Twins seven of the nine games this season. However, six of the nine were played at Comerica Park where the Twins lost all six. One thing for sure, Minny will not be heavily favored in this series so stick with "Twinkies" throughout the month of July. As the season heads into August, some teams will improve and others will have the "wait till next year" approach. Figuring out which clubs take advantage of the deadline will help you get the edge over the general public.