Bet On MLB Baseball – NL Central Rivals Meet In Milwaukee

You still have some time to bet on the Kentucky Derby, so pass the time with some MLB betting as the season is starting to heat up. Tuesday’s matchup features a pair of teams who have the National League Central crown in their sights as the defending champions from Cincinnati will be in Milwaukee this week, and this will be the second of a three-game set at Miller Park.

Reds Brewers Betting – Tuesday, 8:10 PM ET

Mike Leake (3-0, 4.94) made his first start after being arrested for shoplifting, and he went seven strong innings, allowing three runs on four hits in a 7-4 victory over Arizona at home. Leake also gave up a homer for the second time this season, along with six strikeouts and a pair of walks on the night, and the young pitcher was probably a bit lucky to make his first start following his arrest at home. He probably won’t be so lucky in Milwaukee where the fans will probably give him a hard time, and that may affect the way you bet on MLB baseball. The 23-year-old righthander managed to avoid Milwaukee in his rookie year last season, which means he’s never been to Miller Park, but he gave up six runs on nine hits over four-plus innings in his first start on the road this season in Arizona.

Marco Estrada (1-0, 3.21) has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen to start the 2010 campaign, and his last appearance came in relief, in which he tossed a perfect inning in a strikeout of a 14-7 win at home over Houston. Estrada has now made four appearances, with two each starting and in relief, the Brewers have been very impressed with his versatility, and they’ll probably still give him a look until Zack Greinke recovers from a rib injury. The 27-year-old righthander has made one appearance against the Reds in his career, allowing a run on two hits (one was a home run) in four innings of a 5-4 loss in Cincinnati last season.

The MLB odds for this game will be close in your price per head sportsbook, and heading into Monday’s series opener, the Reds had won seven of their last 10 trips to Milwaukee. Tuesday’s game is going to be interesting because Leake is going to hear all sorts of negative comments about his legal problems, and he’s still only 23 years old in his second MLB season. The Brewers are going with a pitcher who doesn’t have a lot of experience in the big leagues, so this could be a big game for the batters; remember to check the posted total in your sportsbook. We’re going to take Cincinnati when we’re betting online on Tuesday.

Betting On MLB – National League West Rivals Clash In Colorado

Those betting on MLB odds have seen Colorado race out of the gate to a fast start in the National League West, but they realize that they’re going to have to go through the defending World Series champions from San Francisco if they’re going to come out of the division. The Rockies will send out their ace on Tuesday night at home against the Giants in the second of a three-game set, and they’ll be hoping that some time on the disabled list has gotten him back on track.

Giants Rockies Betting – Tuesday, 8:40 PM ET

Jonathan Sanchez (1-1, 3.24) earned his first win of the season as the Giants edged Los Angeles 4-3 at home, allowing three runs on seven hits over six innings, along with nine strikeouts and a pair of walks. He also gave up his first homer of the season, but still, Sanchez had a very good outing against the Dodgers and the Giants need him to be consistent to take some of the pressure off of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. The 28-year-old southpaw is 3-4 in 18 appearances (11 starts) against the Rockies with a 5.45 ERA, and he’s 3-2 in 10 outings (six starts) with a 5.26 ERA.

Ubaldo Jimenez (0-0, 7.50) has made one start this season, which came on Opening Day, and he was pounded for six runs (five earned) on seven hits over six innings in a 7-6 extra-inning loss at home against Arizona. Jimenez was also taken deep twice, along with a strikeout and a walk, and then it was revealed that last year’s Cy Young candidate had a problem with his thumb, which sent him to the disabled list. Those who read NHL news may compare this to a team’s starting goalie being injured, and the Rockies will hope that Jimenez can come back 100% and ready to go. He is 5-5 in 14 career starts against the Giants, posting a 3.13 ERA, and the 27-year-old righthander generally a good pitcher at Coors Field, so that thumb must have been bothering him on Opening Day.

Your pay per head sportsbook should favor the Rockies at home, and ahead on Monday’s series opener, Colorado is 6-4 in their last 10 against the Giants in their last 110 meetings at Coors Field. The Rockies have won 12 of their first 15 games to open up a four-game lead over the Giants, who can cut into that lead with a big series, but we’re going to give the edge to Jimenez in his return to the rotation, especially as we have no idea what Sanchez will give from start to start. Place a sports bet on Colorado on Tuesday night.

MLB Betting – Kershaw Leads Dodgers Into Colorado

If you were betting on March Madness, you may have missed Opening Day in the major leagues and if you did, you missed a virtuoso performance by Los Angeles’ Clayton Kershaw. The Dodgers’ ace will look to replicate it on Tuesday when he takes the hill in the first of a three-game series against Colorado.

Dodgers Rockies Betting – Tuesday, 8:40 PM ET

Kershaw (1-0, 0.00) showed why many baseball betting players have laid money on his Cy Young odds as he outdueled two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum in a 2-1 win at home over rival San Francisco, tossing a four-hitter over seven innings nine strikeouts and a single walk. The key to Kershaw’s game is his ability to limit his walks, which will keep his pitch count down, and he threw 96 pitches in those seven innings. If he can do that, he may be unstoppable because Kershaw has some of the nastiest stuff in all of baseball. The 23-year-old southpaw is 5-3 in 13 career starts against the Rockies, posting a 3.63 ERA, but he’s 3-2 in seven starts at Coors Field with a 5.59 ERA.

The Rockies will send out Jhoulys Chacin (9-11, 3.28 in 2010) is making his first start of the season, and he was due to start on the weekend before a hand injury forced Colorado to delay his 2011 debut by a couple of days. The Rockies are hoping that Chacin can be a good wingman for Ubaldo Jimenez in the rotation, and he definitely impressed in 2010. His strikeouts-per-nine-innings would have been top 10 in the National League if he had pitched enough innings to qualify. Like Kershaw, Chacin is also 23 years old and he is 3-3 in seven outings (six starts) against the Dodgers with a 2.84 ERA. He was also 5-5 in 15 games (12 starts) at Coors Field with a 3.98 ERA.

Those checking out MLB scores may find the Dodgers as a slight favorite on the road as they have won seven of their last 10 at Coors Field, with half of the games going over the posted total. Despite Kershaw’s ERA in Colorado, sportsbooks are going to give him the edge there because of his performance against Lincecum and the Giants on Opening Day, while Chacin will be making his first start of the season and has had a problem with his hand. The Dodgers showed they were going to be a force in the National League West by taking three of four against the defending World Series champions, but they’re still the Dodgers, so you have to be wary. The Rockies split the first two games of their series with Arizona at home before the finale on Sunday was postponed by snow, so Colorado should be rested. Still, we have questions about Chacin’s hand, so we’re giving the edge to Kershaw and the Dodgers in our best online sportsbook.