Weekend MLB Baseball Betting Preview: July 31st 2009

There’s nothing like the trade deadline to shake up the MLB betting front, and the evidence is on full display this weekend. Cliff Lee is slated to make his first start for the Philadelphia Phillies, who face a new-look San Francisco Giants lineup that includes Lee’s former teammate Ryan Garko. Click here to bet on MLB baseball at BetUS online sportsbook this weekend

Over in the American League, don’t be surprised if the New York Yankees make a big move before Friday’s deadline, if only because many of the teams around them have already gotten in on the action. That’s certainly the case in Seattle, where the Mariners have added Jack Wilson and Ian Snell for the stretch run.

Philadelphia at San Francisco
Foiled in their attempts to acquire Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, the Phillies (58-41, +9.84 units) did the next best thing by trading for the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Wednesday. Lee will make his first start for his new team on Friday when Philadelphia continues a four-game set with the Giants (55-46, +10.18 units) at AT&T Park.

By starting on Friday Lee (7-9, 3.14 ERA) will stay on regular rest, and the lefthander will avoid being matched up against 2008 NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum (11-3, 2.30 ERA). Lincecum, scheduled to pitch Saturday, has allowed more than three runs in only one of his last 13 outings.

San Francisco made some noise of their own this week by dealing for both Garko and Freddy Sanchez. The pair should help bolster an offense that ranks 27th in baseball at 3.95 runs per game.

LA Dodgers at Atlanta
After leading the MLB moneylist for most of the season, the Dodgers (62-39, +16.62 units) have fallen off the top of the heap because of a recent cold snap. Los Angeles looks to get back on track this weekend in its three-game series with the Braves (51-49, -5.20 units) beginning on Friday night.

The Dodgers have dropped five of their last six games against the MLB moneyline, and have given way to the Los Angeles Angels as baseball’s most profitable wager. They’ll have their hands full with Atlanta, which is 10-2 in its last 12 contests at Turner Field.

Los Angeles backers should also tread lightly in the series considering how well the Braves are hitting righthanded pitching lately. Atlanta is batting .309 against righties over its last 10 games, making it a sharp wager for Friday night’s opener with Jason Schmidt (1-1, 7.88 ERA) taking the bump for the Dodgers.

NY Yankees at Chicago White Sox
Good thing the White Sox (51-51, +1.36 units) play in the AL Central. Losers of six of seven and seven of its last 10, Chicago remains only three games back of the first-place Detroit Tigers heading into Thursday night’s games. That being the case, the ChiSox had better start cashing some paydays if they’re going to stay in the race.

The Yankees (62-39, +2.02 units) come to town for a four-game showdown this weekend, and they’re the last team the White Sox need to see. New York has won three of four and 11 of their last 13 games to put some distance between itself and the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.

Chicago does have the benefit of playing at U.S. Cellular Field this weekend, although what it really needs is to generate more offense. 39-61-2 O/U on the season, the ChiSox are hitting only .217 over their last 10 contests.

Seattle at Texas
Bettors will be looking at the under when the Rangers (56-43, +16.00 units) host the Mariners (53-48, +6.53 units) in a four-game series at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington this weekend.

The public has consistently overvalued Texas’ offense while also underrating its pitching staff this season. The result is a 33-61-5 O/U record for the Rangers, who are 8-2 against the moneyline in their last 10 games.

Seattle (39-59-3 O/U) is also a dependable under play, especially on the road. The M’s have played under the total in 23 of their last 32 games outside of the Pacific Northwest, and might not have the offensive weapons needed to break the trend. Seattle comes into the set with Adrian Beltre (shoulder) on the 15-day disabled list and Russell Branyan (back) questionable for the series.