Sports Marketwatch: MLB Edition

Sports MarketWatch - MLB Edition

9/8/2008 4:00 PM EST

By The Team at SportsInsights.com

Note that the MLB Edition of Sports MarketWatch has been moved to Monday for the remainder of the season to make room for college and professional football. 

Welcome to this week's edition of the Sports Marketwatch – MLB Edition, where the Team at SportsInsights gives sports fans unprecedented insight into the sports marketplace. If you ever wanted to know what was really happening on the sportsbook side, you now have an all-access pass with Sports Marketwatch! 

The staff at SportsInsights.com speaks directly with the line managers at some of the sports betting industry’s largest sportsbooks about which games the public is chasing and the Sharps are pounding.  We’ll take a look at what’s in store for upcoming games.

Sports Marketplace – MLB Edition

Major League Baseball enters its stretch run and we should have some exciting playoff races.  Overall, this has been a successful sports investing campaign in baseball for SportsInsights and its betting strategies.  SportsInsights’ MLB Square Plays have earned our members over +20 units.  New approaches that include “Best Bets” and BettingCharts.com have also earned a profit.  MLB MarketWatch, which started publication at mid-season, caught a difficult patch of the season for contrarian approaches – but we’ll continue to seek out value within the MLB sports marketplace. 

2008 MLB Games to Watch: 15-31, 32.6%, -12.03 units

Sports MarketWatch – MLB Games to Watch

Florida Marlins +158 over Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies are currently carrying around the magic of last year’s September into this September.  Last year, the Phillies made one of the largest comebacks in major league history by overtaking the Mets after trailing by 7 games in mid-September.  This past weekend, the Phillies nearly swept the Mets and closed the Mets’ lead two games. 

The Florida Marlins have been all but eliminated from the race, so the public is betting on the Phillies as if this game was decided.  More than 75% of the bets are on the Phillies, moving the line from Phillies -148 (at Pinnacle) to Phillies -166. 

We like that value – and like “selling” the Phillies at a recent high.  Take the Marlins with the “plus vig.”

Florida Marlins +158

Tampa Bay Rays +195 over Boston Red Sox

A few weeks ago, it looked like the Tampa Bay Rays were going to coast into first place and that the Red Sox might not even grab the wildcard.  Now, the Red Sox are right on the heels of first place Tampa Bay and TB is feeling the heat. 

Tampa Bay has lost three in a row and while the Red Sox have closed to within 1.5 games of first place by going 7-3 in their last 10.  The Red Sox have their young stud pitcher Jon Lester going tonight, who some call “a Cy Young in the making.” 

About 70% of the bets are taking the heavily-favored Red Sox in the first game of this huge series.  In a tight pennant race like this, we’re surprised to see such long odds (Red Sox -215).  We’ll “bet against the public” and “buy” the first place Rays at a relative low – and sell the Red Sox after their recent hot streak. 

Tampa Bay Rays +195 (Matchbook)

Games to Watch (15-31, -12.03 units)

Florida Marlins +158

Tampa Bay Rays +195 (Matchbook)

It should be another exciting weekend in the sports marketplace.  Keep Sports MarketWatch picks handy and your browser pointed to SportsInsights.com for the latest real-time updates, using our exclusive Sports Investing tools.

We’ll be back next Friday with the new edition of the Sports Marketwatch – MLB Edition.

Enjoy the games!

The Team at SportsInsights.com