Home Team NL Interleague Play - 9 batters versus 8???

[JerseyShop101]

Yesterday, I looked at the NL starting pitcher's Batting Stats for the year and career, to see if maybe this could help in handicapping these Interleague games, considering maybe the AL pitchers are more of an "automatic out" compared to the NL pitchers.

Standing out was Haren with a 10-25 .400 batting average for the year. Haren continued with his hot batting as he went 2-4, 2 doubles and 3 RBI's, to help ARIZONA win 8-6 in what I considered it to be a 9 batter versus 8 situation.

Interleague play the NL went 5-2 on Friday.

AL pitchers went a combined 0-14.

NL Pitchers went a combined 5-16, with 7 RBIs, 3 from Haren's 2 doubles, and 4 from Penny's grand slam.

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[JerseyShop101]

Saturday's NL Pitcher batting stats:



Saturday's 9 batters vs. 8 play:

WASHINGTON -137

[Bob Loblaw]

Nice angle

too bad you have this angle to begin with

I know people will disagree with me but I personally think the NL is pathetic

I can't believe people like this style of baseball

[JerseyShop101]

Nice angle

too bad you have this angle to begin with

I know people will disagree with me but I personally think the NL is pathetic

I can't believe people like this style of baseball

Thought you might like this (it was posted across the way):


How Oddsmakers deal with MLB Interleague Play

DIRECT FROM NEVADA WITH NICK BOGDANOVICH
ODDSMAKERS GETTING READY
FOR FIRST INTERLEAGUE ACTION

Interleague play starts this Friday, with many of the classic Rivalry series (Yankees/Mets, Giants/A's, Reds/Indians) and some other attractive matchups. Oddsmakers have had an interesting time in recent years dealing with the dynamics of Interleague play.

*Square action increases, because the public likes betting these games. Many are on TV, and the networks do what they can to hype up the marquee showdowns. And, there's just more interest in general. Attendance goes up at the stadiums for IL action. It goes up a bit in sportsbooks too.

*Square action is DUMB action, so oddsmakers have to shade their lines to take advantage.

*The past few years, the American League has been fairly dominant...but both the sharps (professional wagerers) and squares (public) have been very slow to react. As a result, market prices were slow to react. It took sharps A FULL YEAR OR TWO to accept that the AL was that much better. They finally started betting that way, and lines got closer to matching reality.

*In all honesty, many oddsmakers were slow on the take as well. There

were several quotes in the first and second year of AL dominance where you read or heard guys in Vegas saying it was just a short term fluke. Nobody's saying that any more. Well, hardly anyone. It's commonly accepted now that the 'right' line includes maybe a 15-20 cent shading toward the American League. More in some cases.

So, this is an important weekend for sportsbooks. Oddsmakers want to post solid numbers that will earn a profit for their employers. They'll be doing that amidst the challenge of guessing how much 'AL Money' may or may not come in!

If the squares don't believe in the AL superiority, or are just going to bet the TV favorites or big name pitchers anyway, oddsmakers owe it to their employers to price accordingly. This could set up some VERY big windows of opportunity for smart handicappers.

For example:

*The best pitchers in the NL are likely to be overpriced. They're not as good as it seems because they play in the inferior league.

*Mid-level of back of the rotation guys in the AL are likely to be underpriced. They'd be top of the rotation guys in the NL, as you saw with pitchers like Bronson Arroyo with Cincinnati (an early red flag about the difference in leagues) and Javier Vazquez when he was with Atlanta last year. Some of the best IL bets on the board every year are AL teams at home with back of the rotation pitchers. They're priced very cheaply, but win a good share of their games.

*The best offenses in the NL will be overmatched by top AL pitchers.

*The best offenses in the AL will absolutely CRUSH back of the rotation guys in the NL.

Now, there will probably be some exceptions here and there. You're always dealing with percentages in baseball because pitchers can throw over their heads or just not have anything with little notice. Over the course of the weekend, and the summer...these factors are likely to hold true.

The most important thing to remember is that the prices on the board have yet to fully capture the reality on the field in IL action. Too many bettors (both squares and sharps) aren't betting with full respect for the AL edge. Maybe this is the year it starts to swing back and the stubborn finally make some money. They've been saying that for a few years and keep getting spanked.

[JerseyShop101]

Saturday's NL Pitcher batting stats:



Saturday's 9 batters vs. 8 play:

WASHINGTON -137

Stammen went 1-1 with a double and a run scored as Washington won 7-6.

9 batters vs. 8 Plays:
2-0 +2.00

[JerseyShop101]

Nothing really worth noting, except for Arizona's Buckner but he has only a very small number of At Bats. He went 5-21 last year .238, and is 1-2 this year.

I still wouldn't call Buckner an automatic out. Toronto's Marcum is 0-6 lifetime.

Teams going in opposite directions lately, Ariz has won 4 in a row, Tor has lost 3 in a row.


9 batters vs. 8 Play for Sunday:

ARIZONA +122