Baseball betting has the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks in Cactus League action on Wednesday in a game that can be seen on MLB Network. The Dodgers are likely to be a slight MLB betting favorite simply because they are the home squad.
Baseball betting on Arizona is expected to be better this season but caution should be advised with Arizona since former Cy Young winner Brandon Webb is still not ready to pitch. The Diamondbacks made some nice off-season moves but whether they make the playoffs or not could be determined by how well Brandon Webb rebounds from his injury. The early signs are not encouraging. Manager A.J. Hinch was very vague about when Webb will be ready to pitch. “That’s literally day-by-day,” Hinch said. “He’ll progress as tolerated. When he feels comfortable, he’ll move on. It’s important now to not put deadlines on him. It’s really important to progress him when he’s ready. We’re not going to waste any time. When he’s ready he’s ready.”
The Diamondbacks were really counting on a healthy Webb this MLB betting season but even the pitcher doesn’t sound that positive. “We’re just day-to-day. That’s all it is.” Webb said, “Hopefully I’m ready by the third game of the season; that’s definitely not out of the question, either. I’m still aiming for that. But if there is a little setback, anything that I can get is better than what I got last year.” Webb got hurt in the opening game last season and didn’t pitch the rest of the year. It was expected that he would be farther along than he is.
The Dodgers have injury concerns of their own that could affect them in baseball betting. Their starting catcher Russell Martin has a pulled groin and may miss the start of the baseball betting regular season. Manager Joe Torre has said that rookie A.J. Ellis will handle most of the catching duties until Martin returns. “I have no hesitation at all,” Torre said about Ellis, “He handles a game well. He’s a tireless worker. Being a former catcher, I know how important the defensive end is. He’s made himself a good hitter, he’s a grinding type of guy. I’ve seen him enough to be comfortable with it.” Baseball betting also indicates that the Dodgers have Brad Ausmus who can share time with Ellis.