Baseball odds are oftentimes greatly determined by the starting pitchers in the game. In fact, the baseball betting odds are almost always set based on who is starting for each team.
Does that mean other statistics like hitting are overrated? Baseball odds and results are definitely determined by which team pitches well. Hitting is definitely overrated in terms of baseball odds. A team like San Francisco with superstar starters like Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain can win even when they are not scoring many runs. Conversely, a team like Texas can pound the ball and still lose versus the baseball odds because they can’t get anyone out. Which would you rather have going for you in baseball odds, pitching or hitting?
Year after year some of the top hitting teams in the league don’t do that well in terms of baseball betting odds. Winning teams are usually those that have solid pitching staffs. And since baseball is a money line sport, that usually means teams with good pitching staffs win money in baseball odds.
There are simply too many times in baseball odds at the online sportsbook when a bettor will become far too reliant on a strong starting lineup while he ignores the obvious pitching angles. As has been proven on the field of play, teams cannot win consistently versus the baseball betting odds by trying to play home run derby with their opponents.
Weak hitting teams that have strong pitching staffs can be good wagers against the baseball odds at the sportsbook. A team like the previous mentioned Giants or a team like Arizona can be profitable in baseball odds if they get good pitching. Teams like the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees can hit the ball well but sometimes their pitching is not good enough to make gamblers money in baseball odds. Occasionally you will get a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers who have both hitting and pitching and it is then when you really want to jump on board as a gambler.
It is definitely rare when a team wins versus the baseball odds at the online sportsbook without a very good pitching staff. At the same time you rarely see a great hitting team that does well versus the baseball betting odds at the sportsbook unless they have a pitching staff that holds the other teams down.