MLB betting on Friday includes an exhibition game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are the slight baseball betting favorites in this Friday matchup. MLB betting always has optimism for all teams, even Pittsburgh. The Pirates are not going to win the World Series but they are still optimistic they can be improved. “At the start of Spring Training there is a buzz and you’re glad to be on the field,” manager John Russell said. “Then you get through a few days of it and you look forward to your first game. It’s time. Players have done a nice job. Now we’ll get to see how some of that plays out in games.” The Pirates are expected to start Zach Duke in this MLB betting matchup. He will be followed by Daniel McCutchen and Virgil Vasquez.
The Pirates are 80-1 longshots in MLB betting to win the World Series. Those are about the longest baseball betting odds you can find. The Pirates simply don’t have the talent to compete on a daily basis. Baseball does not have a salary cap and that means the big market teams have a huge edge. Pittsburgh will never be able to compete under the current rules. That doesn’t mean they can win in MLB betting though because they are almost always underdogs. If the Pirates can win 70 of 75 games they can be profitable in MLB betting. That is why you can’t just automatically go against Pittsburgh every day.
Baltimore is not given much of a chance either. They are 71-1 to win the World Series. The Orioles have more talent than Pittsburgh though but they play in a much tougher division. While the Orioles might actually have a shot at a .500 season, that is simply not going to be enough in a division with the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. Baltimore is the favorite in this game against the Pirates on Saturday but the Orioles are not a power team and anything can happen in the spring.
The Orioles manager Dave Trembley has said that he wants to keep players fresh early in the spring so keep that in mind as you bet Baltimore games. Regulars could get rested on an every other day basis early in the exhibition season. That could be important in this game since Baltimore did play some starters yesterday.