The NBA Playoffs are over. Now what?For sports bettors with basketball blinders on, this can be a scary time of the year. You want to keep wagering through the summer months but you haven't even made it to the seventh-inning stretch of a game yet. Don’t fret.
Covers will get you up to speed on the best and worst bets from the diamond so far this season.
Best moneyline betBaltimore Orioles (39-30): 16.49 unitsThe Orioles continue to be the big breadwinners in the majors but have hit some speed bumps along the way, like their current three-game losing streak heading into Friday. Baseball bettors have been waiting for the other cleat to drop on Baltimore, which currently sits second in the American League East.
Worst moneyline bet San Diego Padres (24-46): -17.57 unitsOffense – or lack thereof – has plagued the Padres for a long time and 2012 is no exception. San Diego ranks last in the bigs in runs (3.3 per game) and rest in the basement of most hitting statistical categories. A rash of injuries to both the lineup and rotation is just throwing salt on the wound.
Best runline betChicago White Sox (42-27 ATS): 20.30 unitsThe ChiSox are just three games above .500 (36-33) but have kept it close throughout the first half of the season. Chicago has capitalized on the 1.5-run spread – AKA the runline – scoring 4.68 runs and allowing 4.00 runs per game this season. Runline backers can thanks an impressive 19-13 road record for most of those units.
Worst runline betSan Diego Padres (31-39 ATS): -22.98 unitsWhy the hell are people betting the Padres? Also burinng runline bettors are the Cleveland Indians (-17.51), Detroit Tigers (-13.57), and Colorado Rockies (-12.76).
Best over betPhiladelphia Phillies (33-38): 44-26-1 over/underThe Phillies pitching staff is not playing up to oddsmakers standards, thanks in part to injuries to key starters like Roy Halladay. On offense, Philadelphia longs for the big bats of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.
Best under bet Los Angeles Angels (38-32) - 25-44-1 over/underThe addition of Albert Pujols was supposed to supercharge the Halos' offense. While that hasn’t quite been the case – averaging just 4.1 runs per game – the pitching staff has done the heavy lifting. The Angels own a 3.43 team ERA, third lowest in the majors.
Top money pitcherR.A. Dickey, New York Mets (11-1, 2.00 ERA): 11.92 unitsThe knuckleballer is the frontrunner for the National League Cy Young and has been nearly untouchable in recent starts. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in 41 2/3 innings, giving up just 16 hits in that span.
Worst money pitcherDan Haren, Los Angeles Angels (4-7, 3.97 ERA): -11.87 unitsHaren can’t take all the blame for those units lost. The Angels have given the right-hander just 4.38 runs of support during his starts. Haren actually has the 20th best ERA in the AL and is 15th in strikeouts.
Top over ump
Paul Emmel: 12-1 over/underTeams are combining for 9.77 runs per game when Emmel is behind home plate.
Top under ump
Tim Welke: 3-10 over/underTeams are combining for 7.2 runs per game when Welke is calling balls and strikes.
Follow Jason Logan on Twitter @CoversJLo