While the Boston Red Sox remain the online sports betting favorites to emerge from the American League, the Philadelphia Phillies have emerged as the top contenders to win this year’s World Series. The Red Sox are now right alongside their AL East division rivals the New York Yankees at 6-1 odds, but it’s the Phillies that have taken over listed at 9-4, and for good reason.

The Phillies have impressed more than the other two teams through the first couple of months of the season ahead of the Preakness Stakes betting race, with their offense coming alive behind the deepest pitching staff in the league. Philadelphia has ran with Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay leading the way for a group that also boasts Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, and Cliff Lee. Philadelphia has gotten enough offense out of Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino, and if the hitters can continue to score then the Phillies will be successful. The same can be said for the Red Sox over the past couple of weeks, with Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Youkillis getting the offense going after the team struggled out of the gate, and that has them pushing the Yankees for position in the AL East. New York’s pitching was dynamic to open the year with AJ Burnett and Bartolo Colon bouncing back after struggling the past couple of years, and the offense doing enough to make the difference. But while Boston has done a solid job of climbing back above .500, the Yankees will need to put things together to avoid falling apart.

After failing to reach the World Series for the first time in three years, the Philadelphia Phillies didn’t make many personnel moves in the offseason. The one they did make however should have a stronger impact than any made by the other teams in the National League. The Phillies managed to bring back playoff performer Cliff Lee long-term, and after watching what he has done in past postseasons the team is confident that they will be able to make another run at baseball’s ultimate glory. Philadelphia has looked good early on this MLB betting season, but they might be just heating up.

The Phillies have lost consecutive games only once this sports betting season, and with such a complete team it is very unlikely that they will have many big losing streaks over the next month. Philadelphia’s schedule won’t be easy with a couple of key series’ against the division-rival Atlanta Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals, but for a team that is as deep as Phillies betting against long losing streaks could be the key to winning big. Philadelphia hasn’t been swept in 2011, and if they concede a couple of games they could be prime candidates for a big payday. A loss could mean having to double up on them to make a profit in the next game, but with the odds in the favor that they will eventually get that big win before being pushed to far, the Phillies remain a money-making lock to players that can pick their spots.

While the Toronto Blue Jays did an excellent job in unloading the contract of long-time outfielder Vernon Wells, and the Boston Red Sox landed a couple of key acquisitions in Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford in the American League, the best offseason MLB betting move leading into this year was made in the National League. The Philadelphia Phillies managed to sign Cliff Lee to a five-year, $120-million deal in the offseason, with an option for a sixth year. The deal was worth less than the reported seven-year deal that the New York Yankees offered, but the city and team he left behind from his first stint with the club was enough to convince Lee of where he wanted to play.

Less than a month into the season, and the veteran’s presence with the club is already paying off. A helpless crowd at Nationals Park in the nation’s capital watched as Lee struck out 12 batters over nine innings of shutout ball last week, allowing just three hits in a 4-0 Phillies’ win. The 32-year old had struggled somewhat with his command through his first two starts back in a Philadelphia uniform, but already fans can see the potential he has to help this team, and we are only now reaching the Kentucky derby betting period. Lee is 2-1 with a 4.19 ERA through three games, and after displaying his stuff in the past couple of postseasons, there is every indication that his return to Philadelphia was the best offseason move.

It’s been nearly a week since MLB betting enthusiasts took in the first game of the 2011 regular season, and already there is talk about which rookies could potentially be named as rookie of the year. Remember baseball betting fans, the season is seven months and 162 games long, and a lot can happen between the first and last weeks of the season. With that in mind, here is a look at some of the rookies making progress after week one.

JP Arencibia C Toronto Blue Jays – Going into 2011, the Toronto Blue Jays chose to part ways with veteran catcher John Buck, in hopes of using top catching prospect JP Arencibia behind home plate. Over the last few seasons in the minor leagues, Arencibia has simply put demolished opposing teams from an offensive standpoint, while his defense has gradually progressed.

Thus far in his career, Arencibia has played in two games and has amassed, two home runs, one triple and five runs batted in. Meaning to say, the offensive side of things isn’t really an issue. What’s more, his defense behind the plate has made him appear more like a grizzled veteran than a rookie learning on the job.

Brandon Belt 1B San Francisco Giants – Despite a belief from many, ourselves included that the San Francisco Giants would keep Aubrey Huff at first base during 2011, the team decided that the future is now for top fielding prospect Brandon Belt. Belt like Arencibia is known more for his offense as opposed to his defense. As a result, the Giants, a team based more on pitching than offense, felt it was time to bring their best fielding prospect on board, and shipped Huff to the outfield. Belt is off to an okay start, but in reality, if the Giants want to contend, Belt will need to pick up the offensive load.

The March Madness betting tournament allows baseball handicappers the opportunity to reflect on all of the offseason moves entering the 2011 regular season. This offseason, after missing the playoffs for the second time in three years, the Boston Red Sox made certain that on paper it wouldn’t happen again in 2011. Here is why the Boston Red Sox will win the 2011 sports betting online World Series.

This offseason, the Boston Red Sox made two of not only the biggest, but most important moves to help a team win a World Series. Firstly, the Red Sox traded away parts of their future to the San Diego Padres, in order to acquire another home run hitter in Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez has been a main stay in San Diego for most of his career, and has long been considered as a fantastic player suffering on a bad team. Now that Gonzalez is playing first base with the Boston Red Sox, he has the opportunity to really show off his talents. What’s more he only has a year left on his current contract and it appears all he wants to do is win a World Series this year.

Secondly, after strengthening the infield, the Red Sox then went out and acquired former Red Sox killer, Carl Crawford. Crawford, a player that became expendable in Tampa Bay thanks to the emergence of Desmond Jennings, was able to receive the biggest contract of his career at seven years $162 million. Crawford is one of the most competitive players in the entire MLB, and after years of being on losing Rays squads, finally has a chance to be a part of a dynasty.

While the Gonzalez and Crawford acquisitions will help on the field, the addition of Bobby Jenks to the bullpen will strengthen the back end. Last season, Jonathan Papelbon and Daniel Bard struggled mightily as the closer and setup man for Boston. However, this year with Jenks in the fold, you can expect both players to bring their A games all season long.

World Series odds are out for this year’s Fall Classic between Texas and San Francisco, and this is the third time in 20 years that a team from the Eastern Time Zone isn’t represented. The Rangers are -135 favorites in their first-ever appearance in the World Series, while the Giants are rated at +115 to win their first championship since 1954.

The Rangers beat the New York Yankees in six games behind an offense that average over six runs per game, led by ALCS MVP (and probable American League MVP) Josh Hamilton. The Rangers also have a bonafide ace in Cliff Lee, who was a beast against the Yankees, which may lead to a giant contract offer coming in from New York.

The Giants beat Philadelphia in six games, although it was a much closer series than the ALCS. Cody Ross took the NLCS MVP with three homers, but it’s the pitching that really got the Giants to where they are. Tim Lincecum was nothing short of phenomenal in his two duels with Philadelphia ace and the man that will likely replace him as the Cy Young winner, Roy Halladay, but the rest of the staff stepped up as well.

The Rangers are favored as World Series betting odds will tell you, but the Giants have won nine of their last 10 against Texas since 2000. It’s going to be a matchup of hitting (Texas) against pitching (San Francisco), so this is going to be interesting for sports betting players to wager on.

For the most up-to-date odds click here

World Series betting fans that had the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants facing off in the finals must be jumping for joy as the two Cinderella teams of the league are set to duel it out later today. The Texas Rangers have long been considered one of the jokes of the MLB, as not only had they never won a World Series going into 2010, but they had also never won a playoff series. Conversely, the San Francisco Giants were a team that couldn’t hit, but could always make things close and deserved a better fate. Now with both team’s battling for supremacy, who will be the finals MVP? Here are three possible candidates for MLB betting enthusiasts to consider.

• Cliff Lee Texas Rangers - Since being traded for the third time in two years, Lee has been absolutely lights out. Right now it appears Lee is playing for a long term contract as he is sick of moving from city to city. Nevertheless, Lee has been able to help the Rangers this season, going undefeated in four appearances. What’s more he’s been lights out in each of his seven post season appearances. When he pitches, the Rangers offense seems to get the confidence boost it needs and gives Lee five runs of support each time. If the Rangers win, his dominance should be the reason he gets the MVP.

• Tim Lincecum Giants - Lincecum started his playoff debut this year with a two hit 14 strikeout domination of the Atlanta Braves. Since then it appears that the man known as the ‘Freak’ has only improved. What’s more, to close out game six against the Phillies, Lincecum came in to setup Brian Wilson for the series win.

• Brian Wilson Giants - Has there been another clutch performer like Giants closer Brian Wilson? In all of his appearances these playoffs, Wilson has been able to shut down the opposition. It may sound basic, but just going in for an inning and being lights out gives the rest of your team dddthe confidence you need to win a World Series.

MLB betting seasons are twice as long as any other sports wagering season, as teams play back to back as a rule rather than the exception. Baseball betting fans have come to understand that in a seven month season, the likelihood of revenge games taking place is more common than in any other sport. Today we look at the two types of baseball betting revenge systems, which have been on display this past season.

One of the keys to the revenge systems is determining when a team will be up to defeat another team. In some cases a team will be humiliated, with a blowout defeat, while in others they will manage to lose a heart breaker and then bounce back the next game.

• Quick Revenge System – The quick revenge system as the name suggests, happens almost instantaneously. Commonly, fans can expect to see a home team have a letdown in the opening game of a series where they lead the whole game only to lose by three in the bottom of the ninth.

When this occurs, the home team usually comes back harder than ever in the second game, to show that they won’t be humiliated in back to back games. The stipulation we look for in the second game, is that the home team is favored in the second game. Reason being, that we want to make sure that our team is comparable if not better in ability than the team that pulled out the victory the night before.

• Long Term Revenge System – The Baltimore Orioles in their current matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays are proving that long term revenge actually does exist. How this works, is that a team will be swept by another team months prior and then will win at least one game in the return series a few months down the road.

In the Blue Jays versus Orioles series taking place currently, the Blue Jays went into Monday night’s game having won 12 of the 18 possible matches. Yet on Monday and then again last night, the Orioles bounced back at home taking the first two of the three game series.

Entering September, MLB betting handicappers are finally getting a clearer picture as to who to wager on for this year’s World Series who to choose as Free Baseball Picks. Baseball betting fans can’t decide whether it will be the American League winning back to back World Series or will the National League regain the World Series title? Our prediction is the Cincinnati Reds vs. Texas Rangers with the Rangers winning their first ever World Series title.

For years both the Rangers and Reds have struggled mightily not only to make the playoffs, but to field competitive teams. Yet this year, everything appears to be clicking for both squads. Each team has gone a similar route in the last five years, as pitching has let them down in the past, while their offenses have carried the load.

Finally in 2010, the pitching has come around for each team. Of the two, the National League Central leading Cincinnati Reds have had a more difficult time maintaining their playoff hopes. The Reds have been in a dog fight all year with Central rivals the St. Louis Cardinals. However, over the last three weeks, the Reds have finally gained a head of steam, pulling to an eight game lead in the division.

Conversely, no team has been better than the Texas Rangers throughout the second half of the season. Yes they are in one of the easier divisions in the entire MLB, but they have been dominant. The Rangers also have an eight game lead in their division.

Why We Think The Texas Rangers Will Win The World Series

With the Cincinnati Reds clicking on all cylinders and the Atlanta Braves appearing to be their only real true competition as the season carries on, we see the Reds cruising to the World Series. On the contrary, the Texas Rangers may be enjoying an easy ride now, but come playoff time they will possibly have to face both the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees. If they can knock off both of those power houses, winning the World Series will be just a formality.

NFL betting players in Chicago have Soldier Field, although it’s been totally rebuilt. In the Windy City, MLB betting players have Wrigley Field, which is the second-oldest active ballpark in the major leagues, and it looks the same as it ever has.This interesting piece of write-up provides some basic baseball betting tips regarding the history of Wrigley Field.

Wrigley Field was built in 1914, but didn’t open until 1916, when it was called Weeghman Park. It was remaned Wrigley Field in 1926, with the name coming from William Wrigley Jr., who was the owner of the Cubs at the time after he purchased them with money from his chewing-gum empire. Wrigley Field was also the home of the Bears from 1921 to 1970 before they built Soldier Field, but since, it’s been the home of the Cubs. The capacity is 41,118, making it the 10th-smallest stadium in the major leagues.

But as small as it is, there are few stadiums that can top Wrigley Field for atmosphere. The ivy-covered walls are instantly recognizable, and along with Fenway Park, Wrigley Field is one of the last stadiums anywhere to have a hand-turned scoreboard. Then there’s the “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” tradition, sung by legendary announcer Harry Caray when he started with the Cubs in 1978. When he passed away in 1997, the tradition lived, and now, celebrities and other sports stars will often be brought out to lead the Chicago fans in song.

While the Cubs may not be a very good team right now, heading to Wrigley Field is something that every sports fan and MLB betting player should have on their bucket list.