For all of the debate about when the Washington Nationals should bring Stephen Strasburg back in to the rotation following Tommy John surgery, it looks like he is more than ready to throw right now. Strasburg made his first start of the MLB betting season on Tuesday night, allowing just two hits over five shutout innings while striking out four and leaving the game with a 3-0 lead. Of course, Washington’s pitiful bullpen couldn’t handle the suddenly powerful Los Angeles Dodgers and they ended up giving up seven runs over four innings to fall 7-3, but that didn’t seem to matter much to those on hand who repeatedly got to their feet for the pitching phenom. It might not make a difference in games this year, but Strasburg will be back in 2012.

As for the Nationals, it seems as though there are a few teams around the league that just can’t seem to put the pieces together even with talent in their lineup. Washington showed flashes of their potential at the beginning of last year, but the addition of Jayson Werth hasn’t panned out the way that they had planned it so far, and the club hasn’t gotten much support when fishing for another breakout star in Michael Morse. The Nationals are battling to stay out of the National League East basement, but it hasn’t been easy in that division this year. It may take some time, but with Strasburg back at least there is now an eye to the sports betting future.

Over the past decade, the American League East has been all about the battle between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, with the exception of the Tampa Bay Rays making a push in that MLB betting division for a couple of seasons. With the Rays unable to deal with the turnover from a year ago, the Yankees and Red Sox are once again out front battling for the division title, pushing one another to be better at the top. The two teams were tied heading into action Wednesday night, and there was no reason to think that either one will let up anytime soon.

The Yankees will play out the remainder of their sports betting schedule against the Oakland Athletics before making the trip to Baltimore to face the Orioles, who have been stuck in the AL East basement all season. The Red Sox meanwhile will run their No. 1 ranked offense against the defending AL champion Texas Rangers before taking on those same Athletics at home, in the final series before they welcome New York to Fenway Park for a three-game set. The idea is that when that series rolls around the two teams will be tied for top spot, and it is not an unlikely scenario. The regular season continues to wind down, but don’t expect the AL East picture to get any clearer until the top two teams clash.

The one mistake that the MLB betting oddsmakers seem incapable of getting past is the fact that over the years they consistently underrate the importance of pitching on a potential World Series team. That was certainly the case a year ago when the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies were among the favorites to win the World Series, even though the Phillies had little to bank on beyond Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels and the Yankees little beyond CC Sabathia. Fortunately for the ones that make the odds, the Phillies helped them this year with the addition of Cliff Lee and the development of Vance Worley as a legitimate starting option, two things that have helped them to the best record in the majors and the best World Series odds at 5/2. Philadelphia is the closest thing to a lock to make the World Series as a team has been in years, but beyond the best pitching staff in baseball there are some serious question marks.

The Boston Red Sox were the consensus World Series sports betting favorites before the season started, and they are still the favorites to represent the American League at 7/2 odds, just better than the Yankees which come in at 9/2. The problem with both teams is a lack of pitching depth that could be exposed. The Red Sox have Josh Beckett and Jon Lester and little else in their rotation, although the offense could be strong enough to bail them out. The same cannot be said about New York, which other than Sabathia are still dull in the rotation, and even their ace has struggled against some of the top teams including a 0-4 record against Boston.

Any talk about the National League has to begin and end with the team that has dominated the pennant race, as the Philadelphia Phillies have ran away with the best record in the league so far in 2011. After adding Cliff Lee to an already impressive starting rotation, the Phillies have the sports betting weapons on both offense and defense to get the job done, and there is no doubt that they will push through the rest of the year and clinch the pennant.

Joining Philadelphia in the postseason will be the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants, who have managed to remain at the top of the weakest division in the NL in their effort to get back to the big dance. The Atlanta Braves likely won’t catch the Phillies in the NL East, but they should have no problem locking up the NL Wild Card spot with the second-best record in their MLB betting division. That leaves the NL Central to be decided, and with so many teams at the top it is hard to project who will get in and who won’t. The St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Pittsburgh Pirates are all within one game of eachother for the division lead, and it could come down to the final days of the season to determine a winner. The only thing that is certain at this point in the season for the NL, is that it is the Phillies and then everyone else.

It seems to happen every MLB betting season, a team that is picked to push for a division title falls way short and ends up being the biggest flop in the majors for that given season. Usually it is a significant amount of injuries that holds teams back, while inconsistencies among the top stars on a team can also play a major role in their decline, or even both. This year it is the Chicago White Sox that have been the biggest flops in the majors, and mostly because injuries have had so little to do with their lack of success so far.

The defending AL Central division champion Minnesota Twins have been buried in the standings the first half of the sports betting season, but that is mostly due to the unbelievable amount of man games lost. With stars like Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau spending most of the season on the DL along with a variety of other key contributors, the Twins have showed flashes but haven’t been nearly consistent enough to make a run. The White Sox on the other hand have a ton of talent on paper, but simply haven’t performed. The pitching staff has done well to rank in the top half of the majors, but the order has been horrible and is 17^th in runs scored. It is fitting that the biggest flop so far this season also has the biggest bust in Adam Dunn, who signed a massive contract with the White Sox and simply hasn’t delivered so far. Despite nine home runs, Dunn is batting just .160, which is not that much worse than Alex Rios’ .213 mark. With big contracts Chicago will have a hard time moving either one, so the White Sox will have to figure this one out on their own.

While they remain a betting long shot to win it all in 2011, the Cincinnati Reds appear on the verge of becoming one of the top contenders to go all the way in the National League. It may be hard to commit to a team that ranks fourth in their division and are battling in the same league as the powerhouse Philadelphia Phillies, but at 25-1 odds the Reds could be the upset pick of the year.

Cincinnati is looking up at the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, and Pittsburgh Pirates in a stacked NL Central, but just one year removed from a division title they may not be that far away from repeating. The Reds have been inconsistent all year when it comes to a pitching staff that has been plagued by injuries, but the third-ranked offense in the league remains a threat on any given night and if their arms can get it together for a decent stretch they could get in to the MLB betting postseason. MVP Joey Votto leads a strong cast of hitters, and once they are there anything can happen. With Mike Leake emerging as one of the bright spots on their staff, and if Bronson Arroyo and Travis Wood can get their ERA down and perform with more consistency, Cincinnati could very well become one of the underdogs to go all the way and surprise with a World Series celebration in 2011.

When the consensus MLB betting pick to win this year’s World Series started the year off with consecutive sweeps through their first two series’, people were quick to criticize them as being overrated. The Boston Red Sox had broken the bank to bring in a couple of key offensive pieces in Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, and the moves didn’t seem to make a big difference early on as they struggled through the month of April. The pitching staff didn’t even perform at the same level as they had last season, and that left the Red Sox at the bottom of the division looking up and needing to find a way to break out. But after both Gonzalez and Crawford picked up their level of play, and in the former’s case to the point that they are now in contention for a possible MVP award, the pitching staff got it together and the Red Sox have now won nine of their past ten and are at the top of the American League East.

Boston’s depth is really beginning to show, and if they keep performing at this level the Bruins won’t be the only team from the city making that type of championship sports betting news. Gonzalez is batting .347 on the season and paced the team with 60 RBI through his first 66 games, while even David Ortiz is getting into the act with a .321 average and 17 home runs. With former MVP Dustin Pedroia continuing to work his way back up and Jacoby Ellsbury consistently producing, the offense is getting the job done in front of a pitching staff that has long ranked as one of the best in the baseball. The Red Sox are finally reaching their potential, and now that they are it is unlikely they will slow down anytime soon.

Perhaps watching Lebron James and his Miami Heat teammates battle the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA finals ahead of the 2011 Belmont Stakes betting isn’t as difficult for fans living in the city of Cleveland with the success of their baseball franchise this season. Known for some of the worst teams in professional sports, the Cleveland Indians have risen above the Cavaliers and Browns to give the city hope that they could have a true championship contender in 2011, and it is a wise online sports betting move not to bet against them when they are playing at home.

The Indians won 19 of their first 25 home games in 2011 and are now on track to bring home the American League Central division with a comfortable cushion ahead of the second-place Detroit Tigers. The Motor City has had the good fortune of watching the Red Wings bring home Stanley Cup trophies over the past decade, and the Pistons weren’t that bad not too long ago so it is obvious that Cleveland is the more desperate city. A couple of key trades involving the acquisition of Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo allowed the Indians to grow their two biggest stars within the organization, and now they are producing at an elite level this season. Cleveland might not have what it takes to win a World Series in 2011, but they are a competitive team and they have brought a championship hope to the city making it wise to bet against them at home in the near future.

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.