Joseph D'Amico
Jeff Alexander
Jeff Alexander began his career as a college and NFL football Handicapper.
Trev Rogers
Trev's selections are always ranked at the top of the sports betting industry, no matter which sport is being measured.
Ray Monohan
What you see is what you get. No Game of the month, game of the year, game of the decade mumbojumbo, just winning selections.
Tony Karpinski
TonyK (3G-Sports) has won several handicapping contests especially in football, as he finished in the top 10 in the renowned NFL Las Vegas Hilton $500,000.
Perfect Starting Pitching Trends by Ross Benjamin
Perfect Starting Pitching Trends
by Ross Benjamin
When it comes to the work a professional handicapper does on a daily basis the common goal they strive for is perfection. Although it’s an unattainable reality it certainly doesn’t deter the best ones from exploring every possible edge, system, or angle in order to attempt to achieve the best possible results for the long term.
I have taken the time to research current starting pitchers in both the American and National Leagues in order to come up with some perfect wagering situations. In some instances perfect is deemed to be a starting pitcher who is on a prolonged win streak in accordance with specific variables applied to each of his outings. Contrarily, I also included starting pitchers that are on an extended losing streak with the same parameters mentioned above.
In the following paragraphs there is a phrase that’s used on several occasions. That phrase is “team starts”. Often times the novice baseball handicapper gets too caught up with a starting pitcher’s win/loss decision record. While most professionals prefer a pitcher’s team start record to be more of a pertinent handicapping tool. Simply clarifying what team start means, it’s the pure record of a team when a pitcher starts a game. A specific example of the difference between the two is the following. If Cole Hamels of the Phillies gets removed from a game in the bottom of the 6th inning for a pinch hitter with the score tied 1-1, and the Phillies fail to score in the bottom of inning, then Hamels consequently leaves the game with no decision. However if the Phillies eventually win the game Hamels would be credited with a team start win. Having said all of that I hope you find the following paragraphs helpful and informative in your pursuit of winning wagers.
The San Francisco Giants Matt Cain is 19-0 in his team starts since 4/18/2012 after throwing 100 pitches or more in his previous start. That includes 3-0 this season starting with a 8-2 win as a -120 favorite versus Atlanta on 5/10, a 8-6 win at Colorado on 5/16 as a -113 favorite, and a 4-2 win versus Washington on 5/21 as a -115 favorite. The average margin of victory in those 19 contests was 3.1 runs per game.
The Los Angeles Dodgers Zach Grienke is 21-0 in his team starts since 5/15/2011 as a home favorite of -140 or more if his team didn’t blow a 5 or more run lead in his previous start. The average margin of victory in those 21 contests was 3.1 runs per game.
The Milwaukee Brewers Yavoni Gallardo is 20-0 in his team starts as a favorite since 6/24/2010 after he had a WHIP of 0.99 or less in his previous start. The average margin of victory in those 20 contests was 3.6 runs per game.
The New York Mets Dillon Gee is 13-0 in his career team starts after he threw between 60 and 90 pitches in his previous start. That includes 4-0 this season starting with a 2-0 win versus Washington as an underdog of +135 on 4/21, a 7-6 win at Miami as a -123 favorite on 5/1, a 3-2 win versus Pittsburgh as a -118 favorite on 5/9, and a 4-3 win at the Cubs as a +140 underdog on 5/19. The average margin of victory in those 13 contests was 2.4 runs per game.
The Boston Red Sox John Lester is 17-0 in his career team starts at night when the Red Sox used 6 or more pitchers in the day before. The average margin of victory in those 17 contests was 3.7 runs per game.
The Arizona Diamondbacks Ian Kennedy is 14-0 in his team starts since 5/20/2011 after winning his previous start, and posting a 0.99 or less WHIP in that outing. That includes 1-0 this season with a 8-7 win versus Milwaukee as a +100 underdog on 4/7. The average margin of victory in those 14 contests was 3.2 runs per game.
The Texas Rangers Derek Holland is 12-0 in his road team starts since 7/14/2011 after his previous outing was at home and was deemed to be a quality start. That includes 2-0 this season starting with a 4-2 win at the Cubs as a -130 favorite on 4/16 and a 4-1 win at Milwaukee as a +105 underdog on 5/8. The average margin of victory in those 12 contests was 4.1 runs per game.
The Chicago Cubs Scott Feldman is 0-14 in his team starts since 9/29/2009 after not lasting at least 5.0 innings in his previous start. That includes 0-2 this season starting with a 7-6 loss to San Francisco as a +137 underdog on 4/11 and a 4-2 loss at Milwaukee as a +122 underdog on 4/21. The average margin of loss in those 14 contests was 3.4 runs per game.
The Houston Astros Jordan Lyles is 0-16 in his career team starts after throwing 99 or more pitches in his previous start. The average margin of loss in those 16 contests was 4.3 runs per game.
The Chicago Cubs Matt Garza is 0-14 in his career team starts when the total is 8.5 or less and he allowed 0 earned runs in his previous start, in addition to throwing 103 or more pitches in that outing. The average margin of loss in those 14 contests was 4.0 runs per game.
The Detroit Tigers Doug Fister is 0-13 in his regular season team starts since 7/2/2010 as an underdog of +110 or more. Fister has seen 11 of those 13 starts come with the Seattle Mariners prior to his trade to Detroit. In those 13 games Fister received an average run support of just 2.2 runs per game. The average margin of loss in those 13 contests was 3.4 runs per game.
The Cleveland Indians Justin Masterson is 0-9 in his career team starts versus an American League opponent after not walking a batter in his previous start. The average margin of loss in those 9 contests was 4.3 runs per game.
