Baseball betting action heats up in the coming weeks and months as the playoff races boil down to the nitty-gritty. Many of the pennant races are still wide open and every bet on baseball win counts as the end of summer draws near the baseball wagering postseason beckons. Two teams that will have to put it in high gear to claim a playoff invitation are the Tampa Bay Rays and the Seattle Mariners who will meet up at Safeco Field on August 7th.
Baseball wagering experts haven’t counted either of these two teams out of the playoff race just yet, but with each day hope grows dimmer. These two teams are fringe contenders in the bet on baseball AL Wildcard race, but still in the hunt. With a record of 55-47 the Rays are firmly in the hunt and three games back. The Mariners, at 53-48 are one of the biggest surprises of the bet on baseball season and just 5 games behind the Red Sox in the AL Wildcard baseball betting race.
That makes this match up an important game (and series) in the postseason picture. Not many baseball wagering aficionados would have predicted that at the beginning of the year, but that’s what makes baseball betting so special.
The Mariners have been good at home with a 27-22 record in Seattle. The Rays have not been all that good on the road compiling a record of 24-30. On Paper both team’s offenses have come alive of late and both are as capable as any team in baseball betting of putting up runs. The Rays have all-star sluggers Evan Longoria (.276, 21 HRs, 78 RBIs) and Ben Zobrist (.301, 18 HRs, 54 RBIs) who can bring runs across the plate as well as anyone in baseball gambling. And the Mariners have found a new source of power in Russ Branyan (24 HRs and 55 RBIs).
But the winner of this baseball gaming match up will be determined on the mound. The Mariners ace Felix Hernandez is one of the best pitchers in baseball betting with an 11-4 record and 2.79 ERA he ranks at the top of the AL stats. He also logs a lot of innings (over 6 per start) and collects strikeouts (128). If he’s on the mound the Rays will have a very tough time getting a baseball betting win. Unfortunately for the Mariners they have only one other quality starter (Jarrod Washburn, 8-6 2.64 ERA).
If anyone aside from these two pitchers is on the mound for the M’s look for the Rays to get a bet on baseball road win.