Baseball odds action really gets underway in the second half of the season. After the All Star fun and games it’s time for online sports betting fans to back to some serious baseball betting odds. And there will be no more interesting match up in the MLB odds immediately after the All Star break than the Philadelphia Phillies at the Florida Marlins. MLB odds on the night of July 18th will not get any better than the action at Land Shark Stadium in Miami. In what has shaped up as one of the tightest division races in the MLB betting odds, the defending world champion Phillies have seen their lock on the NL East baseball odds slip over the past few weeks.
At press time the Phillies (43-38) held a slim 2-game advantage over the resilient Marlins (43-42). No one would have predicted that the Marlins would still be in the thick of the MLB odds playoff push this late in the season but that’s exactly where they are. The team has a reputation of fizzling down the baseball betting odds home stretch and it looked like the squad might have peaked in April.
What’s more impressive is the fact that the team looks to be improving and it’s finally got it’s starting pitching staff healthy for the first time this baseball odds season. Ace Josh Johnson (7-1, 2.82 ERA) has been selected to the All Star competition and starter Ricky Nolasco has been 4-1 with an ERA under 3.00 since his return from the minors. The Marlins have been erratic, but effective at the plate and the most dangerous team during the late innings of a game. In fact, the team that leads the baseball odds with walk wins this season and is always among the leaders in come from behind wins. The biggest weakness is the team’s bull pen which could be addressed shortly in a MLB betting odds trade.
The Phillies on the other hand have a star-studded roster and it remains a MLB odds mystery as to why this team doesn’t have a better record. With a roster full of all stars this team should walk all over the penny pinching Marlins in any baseball odds competition. But expect the Marlins to get the win in this online sports betting match up. The Marlins have a habit of playing to the level of their baseball odds competition.
The Marlins are also 19-10 against NL East rivals and could parlay this MLB odds series into first place position in the division.