The weekend quickly approaches, and with it a number of new series are set to get underway in Major League Baseball, with the prerequisite lull in the action set for Thursday. Though the sports betting calendar may be light today, that doesn’t mean there won’t be some great betting options to get a hold of at one of the top reviews online sportsbooks found here at CR, so without further adieu we’ll jump right into the day’s available wagers at the TopBet sportsbook. A featured destination recently coming to our full attention in 2012, TopBet features all the things you would want in a great sportsbook, including prime bonus opportunities, great customer service, and a simple and easy-to-use wagering platform. Make no mistake that while this website is a newcomer amongst the other top reviewed sportsbooks. TopBet is one of the very best in the business.
For a breakdown of the MLB contests set to get underway today, we’ll start with a taste of the action getting underway in the National League, with a 4-pack of games set up leading off with Game 4 of the classic series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals. After the Cards managed to pick up a win last night 3-2 in 12 innings, they’ll look to grab 3 of 4 from the visiting Dodgers, who will be welcoming Hanley Ramirez into the line-up this evening after yesterday’s acquisition and trades with the Miami Marlins. There is no question that the Dodgers need some pop at the plate, and if Ramirez can turn his season around in LA there is a very good chance the Dodgers have what it takes to make it into the playoffs this year. For tonight however, check out the betting lines on a good pitcher’s duel once again, as St. Louis’ Jake Westbrook (8-8, 3.60 ERA) takes on LA’s Chris Capuano (10-5, 2.81 ERA), with the Cardinals getting -135 odds to win straight up while the Dodgers are slight underdogs at +125 odds. Other good looking NL bets to check out today include those on the series opening game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Houston Astros, as A.J. Burnett (11-3, 3.59 ERA) looks to continue his impressive year amongst an impressive Pirates team that is clearly in the hunt for a spot in the National League playoffs. Against the Houston Astros tonight, losers of 9 straight, look for a chance to take the Pirates to cover the 1 ½ runs against the spread as favorites, at decent -110 odds. With two more games come two more wagering options, so peruse your betting choices for the games between the Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers, with a low-scoring game on the horizon as the Nats’ Edwin Jackson duels with Milwaukee’s Yovani Gallardo, and also with the Arizona Diamondbacks seeking to send the New York Mets to a 7th straight loss and 1-11 since the All-Star break in Game 1 of a pivotal series out in the desert of Arizona.
Shifting momentum over to the American League games set up for Thursday, work your way through the betting lines for 4 solid match-ups, all which have strong betting potential across a number of betting lines. Of the most interest will be the AL Central clash between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians, as Detroit’s Justin Verlander (11-5, 2.42 ERA) hits the mound against Zach McAllister (4-2, 3.21 ERA) in what should be a tightly contested ballgame this evening at Progressive Field in Cleveland. This game is hugely important with just 3 games separating 3rd place Cleveland from 1st place Detroit in the AL Central, but with Detroit red hot at 9-3 since the All-Star break and getting their staff ace on the hill tonight, look for online sports betting picks to be centered around the Tigers picking up the win here this evening. With Verlander looking in top form giving up just 3 earned runs in his last 25 innings of work over three starts, we’re going low on the over/under taking this game to stay under 7 runs to score EVEN money on the betting lines at TopBet. Looking for other interesting match-ups, catch the Oakland A’s looking to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays on the road after last night’s punishing 16-0 victory, expect a low-scoring game between cellar-dwellers Kansas City and Seattle as the Mariner’s Jason Vargas may be up for his last start for the M’s as the trade deadline looms, and make sure to catch Tampa Bay trying for a road sweep of the Baltimore Orioles today at Camden Yards, amidst a heated AL East pennant and AL Wild Card race. All-in-all it’s a short, but sweet day of wagering on MLB Baseball at the best online sportsbooks reviewed here, so make sure to hop down to TopBet sportsbook for a taste of all the action on Thursday!