With four teams over .500 and three teams involved in the post-season (the
Rockies beat the Padres in a one-game playoff for the wild card), the National
League West was a high-profile division last season, not just for baseball fans
but for fans of MLB betting. Of course, as always, you had to know when to back
those teams and when to bet against them.
Arizona, which won the division by one game, did it by beating up on the NL
East, registering an ROI of +41.8 percent against those five rivals, meaning,
if you bet on the Diamondbacks in each of those 33 games, you crushed your
bookmaker.
Colorado was spectacular within the division, chalking up an ROI of +26.1
percent.
Shrewd gamblers went the other way when San Diego was a favorite of -200 (bet
$200 to win $100) or more, earning a profit of 28.5 percent by betting on the
Padres' opposition.
Both Los Angeles (-10.4 percent) and San Francisco (-21.2 percent) were
liabilities within the division.
Gamblers are analyzing last year's wagering numbers, hoping to uncover clues to
help them develop a baseball betting strategy for this season in the National
League West Division:
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (2007 Finish: 93-76, Won NL West)
Future Book Odds for 2008:
World Series: 16/1,
Pennant: 13/2,
Division:
2/1
By the Numbers:
Favorite: 53-29,
Underdog: 40-47
Home: 52-33,
Away: 41-43
Day: 21-23,
Night: 72-53
Vs. Left: 28-19,
Vs. Right: 65-57
One-Run Games: 32-21
Sportsbook MLB Betting Buster: The Diamondbacks had an ROI of
+18.3 percent against left-handed starting pitching last year.
Sports Betting Angle: Arizona had a strong ROI of +12.1
percent in the role of a favorite last season.
COLORADO ROCKIES (2007 Finish: 97-77, Wild Card)
Future Book Odds for 2008:
World Series: 25/1,
Pennant: 10/1,
Division:
3/1
By the Numbers:
Favorite: 45-31,
Underdog: 52-46
Home: 54-33,
Away: 43-44
Day: 28-22,
Night: 69-55
Vs. Left: 23-24,
Vs. Right: 74-53
One-Run Games: 21-21
Sportsbook MLB Betting Buster: The Rockies were a solid bet
overall, posting an ROI of +13.8 percent for all 174 games last year.
Sports Betting Angle: With an ROI of +23.9 percent, Colorado
was a spectacular bet as an underdog last season.
SAN DIEGO PADRES (2007 Finish: 89-74)
Future Book Odds for 2008:
World Series: 25/1,
Pennant: 11/1,
Division:
7/2
By the Numbers:
Favorite: 64-48,
Underdog: 25-26
Home: 47-34,
Away: 42-40
Day: 23-19,
Night: 66-55
Vs. Left: 28-22,
Vs. Right: 60-52
One-Run Games: 23-26
Sportsbook MLB Betting Buster: The Padres were adept
underdogs, posting an ROI of +6.9 percent last year.
Sports Betting Angle: San Diego beat up on teams from the NL
Central Division to the tune of an ROI of +14.6 percent.
LOS ANGELES DODGERS (2007 Finish: 82-80)
Future Book Odds for 2008:
World Series: 18/1,
Pennant: 7/1,
Division:
2/1
By the Numbers:
Favorite: 63-43,
Underdog: 19-37
Home: 43-38,
Away: 39-42
Day: 25-22,
Night: 57-58
Vs. Left: 25-21,
Vs. Right: 57-59
One-Run Games: 28-20
Sportsbook MLB Betting Buster: The Dodgers had a dismal ROI of
-25 percent in games where they were an underdog.
Sports Betting Angle: In the four games where LA was a
favorite of -200 or more, the team's ROI was +48.2 percent.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (2007 Finish: 71-91)
Future Book Odds for 2008:
World Series: 100/1,
Pennant: 40/1,
Division:
18/1
By the Numbers:
Favorite: 34-42,
Underdog: 37-49
Home: 39-42,
Away: 32-49
Day: 19-31,
Night: 52-60
Vs. Left: 21-26,
Vs. Right: 50-65
One-Run Games: 24-28
Sportsbook MLB Betting Buster: The Giants were a terrible bet
overall, notching an ROI of -11.4 percent on all 162 of their games last year.
Sports Betting Angle: With an ROI on -20 percent, San
Francisco was particularly lame as a favorite last season.
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