A Look at MLB Betting So Far in 2021

We are roughly one-fifth of the way into the 2021 Major League Baseball season and already there have been plenty of surprises. The reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, for instance, do not lead the NL West. After gaining another Cy Young pitcher in the offseason, the Dodgers aren’t even in second-place in their division.

The AL favorite New York Yankees are finding the going just as tough in their division. Most recently, the Yankees were tied with Toronto for second-place behind AL East-leading Boston. The Red Sox, at one point, even had the best record in baseball.

It’s been a unique start and there are surely more surprises to come over the course of the rest of the 2021 season. Bettors have had to keep on their toes to navigate this season. Here’s a look at some of the MLB betting stats so far in 2021.

Back the Sox

One team that many fans and experts alike picked to be in the mix in the American League was the Chicago White Sox. So far, so good.

The White Sox lead the AL Central with a 21-13 record. Then, there are the other Sox. The Boston Red Sox. Boston leads the AL East with a record of 22-16.

Now, if you have played the White Sox on the moneyline, you may be doing fairly well. If you have backed the Red Sox in certain situations, you’re doing even better.

The Red Sox are 8-3 as an underdog this season. One of the keys in betting MLB is to find value, which often can be found on the underdog. This is especially true in division games where the teams are more familiar with each other. It also occurs when an underdog is on the road. So far in 2021, the Red Sox are 5-1 as a road underdog. That’s something to keep in mind the rest of the season.

Run Line Trends

Typically, baseball is a moneyline sport, but there are some trends that MLB bettors should take note of. One involves the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners dominate the Run Line

The Mariners’ franchise has not been all that successful during its time in the majors. In fact, Seattle has suffered through losing seasons in 30 of its 44 campaigns in MLB. The Mariners currently have the longest playoff drought in all of the four major North American professional sports leagues (MLB, NHL, NBA, and NFL).

The Mariners aren’t off to that great of a start in 2021, but they are middling right around .500. Most recently, Seattle was 18-19 and in third-place in the AL West. To the average bettor, the Mariners don’t look like much, but upon a closer look one finds that Seattle’s run line record is 23-14. That is tied for the best in the majors. The Mariners are tied with St. Louis (22-15 SU) and San Francisco (22-14 SU). Both the Cardinals and Giants lead their respective divisions. Keep an eye on each of these teams as they are covering the spread in over 62 percent of their games.

Reds Rover, Reds Over

Over the past several years, the NL Central has been one of the more competitive divisions in baseball. The thing is, the Cincinnati Reds have not been a big part of that competition. Last year, the Reds finished over .500 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

The Reds are hitting Overs

This year, Cincy isn’t off to that great of a start at 17-17, but bettors should be watching the Reds. They are the best Over team in baseball. So far in 2021, the Over is 22-11-1 (66.7%) in Reds’ games this season. Part of the reason why has to do with the play of Jesse Winkler, who is second in the majors with a .375 batting average. Nick Castellanos is also part of the equation as he is among the top-10 in home runs with nine.

But, it is really Cincinnati’s inconsistent play that has led to so many totals going Over. Consider the Reds last three-game series against Pittsburgh. Cincy won the first game 14-1, lost the second 7-2, and won the third 5-1. In three games against the Cubs, the Reds scored 24 runs yet still managed to lose a game. Regardless, MLB bettors should continue to look at the Reds’ totals this season.