Want to win some money at the book on Major League Baseball next season? Then simply bet every interleague game available - in 2013 there will be at least one interleague game each day (not counting off days) due to the Astros moving from the NL Central to the AL West -- and always take the American League team against the NL.
Get all your MLB props at Bovada's online sportsbook. Don't have a Bovada account? Join NOW.
AL teams posted a 142-110 (.563) record in interleague play in 2012, the ninth straight year that the Junior Circuit has won the season series and the 12th time in 16 years. The AL now leads all-time 2,081-1,883 (.525). That league's numbers were better across the board in 2012. The AL had a.258 batting average with 1,142 runs scored, 279 home runs and a 3.78 ERA. The NL had a .251 batting average, 1,034 runs scored, 232 home runs and a 4.24 ERA.
It's usually a wise investment to wager on the New York Yankees in interleague play as well. They went 13-5 vs. the NL this season and have MLB's best all-time interleague record at 170-112 (.603). One of the bettors' big wins in MLB action last week was on the Yankees. New York actually lost a series to begin last week against the Braves, but Monday's 6-2 victory was one of the bettors' big wins as New York took almost 90 percent of the action on the run line at minus-1.5 (-115) and more than 75 percent of the lean on the moneyline at -210. The Yanks led the majors in interleague homers with 33 this year.
The team with the best record in interleague play this year was the red-hot Texas Rangers at 14-4. Thanks mostly to Texas, the AL West was the dominant division in MLB with a 44-28 mark. It helped that Texas got to beat up on lousy teams like Houston, San Diego and Colorado (an MLB-worst 2-13 in interleague play). The top win of the week for bettors was the Rangers' 4-2 win over the Padres on June 20 behind Japanese rookie pitcher Yu Darvish. The Rangers took more than 90 percent of the action at minus-1.5 runs (-120) and almost 97 percent of the lean at -190 on the moneyline.
The best result for the book last week was the Cubs' 2-1 victory over Jake Peavy and the White Sox on June 19 in the Windy City series. The Cubbies took only slightly more than one percent of all the action on the run line at plus-1.5 and only 22 percent of the moneyline action at +185.
Two of the book's top player props wins of the week involved the Angels' Albert Pujols. He was hitless, didn't knock in a run or score one in June 18 and 20 games vs. San Francisco. Thus he obviously was held under a combined two hits, runs and RBIs in both. The players' top prop victory was on Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. He went over the seven-strikeout total in a June 18 one-hit shutout (his second in a row at the time) against Baltimore, finishing with 13 Ks. Dickey's brilliant scoreless innings streak was rudely ended Sunday night as he was knocked around by the Yankees.
Speaking of player props, the book looks for one to be very popular on Tuesday: How Cubs super-prospect Anthony Rizzo fares in that night's game against the Mets at Wrigley Field. Rizzo, the franchise's most-hyped prospect since Starlin Castro, tore up Triple-A by batting .342 with a Pacific Coast-leading 23 home runs and 62 RBIs, good for third in that league.
The Cubs decided not to call up Rizzo in time for Monday's series opener with the Mets as they didn't want the lefty slugger to have to face Mets left-handed ace Johan Santana. New York starts righty Dillon Gee on Tuesday. Barring massive struggles, Rizzo should be entrenched at first base for the Cubs for the rest of this season and, the franchise hopes, for years to come.
Check back Thursday for a weekend live betting preview at the book.
Armed and ready. Bet on MLB at Bovada Sportsbook.
