Posted on 5/8/2008 5:50:21 PM

MLB Baseball Betting Previews – Who’s Hot?

By Mike Rose

1) Brandon Webb (7-0) (+$714.00) No shock here as former NL Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks owns a stellar 7-0 mark with a 2.49 ERA and 1.06 WHIP throughout his first seven starts of the season. This guys made it look easy thus far striking out 37 batters while issuing 16 free passes, and has only allowed 34 hits and 13 earned runs in 47 innings of work. However, after going seven innings or more in three of his first four starts, he’s only gone six innings in his L/3 starts. Overall, he’s averaging close to seven innings per start, but he’s the innings eater within the D’Backs rotation, and Manager Bob Melvin is smart to have limited his work of late to keep him fresh for later in the season. You won’t find much value with Webb throughout the remainder of the year (favorite in 6 of 7 starts), but certainly make it a point to back him against other teams aces. He’s already outdueled Peavy, Francis, and Harang this year.

2) Joe Saunders (6-0) (+$709.00) Surprisingly, the Angels left-hander is amongst the top of the list in the league for personal wins with six, and the Angels are yet to drop a game in which he’s started winning all seven of his starts. He owns a stellar 2.61 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, and he’s only surrendered 43 hits and 14 earned runs with a K/BB ratio of 21/10 in a tad over 48 total innings pitched. He’s averaging close to seven innings per start, and has limited opponents to an average of two runs per game. He’s been the favorite in all but two of his starts this season, and was no more than a +110 underdog in the other two starts. He’d have Manager Mike Scoscia tickled pink if he was able to reproduce these numbers in his next seven starts, but don’t look for that continue. The law of averages should catch up to him, so be on the lookout for inflated numbers in the future whenever he’s squaring off against a solid left-handed hitting team.

2) Chien-Ming Wang (6-0) (+$705.00) The Yankees right-hander has quietly become one of the most dominant pitching forces the league has to offer the last couple seasons. He’s posted 19 wins in each of the last two seasons for the “Bronx Bombers”, and looks to be well on his way towards reaching the 20-win plateau this year after getting off to a 6-0 start. Along with his unblemished mark, he owns a miniscule 3.00 ERA and 1.13 WHIP and the Yanks are a perfect 7-0 whenever he’s toed the rubber this season. He’s undefeated at Yankees Stadium once again, but most impressive is his 3-0 road mark that’s seen his ERA go down to 1.64 with dominating performances at Chicago, Boston, and Cleveland. Opponents have only gotten 38 hits and 15 earned runs off him, and they’ve only managed 13 walks while striking out 32 times in the 45 total innings Wang’s pitched. He’s allowed a total of four earned runs his last three starts, and I look for his dominance to continue since he’s already a proven commodity in this league.

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