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Oct 032012
 
 

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Oct 032012
 
 

You have to give it up for Bud Selig. This second wildcard has made baseball interesting up until the last second of the MLB regular season. This is how it stands on the final day.

AL Wild Card Standings
Team W L Pct GB Home Road Last 10 Streak
y-Baltimore 93 68 .578 - 47-34 46-34 6-4 W 1
y-Oakland 93 68 .578 - 49-31 44-37 8-2 W 5
y-Texas 93 68 .578 - 50-31 43-37 4-6 L 2
Tampa Bay 89 72 .553 4.0 45-35 44-37 8-2 L 1
Los Angeles 89 72 .553 4.0 46-35 43-37 7-3 L 1
Chicago 84 77 .522 9.0 45-36 39-41 3-7 L 1
Seattle 74 87 .460 19.0 39-41 35-46 3-7 W 1
Toronto 72 89 .447 21.0 40-40 32-49 6-4 W 2
Kansas City 72 89 .447 21.0 37-43 35-46 2-8 W 1
Boston 69 92 .429 24.0 34-47 35-45 1-9 L 7
Cleveland 68 93 .422 25.0 37-43 31-50 6-4 W 1
Minnesota 66 95 .410 27.0 31-50 35-45 4-6 L 4
NL Wild Card Standings
Team W L Pct GB Home Road Last 10 Streak
y-Atlanta 93 68 .578 - 48-33 45-35 7-3 L 2
y-St. Louis 87 74 .540 - 49-31 38-43 7-3 L 1
Los Angeles 85 76 .528 2.0 44-36 41-40 7-3 L 1
Milwaukee 83 78 .516 4.0 49-31 34-47 5-5 W 2
Philadelphia 81 80 .503 6.0 40-41 41-39 4-6 L 1
Arizona 81 80 .503 6.0 41-39 40-41 5-5 W 1
Pittsburgh 79 82 .491 8.0 45-35 34-47 5-5 W 2
San Diego 75 86 .466 12.0 42-39 33-47 3-7 L 3
New York 73 88 .453 14.0 36-45 37-43 5-5 L 4
Miami 69 92 .429 18.0 38-42 31-50 3-7 W 2
Colorado 63 98 .391 24.0 35-46 28-52 5-5 L 1
Chicago 60 101 .373 27.0 37-43 23-58 1-9 L 2
Houston 55 106 .342 32.0 35-46 20-60 6-4 W 3
Jun 142012
 
 

The 2012 College World Series is about set to get started on Friday, and here at Cappers Mall, we are going to be taking a closer look at the eight teams that are fighting it out for the right beat the 2012 College Baseball Championship odds in Omaha at 5Dimes Sportsbook!

 

It is very clear that the best team in the nation is the Florida Gators (+180). They are playing in a tough bracket that could be a bear to get out of, but in the end, they have had superior pitching and hitting to all of the teams that they have run into en route to the College World Series. Of course, the SEC’s best isn’t nearly alone in Bracket Two, which begins play on Saturday night. Joining UF in Bracket Two are the Arkansas Razorbacks (+700) and the South Carolina Gamecocks (+575).

 

Both the Gamecocks and the Razorbacks are intriguing cases to say the least. The Hogs have the big time advantage of being the closest team to Omaha left in the bracket. That’s not to say that the rest of the teams aren’t going to be traveling fans, but it is a lot easiest for the baseball fans of the world to travel from Fayetteville to get to Omaha as opposed to Los Angeles or Gainesville. South Carolina will have a strong contingent for sure, and that’s largely because of its rich history in this tournament. The Gamecocks have won 11 games in a row at the College World Series, a tournament record, and they are going to be gunning for their third straight title.

 

The team that has to be looking at Bracket Two and kicking itself is the Kent State Golden Flashes (+1500), who are making their first appearance here at the CWS. With all of the matches coming against the SEC’s best, Kent State is sure to be in for a short stay in Omaha, barring a miracle.

 

Florida might be able to prove once again that it is the best team in the SEC, but it might not even be the best team in its own state. The Florida State Seminoles (+360) have been tearing the cover off of the baseball of late, and many think that they should be the favorites to come out of Bracket One. Of course, Florida State has never won the College World Series in spite of the fact that they have been here countless times before, but that might change this time around if the pitching can hold up.

 

FSU has a tough first draw against another team that has been lighting up scoreboards of late, the Arizona Wildcats (+590). The Cats aren’t figured to be able to win this tournament, especially knowing that they probably aren’t the best team out of the Pac-12 here in Omaha. That title goes to the UCLA Bruins (+335), who stormed through the Los Angeles Regional and Super Regional without any problems to speak of to reach this point.

 

That leaves the Stony Brook Seawolves (+1500), who are a true Cinderella story. It isn’t all that often that you see a No. 4 seed from a regional make it to the College World Series, but that’s what happened with the Seawolves, who survived against the likes of the Miami Hurricanes, UCF Knights (twice, no less), and finally the LSU Tigers in two out of three games at the Super Regional in Baton Rouge. Not only is this the first time that Stony Brook has made it to the College World Series, but it is the first time that a team from the SUNY system in New York has been here to Omaha as well.

May 292012
 
 

Gio Gonzalez Leading The Way For MLB Money Pitchers

Starting pitchers that have been around for the whole season in MLB betting action are all working on their 10th or 11th start this week. Now is a great time to look back at the Top 5 money pitchers in the game through the first two months of the season, as teams are heading towards the All-Star Break.

 

Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals – Gonzalez was a steal in the offseason by the Nats, as they brought him into DC with hopes of making him one of the top, young starters in the game along with Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmerman. Mission accomplished. Gonzalez has been a stud, going 7-1 with a 2.04 ERA, and he has a tremendous K/9 ratio of 11.53, one of the best marks for any pitcher – starter or reliever – in the game. Gonzalez has led the Nationals to a 9-1 record this year, and he has five straight dominating victories under his belt. MLB bettors have picked up a cool $807 in his 10 starts this year, the best in the bigs.

 

Bud Norris, Houston Astros – Norris has been one of the big surprises of the year. The Astros have been hanging around .500 for most of the season, and they are one of the most pleasant shocks of the campaign. Norris has led his team to an 8-2 mark, and when you’re talking about a team that gets the lack of respect that Houston does, you know that that leads to a great money record. Norris is +$772 on the year, but he clearly isn’t just getting luck. He has a 5-1 mark with a 3.34 ERA, and safe for a bad start this past week against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Norris has been a rock of late. He had allowed just one earned run in his previous four starts, spanning 26.0 innings.

 

Cole Hamels, Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies have been a train wreck all season long for MLB bettors, but Hamels has been the lone exception. He has a +$760 mark in his 10 starts, and he has led the team to a 9-1 record in his 10 games. Think that Hamels isn’t worried about that big contract that he is going to get in the offseason? He is 8-1 with a 2.43 ERA thus far on the campaign, and batters only have a .265 OBP against him. At 28 years old, Hamels is probably in line for one of these mega-contracts, and if he can help pitch the Phillies into the playoffs, you know that he is going to be given just a slew of money if he can keep this up.

 

R.A. Dickey, New York Mets – Dickey certainly doesn’t throw the ball as hard as the rest of the pitchers on this list, but he is definitely doing the job for an overachieving New York squad. We aren’t as optimistic that Dickey is going to keep this up, as he has led the Mets to an 8-2 mark and a +$750 money amount thus far in 2012. The knuckler had never won more than 11 games in a season in his career before this year, and he has never been looked upon as a strikeout pitcher. Yet this year, Dickey has 61 strikeouts in 64.2 innings of work, including a whopping 29 Ks in his last 20.1 innings. Needless to say, the Mets won all three of those starts.

 

James Shields, Tampa Bay Rays – Last year, “Big Game James” had his moniker changed to “Complete Game James.” He had 11 games that we went from start to finish in his 16-12 campaign. This year, James has yet to finish anything that he started, and it appears as though Manager Joe Maddon and Pitching Coach Dave Hickey are a lot more concerned about his pitch count. It hasn’t stopped James from being great, though. He is 6-2 with a 3.63 ERA, and as a result, he has led his team to an 8-2 mark and $693 worth of profits.

May 242012
 
 

Believe it or not we are only a little over a month away from the 83rd All-Star Game on July 10 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

The Baltimore Orioles have the best record in the American League and have one of the best road records in baseball (15-6 through Wednesday, 5/23/12). The Orioles have been the number one team in all of baseball when it comes to betting. Prior to Wednesday, if you bet $100 in every game the Orioles played this year you are up $1,750. Baltimore is only +$379 at home but a very impressive +$1371 on the road. They are a modest +$170 as a favorite and a solid +1580 as an underdog. The O’s are 21-14 against right handed starters and 7-3 against left handed starters.

Notable Records against left handed pitchers

Baltimore 7-3
San Francisco 9-4
St. Louis 9-4
Colorado 4-10
Cleveland 4-8
San Diego 3-14
Philadelphia 3-9
Kansas City 2-8
Chi Cubs 1-7

 

After the Orioles, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the best team in baseball against the Vegas number. It just so happens they also have the best overall record in baseball at 30-13 including 19-4 at home. If you wagered $100 on every Dodgers game this year you would be up $1587. They are +$1431 at home and +$156 on the road. They are +$960 as a favorite and $627 as an underdog.

Rounding out the top 5 as the best betting teams so far are the surprising New York Mets, Cleveland Indians and Washington Nationals.

Top 10 MLB money teams

Baltimore $1750
LA Dodgers $1587
NY Mets $757
Cleveland $649
Washington $631
Tampa Bay $626
Oakland $578
Atlanta $539
Cincinnati $331
Houston $270

 

Some of the teams that have crushed bettors so far this year have been the Yankees, Phillies, Tigers and Angels who were all supposed to be among the best teams in baseball and favorites to win the World Series. Heck, they still might but you may not want to bet them yet until they turn it around consistently.

Boston -$525
Arizona -$721
NY Yankees -$801
San Diego -$949
Philadelphia -$1022
Chi Cubs -$1080
Detroit -$1093
Colorado -$1438
Milwaukee -$1467
LA Angels -$1583

 

We discussed the Dodgers numbers at home already. Some of the other good betting teams at home include the Astros, Rays and Nationals while the Royals, Phillies, Diamondbacks and Tigers are the worst at home.

LA Dodgers $1431
Houston $848
Tampa Bay $580
Washington $450
Detroit -$836
Arizona -$992
Philadelphia -$1033
Kansas City -$1227

 

While the Royals have been terrible at home, they have been one of the best teams in baseball on the road as far as the sportsbooks are concerned. The Orioles, Royals, Indians, Athletics and White Sox have delivered on the road for bettors so far this year. The Albert Pujols led Angels are the worst team in baseball on the road for bettors with the Brewers, Rockies and Padres almost as bad.

Baltimore $1371
Kansas City $1027
Cleveland $729
Oakland $721
Chi White Sox $661
San Diego -$633
Colorado -$668
Milwaukee -$781
LA Angels -$981

 

 

Apr 232012
 
 

MLB Betting: Los Angeles Angels vs. Tampa Bay Rays Series Preview (4/24-4/26)

The Tampa Bay Rays (9-7, +$214) are getting set to come back to Tropicana Field, where they are 5-1 on the campaign, and they are going to be taking on the Los Angeles Angels (6-10, -$943), who have been struggling mightily to get traction this season.

 

The road teams have had a great history in this series over the last two years. The Rays swept the Angels on the road last June, and the Halos had won five of the previous six here the Trop. That being said, the recent form is clearly on the side of Tampa Bay, a team that has won four out of five. The Angels come into this series after taking two out of three at home against the Baltimore Orioles, though they dropped four of the seven games on this home stand before coming out East.

 

In the first game of this series on Tuesday night, Ervin Santana looks for his first win of the year against David Price. Santana has been awful this season, going 0-3 with a 6.75 ERA. He hasn’t allowed fewer than four runs in a game this year, and batters are hitting .270 against him. Price meanwhile, has been sharp for the most part, posting a 2-1 record with a 4.20 ERA. He has nine walks this year though, which is very uncharacteristic for a man that has had pinpoint accuracy with his pitches in the past. The first pitch gets thrown out at 7:10 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday.

 

The newly acquired CJ Wilson makes his fourth start of the year for the Halos on Wednesday against second year man Jeremy Hellickson of the Rays on Wednesday night. This ESPN2 duel (7:10 ET) should be a good one for Wilson. He is 4-0 with four holds and a save in his career against Tampa Bay, and he has just a 2.25 ERA to show for his 40.0 innings of work against it. Wilson has a 2.37 ERA this year as well, though he is coming off of his worst start of the year in which he allowed four runs in six frames in a loss against the Oakland Athletics. This is only going to be the second time that Hellickson has ever started against the Angels in his career. He is 2-0 with a 3.26 ERA this year, but he has only allowed two earned runs in his 14.1 innings of work in his two triumphs.

 

Thursday is getaway day for both of these teams, as they both have to hit the road when this 1:10 p.m. (ET) game is said and done with. Jerome Williams will make just his ninth start in the majors since 2007 in this one. He is 1-1 on the campaign with a 7.71 ERA, and his one start on the road was a brutal one against the New York Yankees in which he allowed five runs in 2.2 innings of work. Matt Moore is still just 22 years old, and he is making his fifth career start in the regular season in this one. He has never faced LA before in his career, and he really needs to calm down to keep his spot in the rotation for Manager Joe Maddon. Moore has thrown either 6.1 or 6.2 innings in all three of his starts, and he has a woeful 0-1 mark with a 5.12 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. More concerning for Moore is his K/BB ratio of just 11/12.

 

Los Angeles Angels vs. Tampa Bay Rays Series Schedule

Tuesday, April 24th 7:10 p.m. (ET) – Ervin Santana (LAA) vs. David Price (TAM) (FOX Sports West, Sun Sports)

Wednesday, April 25th, 7:10 p.m. (ET) – CJ Wilson (LAA) vs. Jeremy Hellickson (TAM) (ESPN2, Sun Sports)

Thursday, April 26th, 1:10 p.m. (ET) – Jerome Williams (LAA) vs. Matt Moore (TAM) (FOX Sports West, Sun Sports)

Apr 202012
 
 

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Apr 132012
 
 

Baseball unlike the other big sports is a long, long season and while you don’t want to get off to a horrendous start, but the first week will mean little in the grand scheme of things. While the Boston Red Sox have come out of the gate slow for the second straight year, the 1-5 record is not the end of the world. Make no mistake, the Red Sox have issues that must be addressed but the point is no need to hit the panic button yet.

Here is a quick look at each team and how they have done vs. the money over the first week of the season. If you bet the Red Sox every game you are down $434 while if you wagered on the Rays every game you are +$367.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
TEAM RECORD HOME AWAY MONEY HOME MONEY AWAY MONEY AS FAVE AS DOG
Tampa Bay 4-1 3-0 1-1 $367 $314 $53 -$4 $371
Toronto 4-2 2-1 2-1 $197 $99 $98 -$30 $227
NY Yankees 3-3 0-0 3-3 -$34 $0 -$34 $66 -$100
Baltimore 3-3 3-3 0-0 $7 $7 $0 $200 -$193
Boston 1-5 0-0 1-5 -$434 $0 -$434 -$352 -$82
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
TEAM RECORD HOME AWAY MONEY HOME MONEY AWAY MONEY AS FAVE AS DOG
Detroit 4-1 4-1 0-0 $233 $233 $0 $233 $0
Chi White Sox 3-2 0-0 3-2 $171 $0 $171 $100 $71
Kansas City 3-3 0-0 3-3 $127 $0 $127 $100 $27
Cleveland 1-4 1-4 0-0 -$330 -$330 $0 -$130 -$200
Minnesota 1-4 1-1 0-3 -$260 $57 -$317 -$117 -$143
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
TEAM RECORD HOME AWAY MONEY HOME MONEY AWAY MONEY AS FAVE AS DOG
Texas 4-2 4-2 0-0 $27 $27 $0 $27 $0
Seattle 4-3 0-0 4-3 $231 $0 $231 $200 $31
Oakland 3-4 3-4 0-0 -$156 -$156 $0 $44 -$200
LA Angels 2-3 1-2 1-1 -$316 -$249 -$67 -$316 $0
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
TEAM RECORD HOME AWAY MONEY HOME MONEY AWAY MONEY AS FAVE AS DOG
Washington 4-2 0-0 4-2 $180 $0 $180 $70 $110
NY Mets 4-2 4-2 0-0 $207 $207 $0 $95 $112
Philadelphia 2-3 1-1 1-2 -$232 -$48 -$184 -$232 $0
Miami 2-4 0-1 2-3 -$213 -$180 -$33 -$180 -$33
Atlanta 2-4 0-0 2-4 -$300 $0 -$300 -$300 $0
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
TEAM RECORD HOME AWAY MONEY HOME MONEY AWAY MONEY AS FAVE AS DOG
St. Louis 5-2 0-0 5-2 $387 $0 $387 $100 $287
Milwaukee 4-2 1-2 3-0 $164 -$136 $300 $164 $0
Houston 3-3 3-3 0-0 $92 $92 $0 $0 $92
Cincinnati 3-3 3-3 0-0 -$53 -$53 $0 -$53 $0
Pittsburgh 2-3 2-1 0-2 -$36 $164 -$200 $0 -$36
Chi Cubs 1-5 1-5 0-0 -$406 -$406 $0 -$221 -$185
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
TEAM RECORD HOME AWAY MONEY HOME MONEY AWAY MONEY AS FAVE AS DOG
LA Dodgers 5-1 2-0 3-1 $415 $200 $215 $400 $15
Arizona 4-1 3-0 1-1 $321 $321 $0 $300 $21
Colorado 2-3 1-1 1-2 -$217 -$58 -$159 -$323 $106
San Diego 2-4 2-4 0-0 -$231 -$231 $0 -$31 -$200
San Francisco 1-4 0-0 1-4 -$303 $0 -$303 -$457 $154

Here are a couple of trends to follow and see if a pattern develops. These results include games through 4/12/12. On 4/12, night games still pending.

Baltimore is 2-0 in day games, 3-1 at night.

Boston is 0-4 in day games.

La Angels 1-3 day games.

Atlanta is 0-3 in day games, 2-1 at night.

Washington is 4-1 in day games.

Cincinnati is 3-1 day games, 0-3 at night.

Colorado is 0-3 in day games.

Cleveland is 0-3 vs lefties.

 

Mar 282012
 
 

Odds to win the 2012 World Series
Philadelphia Phillies – 11/2
New York Yankees – 13/2
Los Angeles Angels – 7/1
Detroit Tigers – 8/1
Boston Red Sox – 10/1
Texas Rangers – 10/1
San Francisco Giants – 14/1
Tampa Bay Rays – 18/1
Cincinnati Reds – 20/1
Miami Marlins -    20/1
Atlanta Braves – 22/1
Milwaukee Brewers – 25/1
St. Louis Cardinals – 25/1
Arizona Diamondbacks – 28/1
Washington Nationals – 30/1
Colorado Rockies – 35/1
Chicago Cubs – 40/1
Los Angeles Dodgers – 40/1
Toronto Blue Jays – 40/1
Cleveland Indians – 60/1
Chicago White Sox – 65/1
Minnesota Twins – 75/1
Kansas City Royals – 80/1
New York Mets – 80/1
Oakland Athletics – 80/1
Pittsburgh Pirates – 100/1
San Diego Padres – 100/1
Seattle Mariners – 100/1
Baltimore Orioles – 150/1
Houston Astros – 200/1

Mar 282012
 
 

Odds to win the 2012 NL Pennant

Philadelphia Phillies 9/4

San Francisco Giants 7/1

Atlanta Braves 9/1

Cincinnati Reds 9/1

Miami Marlins    9/1

St. Louis Cardinals 11/1

Arizona Diamondbacks 14/1

Milwaukee Brewers 14/1

Washington Nationals 15/1

Colorado Rockies 18/1

Los Angeles Dodgers 18/1

Chicago Cubs 22/1

New York Mets 40/1

Pittsburgh Pirates 40/1

San Diego Padres 50/1

Houston Astros 100/1