MLB Betting Preview: Boston Red Sox vs. Philadelphia Phillies

When looking over the interleague schedule before the season started, many baseball fans and bettors had the three-game series between the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies circled as a potential World Series preview between two of the best teams in the MLB. But here in the middle of May, both of these teams are in last place in their respective divisions. They’ll both be looking to get things turned around in this week’s spotlight series of the weekend.

Slew of injuries not helping Philadelphia’s chances

After finishing last season with the best record in baseball (102-60 on the MLB moneyline), Philadelphia entered this season with unfinished business, hoping to earn a trip to the World Series. And while the season is still very young and there is plenty of time to turn things around, an 18-19 start to the 2012 campaign heading into Wednesday’s action isn’t what the Phillies had in mind.

Teams hate to blame injuries for their struggles, but it is difficult to ignore the missing pieces on this roster. Currently ranked 19th in the MLB on offense averaging 3.8 runs per game, the Phillies sorely miss their two franchise players, Chase Utley (knee) and Ryan Howard (Achilles), whose statuses are up in the air. Offseason acquisitions Laynce Nix and Jim Thome are also currently shelved with injuries. Hunter Pence (nine home runs, 22 runs, 25 RBI) is the only player keeping the offense afloat.

The pitching staff has performed well for the Phillies, currently ranking 10th in the majors with a 3.48 Team ERA. But even that unit hasn’t been able to stay healthy; just days after getting Cliff Lee back from an injury, the Phillies had to send Vance Worley to the DL with elbow inflammation. Roy Halladay, Lee, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton have all pitched well this season, but Kyle Kendrick has struggled badly as a starter.

Philadelphia finishes up its series against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday before hosting the Boston Red Sox on Friday.

Pitching woes continue to haunt the Boston Red Sox

When it comes to the Boston Red Sox, it isn’t too difficult to diagnose the reason why they entered Wednesday’s action in last place in the AL East with a 17-19 record on the MLB moneyline; pitching.

Boston entered Wednesday with the third worst Team ERA in baseball, ranking 28th in the MLB with a 4.76 ERA. The bullpen has settled down a bit after a rocky start to the season, but the starters still have an ugly collective ERA of 5.28. Jon Lester (3.71) is the only Red Sox starter with an ERA under 4.00, but Josh Beckett (4.97) and Clay Buchholz (8.31) continue to drag the staff down.

Perhaps there is some light at the end of the tunnel for the Red Sox staff, however; entering Wednesday, Boston had won five straight games and had allowed just three runs over its last four games (a 0.75 Team ERA over that stretch). Cleveland and Seattle are fairly easy targets, but the strong stretch could give Boston some positive momentum.

On offense, Boston is doing just fine, ranking second in the league and averaging 5.4 runs per game. David Ortiz leads the charge, leading the team in home runs (9), runs (27), RBI (27) and BA (.353).

Boston finishes up its series against Tampa Bay on Thursday night before heading to Philadelphia for Friday.

Teams evenly matched in recent years

Looking at the projected pitching matchups for this series, Cole Hamels will face Daniel Bard on Friday, Joe Blanton will face Jon Lester on Saturday, and Cliff Lee will face Josh Beckett on Sunday.

Because this is interleague play, there isn’t too big of a sample size between these two teams, but over the last two years they’ve been fairly evenly matched with Boston holding the slight 5-4 straight up edge in nine meetings since 2010. Philadelphia won the three-game series between these two teams last year 2-1.

Armed and Ready. Bet on MLB action as the schedule starts to heat up at Bovada.

College Basketball Odds: NCAA Tournament Futures

The Kentucky Wildcats rolled to a win in the NCAA Tournament this past season, but their roster has undergone a major overhaul since they cut down the net. Can John Calipari's team hold off the challengers and repeat their title run in next year's March Madness? On the just-released NCAA basketball futures the Wildcats and their new cast of recruits are high on the odds list once again, but they aren't set as the favorites to win the tournament.

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Wildcats win, but their starters all leave school

Top-seeded Kentucky got past Baylor in the Elite Eight at the NCAA Tournament this past season, then knocked off Louisville 66-61 in the Final Four before beating Kansas by a score of 67-59 in the tourney's championship game. Doron Lamb had 22 points for the Wildcats in that win, while Marquis Teague had 14 points, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 11 points, Anthony Davis had 16 rebounds, and Terrence Jones pitched in with seven boards.

Those five players – Kentucky's starting five – have all declared for the NBA Draft this spring along with senior Darius Miller, who was the only other Wildcat to play more than three minutes in the championship game against the Jayhawks. That means Kentucky has to start over in the upcoming season, with three top recruits (center Nerlens Noel, forward Alex Poythress, and guard Archie Goodwin) expected to get big roles right away. On the current Bovada NCAA Tournament futures the Wildcats sit at 10/1 to win the championship.

Indiana, Louisville among Tournament favorites

The Indiana Hoosiers ran right into the Wildcats in regional action at last year's NCAA Tournament, falling 102-90 to them in the Sweet 16 as the No. 4 seed in their section of the bracket. The Hoosiers, though, sit as the 7/1 favorites on the current NCAA Tournament odds at Bovada as they look to build on their 27-9 campaign from last year. Guard Kevin Ferrell, a Top-20 recruit, will look to play a key role for the team this season.

The Louisville Cardinals went 30-10 last season, but also fell victim to Kentucky at the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals, though, gained a lot of supporters with their run through the 2012 Big East Tournament, which they won despite being the No. 7 seed at the event. That trip through the Big East tourney and into the Final Four and has them at 8/1 on the college basketball odds at Bovada right now to win the Big Dance in the upcoming season.

Usual suspects round out top tourney contenders

UCLA, Duke, North Carolina, and Florida then all sit at 15/1 to win the 2013 NCAA Tournament, with the Bruins entering the season with the top recruit in the land – guard Shabazz Muhammad – along with another elite prospect in forward Kyle Anderson. UCLA, though, missed the tournament completely last season, while Duke was upset in their opening game by Lehigh. North Carolina fell to Kansas in the Elite Eight last season despite being the top seed in their bracket, and Florida was bounced by Louisville in the Elite Eight.

Kansas is then at 18/1 on the current NCAA Tournament futures at Bovada, with Michigan, North Carolina State, Ohio State, and Syracuse at 20/1, Michigan State at 22/1, and each of Baylor, Memphis, and Arizona at 25/1. Arizona had to settle for a berth in the NIT last season (where they lost in the first round), but they've managed to add three Top-25 recruits to their roster for this season in center Kaleb Tarczewski and forwards Grant Jerrett and Brandon Ashley as they look to improve on a 23-12 mark and return to the Big Dance.

Ball so hard. Bet on the NBA playoffs today at Bovada.

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