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Two of the National League’s best teams will duke it out Friday in the first of three games at PNC Park as the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are road favorites for the contest at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

The NL West-leading Dodgers wrap up a six-game eastern road trip in Pittsburgh after taking two of three from the Philadelphia Phillies to improve to 6-1 in their past seven games overall.

Los Angeles got an outstanding hitting performance Thursday at Philadelphia from pitcher Zack Greinke, who went 3-for-3 from the plate with a home run to help overcome his worst start in three years during a 10-8 victory.

The Dodgers have now hit double digits in runs twice in seven games with the over going 4-3 for totals bettors during that stretch. However, the under had cashed in three of Los Angeles’ previous four games before Thursday.

The Pirates still hold the lead for the top wild-card spot in the National League, and they are 7-1 to win the NL pennant and 14-1 on the odds to win the World Series compared to 7-1 for the Dodgers on the World Series odds.

Pittsburgh has alternated wins and losses in seven straight games and will send ace Gerrit Cole (14-5, 2.29 ERA) to the mound in the series opener. Cole and the Pirates will take on Los Angeles’ Clayton Kershaw (9-6, 2.37), who currently has a 37-inning scoreless streak.

Pittsburgh has seen the under cash in three of four, and Friday’s pitching matchup makes it a good candidate to become four of five. The Pirates have lost three of Cole’s last four starts following a run of nine wins in 10 outings, and the under has cashed in each of his past three following a run of four consecutive over results.

The other two games of the Pirates vs. Dodgers betting matchup on Saturday and Sunday set up well for Pittsburgh from a starting pitching perspective and could mean favorite status in both. On Saturday, lefty Francisco Liriano (7-6, 2.92) will toe the rubber for the Pirates against Mat Latos (4-7, 4.29) of the Dodgers.

Then the Sunday Night Baseball matchup will feature Pittsburgh’s Charlie Morton (7-4, 4.19) versus Los Angeles’ Alex Wood (7-7, 3.65). Bettors should keep in mind that the Pirates still own one of the best home records in baseball (36-18), while the Dodgers have a losing mark on the road (25-28).

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The Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers both find themselves chasing the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central standings heading into the series opener of a three-game set at Comerica Park Tuesday.

The Tigers are the 7-2 second choice on the odds to win the AL pennant and just dropped two of three games at home to the Royals, who are favored to win their second straight American League title at 13-4 odds.

The Twins have also jumped into the race for the division title after winning eight of their last 10 games, and they saw their three-game winning streak come to an end Sunday. They trail Kansas City by 2.5 games for the AL Central lead heading into the week and are at 28-1 to win the pennant.

However, Minnesota has lost six of the last seven meetings with Detroit, according to the Odds Shark MLB database, including five of six in the first month of the season.

The Tigers have averaged seven runs a game over the past five meetings between the teams, three of which ended up finishing over the total for bettors. However, they have averaged half of that (3.5 runs per game) in their last four games overall, scoring just four combined runs in losing to the Royals on Saturday and Sunday.

Detroit will send the struggling Alfredo Simon (4-1, 3.44 ERA) to the hill Tuesday for its matchup with the Twins, hoping to end the two-game skid although the team has also dropped each of his last two starts.

Simon has surrendered nine runs and 14 hits in just over nine innings combined over two road starts against Kansas City and the Chicago White Sox, walking six and striking out eight. The over cashed in both of those outings, but the under is 2-0 in his two home starts this year.

The Twins will counter on Tuesday with Kyle Gibson (3-2, 2.97), who has seen his team win in each of his previous three trips to the mound. In fact, Gibson has not allowed a run in either of his past two starts, scattering eight hits over 14 innings in home wins over the White Sox and the Oakland Athletics by a combined score of 14-0.

The under is 4-1-1 on the baseball betting lines in Gibson’s six starts overall this season although the lone over cashed last time out in a 13-0 victory against the A’s last Wednesday.

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Coming off a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox over the weekend, the New York Yankees have emerged as serious contenders on the odds to win the World Series and the American League pennant this season.

The AL East-leading Yankees (16-9) are at 20-1 odds to win the World Series and tied with the Red Sox at 7-1 to win the pennant behind a pair of AL Central teams that are virtually tied for the division lead.

The Detroit Tigers (17-9) are 3-1 to win the pennant and the 9-1 third choice to win the World Series behind the National League’s Los Angeles Dodgers (6-1) and Washington Nationals (7-1) after splitting a four-game set with the Kansas City Royals (16-9) last weekend.

The Royals are the defending AL champions after claiming a wild-card berth last year and look just as strong this season at 12-1 on the odds to win the World Series and 5-1 to win the pennant.

The Houston Astros (18-7), who lead the AL West, are the biggest surprise in baseball right now, riding an MLB-best 10-game winning streak. The Astros were 75-1 to win the World Series and 40-1 to win the pennant on April 15, and their odds have plummeted to 18-1 and 9-1, respectively.

The Dodgers (16-8) have taken control of the NL West with a four-game winning streak, including a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend, and they are also the 11-4 favorites to win the pennant.

Los Angeles’ main competition in the NL looks like it will come from the Central Division, where the St. Louis Cardinals (18-6) and Chicago Cubs (13-10) appear to be the teams to beat heading into their four-game series that starts Monday at Busch Stadium.

The Cardinals are 8-1 on the World Series betting lines and 17-4 to win the pennant as owners of the league’s best record thanks to an NL-best six-game winning streak, and they split two games with the Cubs to open the year.

Chicago is 14-1 to win the World Series and 7-1 to win the pennant after the team dropped two of three at home to the Milwaukee Brewers.

However, that series win for the Brewers at Wrigley Field was not enough to save the job of manager Ron Roenicke, who, as ESPN.com reported, was fired after Sunday’s 5-3 victory against the Cubs. Milwaukee, an NL-worst 7-18, is 200-1 to win the World Series and 100-1 to win the pennant.

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First place in the American League East will be on the line this weekend at Fenway Park in Boston as the division-leading New York Yankees (13-9) visit the Red Sox (12-10) in the opener of a three-game series on Friday.

Despite losing five of their past eight games to fall out of first place in the AL East, Boston remains one of the favorites to win the AL Pennant at 11-2 odds on the MLB betting futures. New York has improved slightly to 10-1 from 18-1 on April 15.

The Yankees have won 10 of their last 13 games to put themselves into position to contend for the division crown this year after taking two of three from the Tampa Bay Rays, who are tied with the Red Sox for second place.

New York saw its three-game winning streak come to an end Wednesday following a 3-2 home loss to the Rays, with the under cashing for totals bettors on the baseball betting lines for the third straight time in the series.

Boston has been involved in a lot of high-scoring games recently but saw its over streak end at five after a 4-1 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. There had been an average of a little more than 15 combined runs scored in each of the previous five Red Sox games.

Recent history between the two fierce division rivals also suggests a high-scoring game and series, with the past five meetings all going over the total along with nine of the previous 11 games between the teams, according to the OddsShark MLB Database.

Boston starting pitcher Justin Masterson (2-0, 5.16 ERA) has seen the over cash in three of his four starts this season as well. The Red Sox lost for the first time in Masterson’s four starts this year in his last outing, as he allowed three runs and seven hits in seven innings of an eventual 5-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles April 25 for a no-decision.

The Yankees will send CC Sabathia (0-4, 5.96) to the mound still looking for his first victory of the season. Sabathia got hit hard last time out on Saturday against the New York Mets, surrendering a season-high seven runs and nine hits, including three home runs, in five innings with no walks and two strikeouts.

Sabathia has seen the under cash in two road starts, while the over has gone 2-0 in his two at home. Sabathia’s previous trip to Fenway last season saw the total go way over the closing total of 8.5 runs, however, in a 14-5 road victory last April 24.

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Two of the early favorites to win the 2015 World Series will meet again at Fenway Park on Tuesday in the second game of a three-game interleague series between the visiting Washington Nationals and the host Boston Red Sox.

The Nationals entered the season as the team to beat in the National League and baseball overall, according to oddsmakers, and they remain the 6-1 favorites on the odds to win the World Series despite falling to 2-5 this year with a 9-4 loss to the Red Sox in the series opener at Boston on Monday.

The Red Sox are at 17-2 odds and viewed as one of the top two teams in the American League along with the Detroit Tigers (10-1), as they are both off to strong starts.

Boston rebounded from an embarrassing 14-4 loss to the New York Yankees on Sunday Night Baseball by topping the Nationals behind a sensational performance on Monday from rookie outfielder Mookie Betts, who stole two bases, hit a two-run homer and kept a potential homer from Washington outfielder Bryce Harper inside the park on a spectacular catch.

The over cashed on the baseball betting lines at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark in the home team’s fifth straight game compared to just the second time for the visitors this season.

The pitching matchup for Tuesday’s Nationals vs. Red Sox betting matchup pits Justin Masterson (1-0, 3.00 ERA) of the Red Sox against Stephen Strasburg (0-1, 5.06) of the Nationals in their second starts of the year.

Masterson had his first start on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies last Thursday and earned the win after giving up two runs and three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in six innings of a 6-2 victory. He also had a great day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one RBI.

Strasburg also made his 2015 debut last Thursday but was on the wrong end of a 6-3 decision to the New York Mets at home. He surrendered all six runs to the Mets, three of which were earned, and nine hits with three walks and five strikeouts in 5.1 innings to take the loss.

However, the young righty has been outstanding in his past four road starts dating back to last season, going 4-0 with an 0.31 ERA and 28 strikeouts. He also earned a win in his only career start at Fenway Park back in 2012, allowing two runs and four hits with two walks and 13 strikeouts in six innings of a 7-4 victory against Boston.

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The San Francisco Giants have won the World Series in three of the past five years, and they are sitting at 20-1 to repeat that feat this season as one of 13 top contenders with odds that high or better at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.

San Francisco’s direct competition in the NL West will again come from the defending division champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who are at 17-2 on the odds to win the World Series, the second choice behind only the NL East’s Washington Nationals at 6-1.

The Dodgers disappointed in the playoffs last season by falling to the St. Louis Cardinals (12-1) for the second year in a row and lost several key players in the offseason, including outfielder Matt Kemp to the rival San Diego Padres (20-1).

The Kansas City Royals are sitting at 33-1 on the World Series odds and will be hard-pressed to get back to the postseason this year in a competitive AL Central. Last year, the Royals met the Giants in the World Series, with Kansas City also starting the 2014 season at 33-1 to claim the title. San Francisco was at 14-1 to win the World Series prior to last season.

The four-time defending AL Central division champion Detroit Tigers are at 16-1 to win the World Series and have been one of the top favorites in years past. However, they lost ace Max Scherzer to the Nationals via free agency and former Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander will start the season on the disabled list due to a triceps injury.

The Chicago White Sox are also at 16-1 and feature rising Cuban star Jose Abreu, who is one of the favorites to hit the most home runs (15-2) and win the AL MVP award (4-1) at the sportsbooks heading into the season.

The Boston Red Sox look like the team to beat in the American League, though, as they are at 10-1 to win the World Series after adding former Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez and former Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval to their lineup in the offseason.

However, the Red Sox still have some question marks in their rotation with last year’s Opening Day starter Jon Lester now a member of the upstart Chicago Cubs, who are set at 16-1 on the odds to win the World Series following his addition along with several promising young players and a new manager in Joe Maddon.

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When handicapping baseball, most bettors start the process with starting pitching.

A great starting pitcher can completely take over a game and leave opposing offenses stymied. While a pitcher can do his part on the mound to hold back the opposing team’s offense, there isn’t much that he can do to get his own team’s offense going.

For this reason, bettors must factor run support into their decision-making process. There are plenty of great pitchers who don’t make great bets because they consistently fail to get much run support.

In many cases, these pitchers play for teams that don’t produce much offense for any of their pitchers. In other cases, it is just a case of bad luck.

Jeff Samardzija was the poster boy of good pitchers who made for losing trips to the sportsbook window when playing for the Chicago Cubs earlier this season. Samardzija pitched like an ace through 17 starts with the Cubs, accumulating a 2.83 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP while striking out 103 batters in 108 innings.

But due to a dismal 2.41 runs per game on offense in Samardzija‘s starts, the Cubs were 3-14 on the MLB moneyline. Since being traded to the A’s, Samardzija‘s run support is up to 3.67 runs per game and his record on the moneyline is 2-1.

The San Diego Padres own the worst offense in baseball by a considerable margin, scoring only 2.98 runs per game. As a result, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that two of their best pitchers see many of their strong efforts wasted due to poor run support.

Ian Kennedy has 137 strikeouts in 129.1 innings pitched with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP, but the Padres score only 2.86 runs per game in his starts and are 9-12 on the moneyline. Tyson Ross has been even better with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP, but the Padres have a 9-12 record in his 21 starts as well.

Atlanta’s Alex Wood has a tidy 3.07 ERA in his 11 games as a starter this season, but with only 2.45 runs per game of support, the Braves are 4-7 on the moneyline in those 11 starts. For Julio Teheran, the Braves score 3.5 runs per game, and that extra run of support has translated to a 13-7 record on the moneyline.

Kansas City‘s Danny Duffy may be one of the league’s unluckiest pitchers. Duffy is enjoying a career year with a sparkling 2.66 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. But despite playing for a team that averages 4.04 runs per game, Duffy has received only 2.86 runs per game in his 14 starts, resulting in a 5-9 moneyline record over that stretch.

Don’t be too quick to get money down on aces Andrew Cashner (2.36 ERA) and Michael Wacha (2.79 ERA) when they return from the disabled list. San Diego is 6-6 in Cashner‘s 12 starts, giving him a meager 2.17 runs per game of support. St. Louis scores only 3.0 runs per game for Wacha and is 6-9 in games he started.

Check out updated MLB probable pitchers and run support pages, courtesy of Odds Shark.

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Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is a .542 career hitter vs. San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Friday, as the two teams face off at Chase Field.

Sports bettors will find that the Diamondbacks are minus-113 home favorites in the pro baseball odds, with the betting total sitting at 9.0 in the market.

Let’s take a closer look at this National League West matchup from a betting perspective while offering up a prediction along the way.

Gambling stats via SBR Forum 

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The Cleveland Indians have won four of their five meetings against the Detroit Tigers this season, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Friday, as the two teams prepare to meet at Progressive Field.

Sports bettors will find that the Indians are minus-125 home favorites in the pro baseball odds, with the betting total sitting at 8.5 in the market.

Let’s take a closer look at this American League Central matchup from a betting perspective while offering up a prediction along the way.

Gambling stats via SBR Forum

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The New York Yankees have scored four or fewer runs in 12 of their last 13 games, which is important to consider when making your MLB picks Friday, as they prepare to take on the Oakland Athletics at the O.co Coliseum.

Sports bettors will find that the Yankees are plus-170 road underdogs in the pro baseball odds, with the betting total sitting at 7.5 in the market.

Let’s take a closer look at this American League matchup from a betting perspective while offering up a prediction along the way.

Gambling stats via SBR Forum

Begin Slideshow