Live Betting Weekly: Focus on MLB

With the NBA and NHL seasons over, we’re down to the MLB and a few other fringe sports to make live bets on. Luckily, many baseball games are left in the season to make the most of in-play wagers until September football.

Instead of highlighting a series or two for live MLB betting, I wanted to take a look at several player and team prop options that could be valuable this week.

A Hit on the Next At Bat In-Play Wager

Pop bets on the next hitter up to bat are some of the fastest-moving and most fun MLB bets you can make during a baseball game. It’s easy to spend the entire game trying to predict who is hot and cold across a whole lineup. Pitching matchups play a significant role in success here.

I like this prop because of the profitable odds for correctly betting “yes” for a hit in the next at-bat. Only a few dozen players average three hits for every 10 at-bats, so the MLB lines are stacked against optimistic bettors.

Even though you stand to win more often betting against a hit, the money is in predicting a positive outcome.

There is one prominent player we have to talk about here: Los Angeles Angels’ megastar Shohei Ohtani. The unicorn has been struggling on the mound but is tearing the cover off the ball at the plate. In the last seven days, “Shotime” has had 12 hits, five home runs, 10 RBIs, and crossed the plate nine times. He’s also fought for ten walks against just four strikeouts. With five long balls in his previous six games, Ohtani to hit a home run in his next at-bat would be a very profitable win if you pick the right moment to place your bets.

Shohei Ohtani this week:

Monday: 2 HRs
Tuesday: no HR
Wednesday: HR
Thursday: HR
Friday: no HR
Saturday: HR
Today: HR

This guy pitches too
pic.twitter.com/4dAp0erZ18

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 18, 2023

With a .500 average in his last 24 at-bats, Ohtani was the most profitable player in the MLB regarding this prop bet.

BET ON THE BEST 2023 MLB PROPS 

Other targets to watch when the matchup warrants extra attention include Fernando Tatis Jr. and J.T. Realmuto.

Tatis finished second to Ohtani in average last week at .474 with nine hits in 19 at-bats, including two home runs, two RBIs, and four stolen bases. Realmuto had seven extra-base hits in six games last week, including three home runs and two triples.

Which Bullpens to Bet on and Against

If you’ve been reading any of my live betting articles recently, you know that my MLB picks heavily focus on bullpens. In my experience, it makes life easier to focus my attention on one area of play, and regarding live MLB betting, that area is anything after the 6th inning.

Because I love good relief pitching, I will closely examine the in-play MLB odds related to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Despite cooling off after a shockingly hot start, the Pirates are not fading into the depths and remain the second-most profitable team to live bet in games they take the lead in first. The Pirates have a knack for holding onto leads thanks to a mind-blowing 0.95 bullpen ERA when the team is ahead by one run in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings.

The Pirates’ bullpen overall ranks in the MLB’s bottom-tier ERA. But, when the game is tight, they are among the most trustworthy groups in the MLB.

The New York Mets, too, have been profitable when leading late. Even after losing their closer Edwin Diaz to injury in the WBC, New York is 28-2 when leading after the 7th inning.

On the flip side, the Atlanta Braves have the only winning record in the MLB (13-11) after ceding the game’s first run to the other team. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals have the worst mark in this category at 6-27.

The Braves are worth a bet online after going down early, but the Cardinals are a team to ignore in the same situation.