The First 5 Innings MLB Wager Articles | Gambling

By: Richard Bleuze

The First 5 Innings MLB Wager

To successfully handicap a baseball game today you now must determine the worth of a starting pitcher, unlike in the 1970's, but you must also handicap the bullpen.  Because of this, odds makers have a harder time setting the odds on a game.  Thus, if you truely handicap a MLB game, you will find that there is a lot of value to be had. There is nothing more frustrating than wagering on a team whose starting pitcher just dominated as you expected, only to see the bullpen blow up in the late innings to cost you a victory.  Thus, for those sports bettors who like to narrow it down to handicapping starting pitchers, most books have introduced MLB first five innings odds.

Five innings wagering means that you only have to predict which team will be leading after the first five innings.  Generally, both starting pitchers are automatically listed in a first half or first five innings wager.  Thus, if one of those starters is scratched, then your wager is returned as no action.  You can list which starters you want to protect yourself on a money line wager for the outcome of the entire game.  In this case, there is no listing pitchers in first five innings wagers.  Another difference between wagering on the entire game and the first five innings that the sports bettor should know is that a contest can obviously be tied after five innings. In this happens, then your wager will be returned as no action as well.

It is a known fact that the average pitcher faces around 4.25 batters per inning, so if you carry that math over to the first five innings of the game you will see that everyone in the lineup gets to bat twice, and the top 3-4 hitters will get a third at bat.  Thus, if you can handicap which team has more of a top-heavy lineup, that team should have an advantage over their opponent.

This is similar to wagering on sports like basketball and football where there are first half lines and halftime lines.  Thus, in baseball, the only strategy to use if you are going to wager the first five innings lines is to determine which team has the better starting pitcher.  This should be easier for most sports bettors to handicap.  Just remember, that certain starters tend to be dominant early and fall apart in the later innings, while other starting pitchers are slow starters who get stronger as the game goes on.  Make sure that if you are going to place these types of wagers during the season that you check into these areas.  Therefore, I suggest that you find out what a starter’s ERA is in each of the first five innings throughout their career. 

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