Baseball 2011

It's opening day in Major League Baseball and as you might expect, being a fan of some American sports I'm pretty excited. Unfortunately I've not had enough time to come up with any sort of preview for the National League, but here's my take on the American League:

Eastern Division
Will probably come down to the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees or Tampa Bay Rays - and the current lay price for the Red Sox is extremely tempting. Laying the Red Sox and then backing the Yankees and Rays looks like a really good play.


Central Division
Dutch the Twins and White Sox to win and lay Detroit.


West Division
Declaration of personal interest: I am an Oakland fan. That being said, this is a three horse race between Oakland, Texas and the Angels. I'm not going to bet on Oakland this season, but I'm happy to recommend dutching Oakland and Texas.

ALCS
I'm going to keep clear of any ALCS predictions until 40 games have been played.

Today's Games:
OK, this is where the fun starts. These recommendations are based on my football system, but as there can't be a tie in a baseball game then everything is simpler yet somehow more complicated. All the teams in yellow had a winning record at home in 2010 and all their opponents had a losing record on the road. So yes, that means I'm recommending the Nationals over the Braves, but I'm also recommending that minimum stakes should be applied for the time being.

First pich times in GMT in green - I'm following the football convention of naming the home team first.

6:05pm
Washington Nationals v Atlanta Braves
(the Nationals have won seven of the last ten games against the Braves at Nationals Park, but have lost their last five home openers...it's a risk, but it might pay off)
Result: Nationals 0, Braves 2

NY YANKEES (nap) v Detroit Tigers
Result: Yankees 6, Tigers 3

7:10pm
Cincinnati Reds (nb) v Milwaukee Brewers
Result: Reds 7, Brewers 6 - Ramon Hernandez hit a three run homer at the bottom of the ninth to give the Reds the win! Exciting finish!

9:15pm
St. Louis Cardinals v San Diego Padres
Result: Cardinals 3, Padres 5 (extra innings) - Cardinals looked as if they'd won it, but there you go.