The National League last won back-to-back World Series in 2011-12 when the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants took the Fall Classic. Could the NL follow up the Cubs’ 2016 drought-ending title? Honestly, I believe there’s an excellent chance with five potentially powerhouse teams. And with the All-Star Break coming soon within the few weeks, we have much ground to cover. But before we head to Marlins Park in July, here are two National League MLB betting predictions for the rest of the season.
2017 National League MLB Betting Guide for Midseason
Nolan Arenado checked off almost every box possible on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/21gZDtKbJm
— MLB (@MLB) June 19, 2017
Nolan Arenado Wins NL MVP
First of all, on the odds to win the National League MVP, Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt is the +250 favorite. It has been Washington’s Bryce Harper but he’s down to +500. My prediction is that Rockies Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado wins his first MVP. On Sunday, Arenado had one of the most memorable games of his career by hitting a walk-off homer to beat the Giants and complete the first cycle of his career. Arenado finished the game 4-for-5, with one run scored and 4 RBIs.What Did Arenado Accomplish With the Homer?
With the feat, Arenado is the 308th player in Major League Baseball history to hit for the cycle. It was the fourth cycle this season. Wil Myers, Trea Turner and Carlos Gomez are the other three players to do it. Also, Arenado is the sixth player to hit for the cycle with a game-ending home run. Ken Boyer, Cesar Tovar, George Brett, Dwight Evans and teammate Carlos Gonzalez were the other five. Additionally, it was the third time this season that Arenado hit a home run in the seventh inning or later that stood up as the winning margin. He had one homer against the Brewers and another against the Padres in April. Arenado is one of five players to have multiple go-ahead home runs in the ninth inning or later this season. The other four are Harper, Eric Thames, Mike Moustakas and Chris Davis.What Has Nolan Arenado Completed So Far This Season?
Arenado’s 56 home runs since the start of last season are the fifth most in the majors and the most in the National League during that span. In other words, he’s hitting .358 with runners in scoring position, which ranks 15th in the majors. He has led the majors in runs batted in for each of the two previous seasons. Besides, at 20 games above .500, the Rockies are close to the high-water mark in franchise history. The Rockies were 92-68 with two games remaining in 2009, the last time they made it to the playoffs.
Cincinnati’s Bryan Price Is First Manager Fired
Back in the spring, Cincinnati’s Bryan Price was the betting favorite to be the first manager fired. Then the Reds got off to a great start. Well, as of now, they are back in last place and on a nine-game losing streak entering this week. The Reds are 10 games under .500 (29-39) and 7.5 games out of first place, both season highs. But their active 9-game losing streak is a season high. They haven’t lost more than 9 consecutive decisions since an 11-game skid from 5/16-5/27 of last year, their longest winless stretch of 2016.What Can We Expect from the Reds?
To put it briefly, I think things are only going to get worse because the team’s best player this year, shortstop Zack Cozart, is out a while with a right quad strain. Cozart is enjoying a career campaign in 2017. Through 58 games, Cozart’s batting .320/.404/.562 with 30 extra-base hits. In any case, that’s excellent production for any player, let alone one who plays a capable shortstop. Cozart has increased his hard-contact rate, and he’s more than doubled his career walk rate. He’s arguably the Reds’ top trade candidate.What Can Cincinnati to Turn Things Around?
Well, the Reds would be very happy if it was only a 10-day absence (retroactive to Sunday’s game), because the Reds will need him on full display in the run-up to the non-waiver trade deadline. Plus, Cozart’s lead at shortstop over LAD’s Corey Seager is 321,560 votes in the most recent All-Star Game update. Cozart leads all players at tha position in batting average, hits, triples, HR (tied), extra-base hits, total bases, RBI, slugging, on-base percentage and hitting with RISP (.364). We’ll see if Price makes it to the All-Star break. If the Reds don’t win a game this week, he’s probably gone by Sunday.Upcoming MLB Betting Matchups
Arizona Diamondbacks
- June 20th to June 22nd – @ Colorado Rockies
- June 23rd to June 26th – vs. Philadelphia Phillies
- June 27th to June 29th – vs. St. Louis Cardinals
- June 30th to July 2nd – vs. Colorado Rockies
- July 4th to July 6th – @ Los Angeles Dodgers
Cincinnati Reds
- June 19th to June 21st – @ Tampa Bay Rays
- June 23rd to June 25th – @ Washington Nationals
- June 26th – @ St. Louis Cardinals
- June 27th to June 29th – vs. Milwaukee Brewers
- June 30th to July 2nd – vs. Chicago Cubs
