MLB Betting Odds: Surprise Teams Dominate First Week Of Season

The first week of the Major League Baseball season means nothing in the big picture of a 162-game season. For several teams each year, however, it gives fans who had low expectations some reasons to think big.

Among the surprise teams to start the first week on a hot streak this year are the Toronto Blue Jays, and Oakland Athletics. In the National league, San Francisco has come out of the gates swinging with a combination of strong pitching and timely hitting.

Nobody expects the Blue Jays to compete in a division that consists of themselves, Tampa Bay, and perennial playoff contenders New York and Boston. Toronto, however, has started the season 4-1, and is sitting on top of the division.

The Blue Jays have been led by a resurgent Vernon Wells. The past couple of years have been forgettable for Wells, but he has four home runs in five games, and is leading by example. On Saturday, Toronto received a strong starting performance by Dana Eveland.

Eveland's former team, the A's, are on top in the West. Oakland signed Ben Sheets to be their ace, but it has been the back end of the rotation that has carried Oakland so far. Every other team in the American League West is under .500.

In the National League, San Francisco is 4-1, and has the pitching staff to stick around in the division race all year. Tim Lincecum has won two straight Cy Young awards. Barry Zito, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez provide the depth to the rotation.

While the surprise teams have surfaced, some teams that were expected to win are doing so early on. The Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Detroit Tigers are all 4-1. Minnesota has the best record in the league, sitting at 5-1 heading into Sunday's action.

April 11, 2010
Posted By Vincent Tapoglia III
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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