Five inning flop: First half ain`t Miller time
Andrew Folkes
The Boston Red Sox may be an even 6-6 with Wade Miller on the hill, but he’s sunk his fair share of first half bettors this season.
For the uninitiated, many offshore sportsbooks began offering first half or five inning lines on MLB contests this season. As the name suggests, wagers are graded based on the score after the fifth inning, which puts Miller supporters at a huge disadvantage.
The 28-year-old righty sports an overall ERA of 5.03, but that balloons to 10.64 when you’re only counting the first inning of his starts. However, his first inning woes aren’t something that the books factor into their first half lines. Miller and the Red Sox are listed as a -189 first half favorite for today`s contest against Scott Kazmir and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
“The first-half moneylines are usually very similar [to the moneyline for the full game],” explains Bodog.com spokesman Todd Allen.
“The first half total is usually about half the full game total, but the moneyline [doesn’t deviate more than a few cents]. We don’t look that closely at the pitchers, not inning by inning anyway, which is probably why most of the [first half moneyline action] is sharp action.”
The BoSox haven’t had the lead by the end of the fifth inning in four of Miller’s last five starts. He gave up a total of nine first inning runs during that span. He ‘s only submitted three runs after the fifth in the last five contests where he’s lasted that long. From what Miller says, the problem seems to be a psychological one.
“I think it’s all about rhythm right now,” he told the Boston Herald after his club’s July 4 loss to Texas. “I try and go out there with the best rhythm I can get. It`s just a feel thing after that. After the first inning I get my feel a little bit better and I get into a groove."
Miller gave up three runs before the Rangers had even recorded their first out in that contest. His club was down 3-1 by the end of the fifth. He then had the Red Sox in a 4-1 hole at the end of five when he started against Baltimore last Saturday. Records of first half odds aren’t available to the public or media, but Boston was a moneyline favorite in both contests.
Oddsmakers have the Red Sox set as -205 favorites for the full game. The total is set at 10.
Andrew Folkes
The Boston Red Sox may be an even 6-6 with Wade Miller on the hill, but he’s sunk his fair share of first half bettors this season.
For the uninitiated, many offshore sportsbooks began offering first half or five inning lines on MLB contests this season. As the name suggests, wagers are graded based on the score after the fifth inning, which puts Miller supporters at a huge disadvantage.
The 28-year-old righty sports an overall ERA of 5.03, but that balloons to 10.64 when you’re only counting the first inning of his starts. However, his first inning woes aren’t something that the books factor into their first half lines. Miller and the Red Sox are listed as a -189 first half favorite for today`s contest against Scott Kazmir and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
“The first-half moneylines are usually very similar [to the moneyline for the full game],” explains Bodog.com spokesman Todd Allen.
“The first half total is usually about half the full game total, but the moneyline [doesn’t deviate more than a few cents]. We don’t look that closely at the pitchers, not inning by inning anyway, which is probably why most of the [first half moneyline action] is sharp action.”
The BoSox haven’t had the lead by the end of the fifth inning in four of Miller’s last five starts. He gave up a total of nine first inning runs during that span. He ‘s only submitted three runs after the fifth in the last five contests where he’s lasted that long. From what Miller says, the problem seems to be a psychological one.
“I think it’s all about rhythm right now,” he told the Boston Herald after his club’s July 4 loss to Texas. “I try and go out there with the best rhythm I can get. It`s just a feel thing after that. After the first inning I get my feel a little bit better and I get into a groove."
Miller gave up three runs before the Rangers had even recorded their first out in that contest. His club was down 3-1 by the end of the fifth. He then had the Red Sox in a 4-1 hole at the end of five when he started against Baltimore last Saturday. Records of first half odds aren’t available to the public or media, but Boston was a moneyline favorite in both contests.
Oddsmakers have the Red Sox set as -205 favorites for the full game. The total is set at 10.
