With the 2011 Preakness Stakes betting services weekend finally here, we have already reached the quarter mark for the baseball season, and with a few notable surprises. Few projected that the St. Louis Cardinals would have led the National League Central through the first couple of months of 2011 the way that they did, but thanks to a couple of key heroes stepping up on offense they are right there with the Cincinnati Reds making a push for the division. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees took control of the American League East for the better part of the first quarter only to fall from their perch atop the toughest division in baseball over the past couple of weeks. Here is a quick look at a couple of MLB sports betting service trends that both teams will have to deal with.
[FONT="]What The Cardinals Need To Win A Division Title[/FONT]
Few would have projected when the 2011 season got underway that it would be the Cardinals that are leading the league in offense, but thanks to a couple of unlikely heroes through the first couple of months they are challenging the Reds at the top. St. Louis ranks first in runs scored, batting average, and on-base percentage and have the second-best slug percentage in baseball, and that is in big part due to the play of Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman. Holliday leads the NL in batting average with a .357 mark, and has already hit 13 doubles while scoring 30 runs. For as good as Holliday has been out in left field, the right fielder has been just as impressive with the veteran Berkman launching a .349 batting average with 11 home runs and 35 RBI. As long as that duo continues to produce the Cardinals will be near the top of the NL, but the key to clinching the division remains on the shoulders of pending free agent Albert Pujols. Arguably the game’s most dominant hitter over the past few years, Pujols’ pedestrian .269 average ranks behind several of his teammates and he hasn’t shown the same power as past years. Whether it is playing without a contract or the added pressure of free agency, Pujol hasn’t been the same and until he is in St. Louis will not be able to build a lead in the AL Central.
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[FONT="]What Has Gone Wrong With The Yankees[/FONT]
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[FONT="]While the Cardinals’ surprise stars have impressed, the players that the Yankees relied on during their fast start have struggled in recent weeks, with AJ Burnett in particular among the fallen. Jorge Posada has been so bad that Russell Martin threatens to take his spot permanently, and the riff between the former All Star and management made headlines earlier this pay per head week. The fact remains that this New York team simply isn’t as deep as some of the groups the franchise has sent out in past years, and they are now showing their true stripes.[/FONT]
[FONT="]What The Cardinals Need To Win A Division Title[/FONT]
Few would have projected when the 2011 season got underway that it would be the Cardinals that are leading the league in offense, but thanks to a couple of unlikely heroes through the first couple of months they are challenging the Reds at the top. St. Louis ranks first in runs scored, batting average, and on-base percentage and have the second-best slug percentage in baseball, and that is in big part due to the play of Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman. Holliday leads the NL in batting average with a .357 mark, and has already hit 13 doubles while scoring 30 runs. For as good as Holliday has been out in left field, the right fielder has been just as impressive with the veteran Berkman launching a .349 batting average with 11 home runs and 35 RBI. As long as that duo continues to produce the Cardinals will be near the top of the NL, but the key to clinching the division remains on the shoulders of pending free agent Albert Pujols. Arguably the game’s most dominant hitter over the past few years, Pujols’ pedestrian .269 average ranks behind several of his teammates and he hasn’t shown the same power as past years. Whether it is playing without a contract or the added pressure of free agency, Pujol hasn’t been the same and until he is in St. Louis will not be able to build a lead in the AL Central.
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[FONT="]What Has Gone Wrong With The Yankees[/FONT]
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[FONT="]While the Cardinals’ surprise stars have impressed, the players that the Yankees relied on during their fast start have struggled in recent weeks, with AJ Burnett in particular among the fallen. Jorge Posada has been so bad that Russell Martin threatens to take his spot permanently, and the riff between the former All Star and management made headlines earlier this pay per head week. The fact remains that this New York team simply isn’t as deep as some of the groups the franchise has sent out in past years, and they are now showing their true stripes.[/FONT]
