After watching the Boston Red Sox pull their way out of the basement of the American League East to climb all the way back up into first place, the New York Yankees have responded by keeping pace. As of Tuesday morning the Yankees were back in first place in the AL East, one-half game ahead of the Red Sox for the top spot. While Boston has been the better overall team the past couple of months, New York has proven that they have the talent and MLB betting depth to make things interesting in the division race, and they won’t be forgotten about very easily.

The Yankees have won seven of their past ten games, and their plus-97 run differential mark remains the best in the AL East. New York is far ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers for the league-lead in home runs, with a surprising 21 from Curtis Granderson ranking just behind the 23 that Mark Teixeira has hit. Alex Rodriguez is batting .300 and players such as Nick Swisher have really stepped up this betting season, while the same can be said about players such as Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia on the pitching staff. CC Sabathia continues to lead the way with a 10-4 record and 3.25 ERA, but the team has gotten some quality starts from its depth so far. With so many things going the Yankees’ way, they will continue to get the job done as they keep their distance ahead of Boston in the AL East.

After a strong start to the 2011 MLB betting season, the Toronto Blue Jays have fallen back down to earth with a rough stretch from May leading into June, and it may take some time for this team to find their identity in one of the toughest divisions in baseball. There is no doubt that Toronto fans have waited patiently for a winner over the past couple of seasons while battling with the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East, it will take at least one more year before this team is ready to contend for a playoff spot.

The Blue Jays have a ton of talent and potential to grow with, including the best hitter in baseball over the past two online sports betting seasons in Jose Bautista. After taking the home run crown a year ago Bautista has surprised again with his incredible play to open 2011, and has hit .338 with 21 home runs and 42 RBI. Toronto locked up Bautista for the near future with a deal this past summer, and with young hitters such as Adam Lind and JP Arencibia finding their groove the team has a solid core to move forward with. There is good depth in the pitching department although young stars such as Kyle Drabek will still need some time to develop, and Toronto can still use some help in the bullpen including the acquisition of a proven close. It won’t be long before the Blue Jays compete for in the crowded AL East, but it will take at least another year as this team continues to search for an identity.

While it may seem like a solid online sports betting move to jump on the Seattle Mariners’ bandwagon during their recent hot streak, buyer beware when considering rocking with an AL West team other than the defending AL champion Texas Rangers in the next couple of weeks. The Mariners had won 10 of their past 12 games heading into Tuesday night’s matchup against the Baltimore Orioles, and while they should be able to finish off the series strong they could run into some trouble in the weeks leading into the Belmont Stakes betting race.

Seattle has climbed their way back to the .500 mark after opening the year with just four wins through their first 15 games, and while it may seem as though this team has turned the corner that is nothing more than gambling on the streak. In reality, the Mariners have clinched seven of those 10 wins against two of the worst teams in baseball in the Minnesota Twins and the San Diego Padres, and they were fortunate to earn two of three against the New York Yankees with the difference being an extra innings outing. Following their series against Baltimore the Mariners will welcome the Tampa Bay Rays for a tough four-game set before heading on the road to battle the Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers. With one of the worst offenses in the majors the pitching alone won’t be able to carry them, and that should have Seattle crashing back down to earth in the near future.

One of the biggest reasons why the Boston Red Sox were the consensus World Series pick heading into the 2011 online sports betting season was the addition of third basemen Adrian Gonzalez to the lineup along with several other key pieces. The Red Sox managed to stay in the playoff race in the deepest division in baseball a year ago without Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and a plethora of injured players that didn’t make it through 2011. With those key additions as well as the return of key hitters such as former MVP Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkillis Boston started slow, but after a strong start to the month of May have reached the .500 mark and appear on their way in the American League East.

One of the biggest reasons for the turnaround is the sensational play of Gonzalez over the past 10 games. With a .348 batting average, seven home runs, and 16 RBI in his last 10 games Gonzalez has largely carried the load, and the fact that those games have been against division rivals such as the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays has been an added bonus. With the 2011 Preakness Stakes betting race right around the corner there is still a ton of time for things to change in the AL East, and the Red Sox have now served noticed that they are ready to contend for one of the four playoff spots in the league.

The one factor that all championship baseball teams have in common is consistency. The MLB schedule has always been regarded as more of a marathon than a sprint, and whether it’s late April or early September the best teams in baseball always find ways to battle through adversity and get the job done. Playing out of arguably the most competitive division in baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays know that as well as any other team looking up at the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, or Boston Red Sox over the past decade. While it’s easy to plan on paper, it’s much harder to consistently perform on the field, and that is why the Blue Jays have struggled with sports betting mediocrity again in 2011.

A quick look at their schedule leading up to the Kentucky derby betting 2011 race reveals an interesting find, as the Blue Jays have won or lost more than two games only twice this season. Separate three and four game losing streaks in mid-April kept the team from crossing above the .500 mark, a trend that is likely to continue into May. To get an edge, wait for a team like Toronto to win or lose two games, and then bet against the streak to continue. The odds are in favor that they will get back in the win column, and as an underdog in most scenarios they can be a player’s dream.

If the 2011 MLB betting regular season was limited to just a single series, the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays would have combined for one win through 10 games, and each finish at the bottom of their division. That is clearly not the case however, as all three of these contenders have legitimate shots to get on track and compete for division titles and beyond. That is one major aspect to look at when betting on baseball this early in the year, as the favorites that are off to slow starts will turn things around soon.

The Giants won just one of four online sports betting games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but now face the San Diego Padres’ team they eliminated from playoff contention a year ago. A bit of a hangover is understandable for the reigning champions, but a bounce back against their rivals isn’t unlikely. While the Giants are looking to get back on track after three straight losses, the Red Sox and Rays will both look for their first wins of 2011 out of the ultra-competitive Al East, with Boston in Cleveland to face the Indians and Tampa Bay looking for its first home win in its fourth try when they face the Los Angeles Angels. Both teams look like locks in the series openers, but if they fall again it will be just as strong to come back and double up on them in the next game.

With a week to go before the regular season, there isn’t much left to be decided at spring training for the league’s MLB betting teams. The rosters are pretty much set and with the opening day rosters practically set, there are a couple of key rookies to keep an eye on as the 2011 season gets underway. Last year it was Atlanta Braves’ outfield Jason Heyward that took the league by storm, and it looks as though once again the NL East franchise will be well represented in this category.

That’s because the Braves will start Freddie Freeman at first base this year, the second straight year a top rookie prospect will move into the sports betting everyday lineup. While Heyward took the job by storm a year ago, Freeman gave the organization every indication he would do the same in 2011 during a brief stint in the majors a year ago. Freeman hit .319 with 18 home runs and 87 RBI, despite not getting as many starts as most of his teammates and batting lower in the order. Freeman will be relied on more this season, and he should have no problem producing. However, unlike Heyward Freeman likely won’t get the same amount of publicity, in big part because of the arrival of Bryce Harper in a Washington Nationals’ jersey. The No. 1 pick in last year’s draft is full of potential, and is regarded as the top hitting prospect since Alex Rodriguez broke into the league, and is expected to be the perfect compliment to Stephen Strasburg.

While the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers put on quite the show in the 2010 World Series, the online sports betting community is ready to see a couple of favorites back in the big dance, and after an interesting offseason it appears as though exactly that will happen, at least with the American League representatives. That’s because a team that won 89 games a year ago made a couple of huge additions that at least on paper make them the undoubted favorite to win this year’s World Series, as the Boston Red Sox aim to do more than just escape baseball’s most complete division.

The Red Sox suffered through several key injuries last season, yet still managed to keep close with the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees until the final stretch. That experience gained by bench players that filled key roles will make for a solid supporting cast to this year’s team. But it’s about more than the role players in Boston after an offeseason that saw manager Theo Epstein sign a couple of notable free agents in Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. Offense was the key concern for last year’s team, and now that those issues have been addressed with a couple of additions and the return to health of players such as former-MVP Dustin Pedroia, Boston is at the front of the line. Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler were added to a bullpen that already features one of the best closers in the game in Jonathan Papelbon, and in terms of talent and numbers the Red Sox bullpen ranks tops in the majors. With solid pitching, an improved offense, and several key role players that can do a variety of different jobs, the Boston Red Sox are the early pay per head favorites to win this year’s World Series.

The 2010-11 MLB betting online free agency period has been both a memorable and rather forgettable one. On the one hand, all of the top sports betting free agents of the baseball world have been signed except for two. However, on the other hand this offseason has given fans and experts alike a good idea of just how desperate some teams can get when a player leaves their team. With only a select few top free agents remaining, these are the players we are still surprised do not have a job yet.

Rafael Soriano P – The former Kansas City Royal turned Tampa Bay Ray for a season, still remains the hottest free agent on the market. Soriano not being signed yet comes as both a surprise and a head scratcher to us, as he is one of the best if not the best closer in the game today.

Throughout his career, Soriano has enjoyed playing in smaller markets. Meaning to say, the fact that former Pittsburgh Pirate and veteran relief pitcher Octavio Dotel got a job with the Blue Jays over Soriano makes us think Soriano might need to reduce his asking price. In our opinion, Soriano is the Cliff Lee of the bullpen. Our suspicion is that a team such as the Minnesota Twins, who sorely lacked a closer last season, will be the team that takes Soriano this offseason.

Adrian Beltre 3B – Beltre is another player whose contract demands may be a little too high for teams to accommodate. Over the last couple of seasons, Beltre has been rather inconsistent. On the one hand, he showed in Boston that when he focuses Beltre is perhaps one of the top five best third basemen in the MLB both offensively and defensively.

However, on the contrary he showed in Seattle, that despite receiving a decent pay day, he’s not always focused. During his time in Seattle he put up poor offensive numbers, while his defense left a bit to be desired. We see Beltre ending up with the LA Angels.

MLB betting handicappers predicting where the league’s top free agent pitchers will land, were for the most part shocked and amazed that gem of the 2011 class, Cliff Lee signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. In an era where the almighty dollar dictates where baseball betting online stars will sign, Lee shocked the world by going with his heart. Now that Lee is signed, who will be the next pitcher scooped up by a new team? Here are three of the remaining top free agent pitchers.

• Kevin Millwood – The grizzly veteran had one of the most forgettable seasons of his career in 2010, playing on a young bad Baltimore Orioles squad that really didn’t show up until the beginning of September. In saying that, over his career, the 37 year old Millwood has a record of 159 – 137 with a four point 11 earned run average.

Last season, Millwood one of the league’s work horses, earned a whopping $12 million. However, at 37 years of age, many clubs have been hesitant to offer the big right hander a contract with the same monetary figures. Meaning to say, we expect a team looking for a strong veteran presence to add Millwood, but at a reduced price from the $12 million from a year ago.

• Justin Duchscherer - Once considered one of the best young arms in the game, Duchscherer has suffered through a lot of arm and back injuries over the past few seasons. Only accumulating a record of 33 – 25 with an earned run average just over three.

When he’s healthy, Duchsherer is one of the most affective pitchers in the game. Last season he only made two million dollars with Oakland. However, we feel he could be effective coming out of the bullpen for his new team, perhaps as a closer.

• Jon Garland - From years of watching the American League Central, breeders cup betting fans may remember Jon Garland, the staff ace of the Chicago White Sox. Over the last couple of seasons, Garland has bounced around several teams, pitching admirably. However, each team he’s been on has had a difficult time contending and has found his value to be beneficial on the trade market.

It is no Bet Online scam — for teams looking for an innings eater, Garland is the pitcher you want to go after. What’s more, he can be a gap whole guy until a prospect being groomed in the minors is ready to come up during the middle of the season.