We’ll do a Twofer Thursday of baseball betting today as there’s a lot of nice looking underdogs on today’s card.  Despite what you may be thinking, I didn’t come up with this play just so I could use this somewhat inexplicable picture of Cincinnati Reds mascot Mr. Redlegs and a dude with a really big snake.  Even more inexplicable is the fact that the Reds are in first place in the NL Central 1/2 game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Braves are fighting the Mets for last place in the NL East.  Actually, the Reds have had a good deal of young talent for several years now and they’re finally reaping the dividends of smart personnel decisions.

CINCINNATI REDS VS. ATLANTA BRAVES:

We’ve talked about the value in going against teams that are overrated by the general public, and here we’ve got a case of a team that is underrated by the casual bettor and linesmakers.  The Reds have been bad for so long that there’s a tendency for the public to assume they’re a fluke and bet against them.  The reality is that a baseball team can go from a doormat to a contender from one season to the next (case in point–Tampa Bay a couple of years back).  That very well may be what is happening to the Reds and the sharp handicapper gets on the bandwagon long before the ‘squares’ of the world realize what’s going on.

Aaron Harang got off to a rough start this year, and he’s still not a pitcher that’s going to overpower opponents.  He is putting in quality innings, however,  and shown signs of returning to even better form.  Braves’ starter Kenshin Kawakami checks in with a 5.79 ERA and an 0-6 record, with Atlanta posting a 1-6 mark in his starts.  Not exactly a guy you want to lay -140 with.  As a team, Atlanta is playing better ball with a 7-3 mark in their last 10 games but that pales against Cincy’s 9-1 mark in their last 10 games.  Cincy isn’t a team like Philadelphia at their best that can get lights out pitching and pummel opponents into submission with their bats–they’re scrappers, with a lot of contact hitters and solid defensive players.  Personally, that’s the kind of team I like to back as an underdog.

PLAY CINCINNATI +120 OVER ATLANTA