Baseball Betting Trends – All ‘Over’ the Umpires

Any angle that MLB betting fans can take to get a leg up on the books is a good one, and today at BetOnline Sportsbook, we’re taking a look at the umpires that have been straight money for ‘over’ bettors this year. Check out these umps that we are "all over" in MLB betting action!

Mark Wegner (7-1-1) – Double digit run production and double digits in walks has become old hat for MLB betting fans that are constantly watching games that Wegner is umpiring. He has given at least ten free passes in five straight games, all of which have ultimately had at least ten runs cross the dish as well. A strike ratio of 60.7 percent is awfully low, while 9.3 walks per game are almost off the charts high. Keep a close eye out to see if this continues for Wegner in the future.

Tim Welke (6-1-2) – Welke hasn’t had a win for ‘under’ bettors since April 10th, and had we known then what we do now with how well RHP Mat Latos has pitched for the Padres, watching nine runs cross the plate that day would’ve probably yielded yet another ‘over’ contest. Welke has called eight straight games to at least eight runs and has averaged allowing exactly 12 runs per game in that stretch. He is ringing up batters left and right though, punching out 15.3 per game this year, so this ‘over’ trend may not keep up.

Sam Holbrook (4-1-1) – It took until May 18th for Holbrook to record his first ‘under’ of the year, but that’s what happened earlier this week when RHP John Lannan and RHP Chris Carpenter met up in the Arch City. Ironically, with two solid arms like that and two crisp bullpens, there were only seven strikeouts given all game long, which is uncharacteristic of Holbrook’s games (13.7 per game in 2010). However, issuing just four walks was also the second lowest of the season.

Laz Diaz (6-2-1) – Diaz had a bad stretch for ‘over’ bettors from May 10th to the 15th, but he has rebounded nicely for them since then. He watched Milwaukee Brewers LHP Randy Brian and Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Brian Burres combine for ten runs on Wednesday for his seventh start with at least nine runs in it this year. Diaz has called less than 60 percent strikes in four starts this year, which is a very, very low ratio that is worth keeping an eye on.

Angel Campos (6-2) – Campos took a week and a half off from behind the plate, but came back on May 13th. Since that point, he has seen four very solid starting pitchers in the form of New York Mets LHP Johan Santana, Florida Marlins RHP Josh Johnson, Boston Red Sox RHP Josh Beckett, and New York Yankees LHP CC Sabathia. Though the first game was a very predictable one with just three runs scored, the Yanks/Sox effort made it to 13 with a whopping 11 walks issued. That’s three out of four games with at least 11 free passes handed out with Campos behind the dish, and if that keeps up, ‘overs’ are going to keep flying with it.