Heading into May 3rd, only five of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball have had more than half of their games go OVER the total in the 2022 season. With this low trend of OVERS, more than 57% of the games played so far have gone UNDER the total.

Here are the main reasons I believe we have seen so many UNDERS so far.

1) Humidors
I’m not a physics expert, so if you are looking for an in-depth tutorial on how humidors work, I suggest doing additional research on Google after reading this article. What I can tell you is that all 30 teams have humidors in their home stadium this season, as opposed to 2021, when only nine teams used humidors. Although the effects of humidors will differ day-to-day, there have been speculations and research suggesting that humidors can make baseballs easier for pitchers to grip while also making it more difficult for a hard hit ball to travel as far in humid weather.

2) Roster Expansion
The MLB rosters were expanded from 26 to 28 players this season. This change has helped most teams improve their pitching depth. Due to extra pitchers on the rosters, teams are less likely to go into a game with a worn-out and overworked bullpen. Managers also have more options when matching up against opposing hitters and less pressure to feel the need to stick with a starting pitcher who’s struggling.

3) The Lockout And Reduced Spring Training
In 2021 Spring Training games started on February 28th, but due to the lockout in 2022, Spring Training games did not begin until March 17th. Although this maynot seem like a huge deal, I believe the decrease in preseason preparation has made it more difficult for alot of hitters to get going early in the season.

4) Oddsmakers And The Habits of Bettors
Most fans enjoy offense, which means that betting on OVERS will be more fun to the average bettor than betting on the UNDERS. Although the humidors, roster expansion, and reduced Spring Training are all likely factors to the decrease in the offense- before the season started, it wasn’t as clear how significant those effects would be. Even still, it was in the best interest of the oddsmakers earlier to set the totals a little high, knowing that most bettors like to take the overs.

The Houston Astros will host the Los Angeles in the finale of a three-game series on Wednesday. The Astros won the series opener 8-3 on Monday. The second game of the series was not complete at the time of this preview.

Ohtani Time

The Los Angeles Angels have not finished with a winning record since 2015, and have not reached the playoffs since 2014. The Angels entered this season expected to break that trend, with a projected over/under win total set at 84.5, and with three-time MVP Mike Trout, and reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani currently both healthy another losing season would be unacceptable for this franchise.

The Angels lineup has mashed an MLB best 16 home runs, and are tied for second with nine stolen bases through their first 11 games. Ohtani leads the team with three home runs, two stolen bases, and also has seven RBI. Harde Walsh leads the team with eight RBI and is also one of four Los Angeles batters with four home runs.

Ohtani will get to help his own cause on Wednesday as he is scheduled to make his third start of the season. In 2021, Ohtani went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. This season has started rough for Ohtani on the mound and is 0-2 with a 7.56 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. In five career starts against Houston, Ohtani is 0-3 with a 5.56 ERA.

Astros win series opener but Altuve forced to leave game

After Monday’s home-opening win, the Astros have a half-game lead over the Athletics and Angels. Through the first 10 games, Houston has averaged 3.9 runs per game and allowed 3.5 runs per game. The Astros are fourth in MLB with 13 home runs, with nine different players who have gone deep this season.

Yordan Alvarez leads the team with three home runs and is second with six RBI. Alex Bregman leads the team with seven RBI and is tied with Kyle Tucker with two home runs. Rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena is off to a great start as he replaced Carlos Correa, who left for Minnesota in free agency. Pena leads the team with a .344 batting average and has added one home run and three RBI.

On Wednesday, the Astros will start Jake Odorizzi, who is 0-1 with a 6.48 ERA and 2.04 WHIP in two starts this season. In 24 starts last season, Odorizzi was 6-7 with a 4.21 ERA. Odorizzi has made nine career starts against the Angels and is 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA and 1.60 WHIP.

Prediction: Houston Astros ML +120

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Angels may be an attractive team to back with Ohtani on the mound, but Houston has not been kind to Ohtani as a pitcher. In four career starts at Minute Maid Park Ohtani is 0-2 with a 6.50 ERA and 1.61 WHIP. The Angels bullpen has also struggled with a 4.88 ERA this season, which is the fifth-worst in MLB. Ordozzi has not been great this season either, but the Astros bullpen has been much better with a 3.11 team ERA. Houston has also controlled this rivalry recently with eight wins in the last 10 head-to-head meetings against Los Angeles.

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Prediction: Houston Astros ML +120

Prediction: OVER 8.5

Rating: 5 out of 5

Both of these lineups are lethal. The Angels are second in MLB hammering 1.47 home runs per game, and Houston is fourth with 1.21 home runs per game. Given the past track records and recent struggles of both starters, expect the Astros bats to jump on Ohtani early and for the Angels to also have success off of Odorizzi. In this rivalry, 14 of the last 19 head-to-head meetings at Minute Maid Park have gone over the total, and I expect to see a high-scoring game Wednesday.

Nets are a 9.5 point favorite for tonights contests. My thoughs here

MLB World Series Contenders and Odds

Here are the favorites to contend for the 2022 World Series crown, along with the odds according to Sportshandicapper.com.

Los Angeles Dodgers +500
The favorite to win it all has made five NLCS appearances in the last six seasons, including winning the World Series in 2020. The starting rotation is strong again, and offensively, this should be the best team in baseball.

Toronto Blue Jays +900
The East Division is highly competitive, but the Blue Jays are the favorite out of the American League despite finishing in fourth place last season. The Blue Jays led all of MLB with 262 home runs last season, and with triple crown threat Vladimir Guerrero leading the way, this team is a force to be reckoned with.

Houston Astros +1000
You can’t overlook the team that has been to the ALCS five straight years and appeared in the World Series three times during that stretch. The Astros led all of MLB in runs scored last season. According to WAR, they also return seven of their top eight position players and ranked third in MLB with 76 team defensive runs saved in 2021.

New York Mets +1000
The Mets finished eight games below .500 last year but will be much better this season. New York finished ninth in ERA last season, despite Jacob deGrom only making 15 starts due to injury. After adding Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt to their starting rotation, if the Mets can stay healthy, they can beat any team in a series.

New York Yankees +1100
The Bronx Bombers have made the playoffs in each of the last five seasons, and that trend should continue. The Yankees are loaded with talent and have a front office that will not be afraid to take chances to upgrade the roster during the season.

Chicago White Sox +1100
Chicago has a good balance. In 2021 the team finished fifth in ERA and seventh in runs scored. Defensively there is room for improvements, as they finished 28th in team defensive runs saved.

Atlanta Braves +1200
They lost Freddie Freeman in the offseason, but after winning the World Series without Ronald Acuna Jr due to injury, the Braves are a contender to repeat with Acuna Jr back and healthy.

Others to watch:
Tampa Bay Rays 1400, Milwaukee Brewers 1600, San Diego Padres 1600

| Title: MLB World Series Contenders and Odds
| Author: David Marotta
| Date: April 1, 2022

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/U75KSjSo0pg

Deshaun Watson to Cleveland

By David Delano Marotta

The 68 team field for the 2022 NCAA Tournament is set. Every year, there are some upsets and teams that go further than expected. Last year was no different. Leading the Cinderellas was No. 11 seed UCLA who went to the final four, and No. 12 seed Oregon State that went to the elite 8. You also had No. 11 seed Syracuse and No. 15 Oral Roberts both making it to the Sweet 16.
As you are filling out your brackets for this latest addition of madness, here are my favorite sleeper teams to watch out for.

Virginia Tech

The ACC Tournament champions are only a No. 11 seed, but they are rated 23rd in the nation overall according to KenPom. They are also 18th in adjusted offensive efficiency and sixth in the nation shooting 38.8% from three-point territory, which makes them a tough matchup for Texas. The Hokies opened up as only a one-point underdog in their first-round matchup and could be a threat to go all the way to the Elite-8.

Vermont
The No. 13 seed in the West Region is 15th in the nation shooting 48.6% from the floor and also strong from three-point range and the free-throw line. Leading the way is a senior duo of Ryan Davis and Ben Shungu, who both average better than 16 ppg, and shot above 41% from three. If Vermont can get past Arkansas, they also have a legit chance to beat the UConn/New Mexico State game-winner.

Loyola Chicago
What list of Cinderalla’s would be complete without the Ramblers? This program went all the way to the Final Four in 2018 as a No. 11 seed and to the Sweet 16 last year as a No. 8 seed. This year, Loyola comes into the tournament as a No.10 seed, but 24 overall according to KenPom. They also rank 10th in the nation shooting 48.9% from the field and eighth hitting 38.8% from three. The Ramblers opened up as a 1.5-point favorite for their first-round matchup against Ohio State and are a team to watch out for.

Richmond Spiders
Since 1985, there have only been five years where no No.12 seeds pulled off an upset, so you should pencil in at least one No.12 to get out of the first round.
If the Spiders can pull off the first-round upset of Iowa, they have a solid chance to get to the Sweet 16. The Spiders are playing well right now and ran the table as the No. 6 seed in the Atlantic-10 Tournament, upsetting VCU, Dayton, and Davidson, to punch an automatic bid. The Spiders have tremendous size and experience and should not be overlooked.

2022 NCAA Tournament Cinderella’s to watch https://t.co/OvkUV9qyPY

— David Delano – Get Sports Strong (@GetSportsStrong) March 15, 2022

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