Sunday, May 1, 2011

Learn To Make Good Baseball Picks

By Andrew Smith


Sitting at the ballpark to see your favorite team play with a hot dog in one hand and your favorite beverage in the other can be one of life's most pleasurable moments. Picking the winner of a baseball game can be another story altogether. Trying to make correct baseball picks can be bewildering at best and maddening at worst. The reason for this is simple. There are more than a few variables to consider when choosing a winner. With this in mind, let's look at some of the factors that can impact the game's final score.

People pull their hair out after picking a match up that appears to be a stone cold lock, only to see their selection end up in the loss column. This happens often. A team's ace goes up against an inferior team with a rookie on the mound and you think that there is no way the ace can be beaten. He promptly gives up six runs in the first three innings and your team puts up a grand total of three runs. You lose.

First of all, a lot of it has to do with the pitching. When a pitcher throws well, he is likely to win, no matter how menacing the opposing lineup is. And the tricky thing is that this can happen to any pitcher, not just the aces. For example, some pitchers have a tendency to do extremely well against certain teams while struggle against others. Attention needs to be given to pitchers' stats against their opponents.

Check the game time weather. A pitched baseball moves according to the laws of physics - speed, velocity, rotation and such. One of the things that can affect those physics is weather. Heat, humidity, and wind can all impact a pitch. A pitcher's knuckleball will have more flutter if thrown on a humid day.

It is pivotal that you stay on top of injury reports. Check online for any last minute lineup changes. Remember that the pitcher may not perform as well when the game is not being called by his usual catcher.

Fielding may also impact the score. And fielding may be impacted by the type of playing surface. Some defensive players do better on natural grass than on synthetic turf. Sharply hit ground balls on a fast field could have their way with infielders. If there is a groundball pitcher on the mound, take that into account.

No matter how much research you put in before making a pick, there is no guarantee of success. However, by staying on top of as much game day and player data as possible, you should help improve your odds.




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