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Betting MLB Interleague Play

Before 1997 teams from the American League and National League would only play against each other if they met in the World Series. There are some that think Interleague play it’s great for the game, and others who don’t like it at all. There are six Interleague series played exclusively in the first half of the season. One problem is the National League has two more teams than the American League. This forces two National League teams to continue to play within their own league.

While betting on Interleague play is no different than betting on any other regular season game, there are some key things you want to keep in mind when making your MLB picks. Here’s a look at some of the things I have found to be profitable over the years during Interleague play.

Bet the Over – High Scoring NL teams on the Road

When National League teams play on the road in Interleague play they get to play with a DH. No longer do these teams have to give up an out in the pitcher’s spot in the order. It is no secret that having a DH instead of pitcher in the batting order greatly increases a team’s probability of scoring more runs. What I like to look for is National League teams who are having no trouble scoring runs with the pitcher in the lineup and betting the OVER whenever they play on the road.

Bet Against – Bad AL Teams on the Road

This goes right along with the above system. American League teams no longer get to use the DH when playing on the road. So many American League teams rely on their DH to hit in the middle of the lineup and produce runs. While there are some DHs that can take over at one of the position spots, more times than not American League teams are going to lose a big bat as a result of this rule. Not only do they suffer offensively, but many times they take a hit defensively as well. Most players who hit in the DH spot are there because they aren’t good in the field.

Bet Against – Teams Who Have Been Struggling Offensively

Teams who come into Interleague play struggling to put runs on the board, will more than likely continue to see their offense fail to produce. The big reason for this is most teams aren’t familiar with the pitchers from the opposite league. The less a hitter has seen of a pitcher the less likely they are going to succeed against that pitcher. What I like to look for is strong pitchers (ERA under 4.00) going up against teams who are averaging 2 or fewer runs over their last four games. If this situation happens to hold for both teams, I would avoid making a wager on the moneyline and consider playing the UNDER instead.

Bet the Under – Two Left Handed Starters

Because there are so many right handed pitchers, hitters tend to struggle when a left handed pitcher takes the mound, especially when the opposing team hasn’t had many at-bats against that particular starter. Betting the UNDER when you have two left handed starters on the mound continues to be profitable in Interleague play. I really like to load up on this system when both left handed starter have an ERA under 4.00, the game is being played in the National League, and both teams have a losing record against left handed starters on the season.