Last updated on February 27th, 2025 at 03:30 pm
Baseball is a team sport, but why are experts such as those from BetSportsOnline.net telling you to look at the Pitcher? If you are still unfamiliar with baseball, then you should be reading up on various sports betting tutorials. Our site has baseball and basketball tutorials among others. But for baseball, despite having a full roster in the field, the pitcher always stands out when it comes to baseball betting.
In fact, when you look at lines from bookie pay per head solution, you will see that if a pitcher change happens, bettors have the option to get back their wager. That’s how important a pitcher is to baseball.
Baseball Betting: the Pitchers
Pitcher- The Pitcher is practically there in every play of each game. It is the most crucial position of the team, and whoever will be opening pitcher is usually announced well before the game. There are 4 basic pitching roles that you should watch out for:
Starting Pitcher- the starting pitcher can set the pace of the game and take the team to a lead. They usually play around six or seven innings, and rarely go for the full nine.
Middle Reliever- the middle reliever will come in to help if the starting pitcher is somehow struggling.
Setup Man- usually pitches one or two innings and they work hard to make sure that the game is as close as possible.
The Closer- the closer is high profile like the starting pitcher. These are power pitchers who can throw really hard. They usually come in during the last inning of the game.
Action vs. Listed Pitcher
The betting line for a baseball game is primarily influenced by the starting pitcher for that day, which distinguishes it from other sports.
Last-minute changes in starting pitchers are quite frequent, which is why many sportsbooks provide the option to choose between “listed pitcher” and “action” when placing a moneyline bet.
Opting for the “listed” starting pitcher means that your wager will only be honored if the pitchers specified at the time of your bet actually take the field as planned. For instance, if you select the “listed” pitcher (such as Justin Masterson in the Cleveland game on Saturday), your bet would be rendered void if the anticipated starter is replaced before the game begins.
Conversely, selecting “action” ensures that all moneyline bets remain valid. This means that even if there is a change in the starting pitcher, your original wager will still stand, albeit with a modified moneyline reflecting the new pitchers. Many experienced baseball bettors tend to avoid the “action” option, as it diminishes their control and undermines their prior analysis. It is generally more advantageous to select the listed pitcher and then assess whether you still favor either team at the adjusted price.
Some sportsbooks may permit you to select only one of the “listed” pitchers. For example, if you bet on Jake Arrieta against the St. Louis Cardinals, your wager would be considered no action if Arrieta is replaced. However, if the Cardinals were to change their starting pitcher, your bet on Arrieta would remain unaffected—you would simply be locked in at the new opening line.
It can be disheartening to conduct thorough analysis, secure a favorable price, and then have your bet voided due to a pitching change. Unfortunately, all that research becomes irrelevant when the starting pitcher is changed. This is why we typically advise bettors to choose the listed pitcher.