Listed, Not Action

We’ve previously written about the importance of the starting pitcher in baseball.  Perhaps the only other positions in sports that can have a similar impact on a sporting event are the starting QB in football, a goalie in hockey, and maybe a point guard in basketball.  So it goes without saying that if you are looking to place action on a MLB game, knowing the starting pitcher, and even to a large extent the bullpen of that team, is paramount in making your decision.  As we’ve discussed, this pertains to the moneyline, the run line, and the total.

The next most important thing to keep in mind is that these starting pitchers get “scratched” or changed for various reasons.  Sometimes it is injury related.  Sometimes it is a “healthy scratch” which means the pitcher is getting a start off for rest or “load management”.  This can, and often does, happen the day of the game.

If this happens and you placed your bet with the designation of “action”, your bet is still live.  Action just means as long as the game is played, your bet will be placed.  If you placed your wager with “listed”, the pitcher(s) listed must start the game for the bet to be live.

If you think through all the scenarios (moneyline, run line, and total) you can see how a change to EITHER starting pitcher could, and probably should, make you second guess if you should place the action.  If nothing else, it would require more research on the change to validate your initial thought process and methodology.

Sports bettors typically look to take out as many variables as they can to focus on finding soft lines or an edge.  The idea of a pitcher being scratched after you’ve poured significant research into determining your bet, leads to our recommendation to only select “listed” for your wagers.  It is better to make sure the variables that led you to place your bet (ie the starting pitchers) are still in play rather than leave it to chance.  

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