The wild and wacky NL has suddenly quieted down as the surging L.A. Dodgers have assumed a 3 game lead over the Diamondbacks and Padres. With just over 40 games remaining in the schedule the fickle fans at Chez Ravine are beginning to bleed Dodger Blue once again.

While a lot of the attention is being focused on veterans Maddux, Lowe, Sele and Penny, there is a strong case to be made for pitcher Chad Billingsley. The 22-year-old right-hander is 4-1 with a 1.76 ERA since the All-Star break.

The last NL team to win 17 of 18 games was the 1986 New York Mets who went on to win the World Series. No team in franchise history had won 17 of 18 since the Brooklyn Superbas went 20-1 during one stretch in 1899. Taking this into consideration, Id lay some hard cash on a futures bet at my local sportsbook or anywhere they take baseball betting.

The Dodgers streak began July 28 after they lost 13 of their first 14 games following the All-Star break. Their lone loss since they turned it around was on Aug. 9 when they were beaten by Colorado 3-1. Los Angeles starters are 12-1 with a 2.55 ERA in the last 18 games.

While the Atlanta Braves run of 14 NL East titles is about to come to an end they are certainly helping the Dodgers cause with their delivery of Wilson Betemit in a trade last month. The Dodgers are 14-0 with him in the starting lineup!

While the Padres and Diamondbacks trail the Dodgers by 3 , they are only 1 game back of the Reds in the wild card. The Padres (60-59) lost for the sixth time in eight games, a skid that dropped them into second place in the West. San Diego is 12-19 since the All-Star break.

If you are looking for a solid bet tonight I suggest you hit the Phillies to complete a sweep of the Mets. Tom Glavine the two-time CY Young Award winner is 26-16 with a 3.82 ERA in 58 career starts against the Phillies.

Glavine led the majors with 12 wins on June 23, but has notched just one victory since. He is 1-3 with a 5.12 ERA in his last nine starts and his only win in that span came against the Phillies on Aug. 5 when he allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings of the Mets 4-3 victory.

The Phillies improved to 18-13 since the All-Star break with Tuesdays win and trail Cincinnati by 2 1/2 games in the NL wild-card race. If youre not into online gaming, nows a great time to start.

Bob Acton

Sports Betting