One of the more intriguing aspects of any MLB schedule each year is the fact that teams play series against one another. This differs from every other sport, where the only time teams play each other in consecutive games tends to happen in the playoffs. It can make for some interesting patterns when it comes to finding systems, trends and various success levels of teams. The nature of the routine, be it a two-, three-, or four-game series, can also lead to finding definitive betting nuggets, as can how a team fares when transitioning between different series. To me, it should all be part of the process of evaluating games each day. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some valuable information I was able to uncover regarding MLB series game intricacies that you might want to consider going forward in your baseball betting before we get too deep into the 2025 season. 

If you’re a betting systems lover, be sure you read all the way till the end, as I’ve found 12 angles you’ll want to add to your baseball betting system library.

 

Top MLB Resources:

Note: all stats and records are accumulated from 2022-2024 regular seasons, unless noted

Records by team in each part of a series since 2022: 

In FIRST game of a multiple-game series

MLB Rank – Team – SU W-L – ML Units – ROI
1. BALTIMORE – Record: 94-60, +38.52 units, ROI: 25.0%
2. CINCINNATI – Record: 84-72, +30.71 units, ROI: 19.7%
3. NY METS – Record: 95-60, +25.3 units, ROI: 16.3%
4. CLEVELAND – Record: 86-68, +17.9 units, ROI: 11.6%
5. LA DODGERS – Record: 102-53, +11.29 units, ROI: 7.3%
6. MILWAUKEE – Record: 91-65, +10.08 units, ROI: 6.5%
7. SEATTLE – Record: 87-68, +9.14 units, ROI: 5.9%
8. ATLANTA – Record: 98-57, +8.78 units, ROI: 5.7%
9. SAN DIEGO – Record: 90-66, +8.26 units, ROI: 5.3%
10. CHICAGO CUBS – Record: 79-75, +7.55 units, ROI: 4.9%
11. PHILADELPHIA – Record: 88-67, +5.32 units, ROI: 3.4%
12. COLORADO – Record: 63-91, +3.22 units, ROI: 2.1%
13. DETROIT – Record: 70-86, -1.43 units, ROI: -0.9%
14. ARIZONA – Record: 76-79, -3.07 units, ROI: -2.0%
15. HOUSTON – Record: 89-67, -4.53 units, ROI: -2.9%
16. PITTSBURGH – Record: 67-89, -5.01 units, ROI: -3.2%
17. KANSAS CITY – Record: 67-86, -5.91 units, ROI: -3.9%
18. NY YANKEES – Record: 87-69, -6.36 units, ROI: -4.1%
19. OAKLAND – Record: 60-96, -6.57 units, ROI: -4.2%
20. TORONTO – Record: 84-71, -6.62 units, ROI: -4.3%
21. MINNESOTA – Record: 81-74, -10.18 units, ROI: -6.6%
22. BOSTON – Record: 75-80, -11.09 units, ROI: -7.2%
23. SAN FRANCISCO – Record: 78-78, -12.57 units, ROI: -8.1%
24. TAMPA BAY – Record: 78-77, -14.15 units, ROI: -9.1%
25. TEXAS – Record: 72-84, -19 units, ROI: -12.2%
26. WASHINGTON – Record: 52-103, -21.99 units, ROI: -14.2%
27. LA ANGELS – Record: 64-91, -27.79 units, ROI: -17.9%
28. MIAMI – Record: 58-98, -33.49 units, ROI: -21.5%
29. ST LOUIS – Record: 66-88, -38.84 units, ROI: -25.2%
30. CHI WHITE SOX – Record: 46-109, -66.82 units, ROI: -43.1%

In MIDDLE game(s) of a multiple game series

MLB Rank – Team – SU W-L – ML Units – ROI
1. ATLANTA – Record: 115-58, +29.91 units, ROI: 17.3%
2. PHILADELPHIA – Record: 105-71, +20.1 units, ROI: 11.4%
3. ST LOUIS – Record: 99-77, +16.59 units, ROI: 9.4%
4. WASHINGTON – Record: 78-98, +15.97 units, ROI: 9.1%
5. DETROIT – Record: 85-88, +15.31 units, ROI: 8.8%
6. NY YANKEES – Record: 106-67, +15.14 units, ROI: 8.8%
7. ARIZONA – Record: 89-86, +8.7 units, ROI: 5.0%
8. MILWAUKEE – Record: 95-78, +6.12 units, ROI: 3.5%
9. BALTIMORE – Record: 91-84, +5.55 units, ROI: 3.2%
10. TAMPA BAY – Record: 95-81, +2.18 units, ROI: 1.2%
11. SAN DIEGO – Record: 97-77, +1.82 units, ROI: 1.0%
12. CHICAGO CUBS – Record: 86-89, -0.54 units, ROI: -0.3%
13. PITTSBURGH – Record: 76-98, -3.61 units, ROI: -2.1%
14. TEXAS – Record: 86-87, -3.73 units, ROI: -2.2%
15. OAKLAND – Record: 68-106, -3.91 units, ROI: -2.2%
16. SAN FRANCISCO – Record: 86-86, -6.67 units, ROI: -3.9%
17. COLORADO – Record: 69-109, -6.97 units, ROI: -3.9%
18. MIAMI – Record: 80-93, -6.8 units, ROI: -3.9%
19. LA DODGERS – Record: 109-67, -9.02 units, ROI: -5.1%
20. TORONTO – Record: 93-83, -9.99 units, ROI: -5.7%
21. CLEVELAND – Record: 89-87, -11.86 units, ROI: -6.7%
22. CHICAGO WHITE SOX – Record: 76-98, -12.46 units, ROI: -7.2%
23. BOSTON – Record: 85-90, -12.99 units, ROI: -7.4%
24. MINNESOTA – Record: 90-86, -13.8 units, ROI: -7.8%
25. SEATTLE – Record: 89-87, -17.43 units, ROI: -9.9%
26. KANSAS CITY – Record: 72-106, -20.18 units, ROI: -11.3%
27. HOUSTON – Record: 91-81, -25.83 units, ROI: -15.0%
28. CINCINNATI – Record: 70-103, -29.73 units, ROI: -17.2%
29. LA ANGELS – Record: 71-105, -34.69 units, ROI: -19.7%
30. NY METS – Record: 79-95, -43.99 units, ROI: -25.3%

In LAST game of a multiple game series

MLB Rank – Team – SU W-L – ML Units – ROI
1. HOUSTON – Record: 103-53, +30.41 units, ROI: 19.5%
2. BALTIMORE – Record: 89-65, +21.76 units, ROI: 14.1%
3. TAMPA BAY – Record: 92-63, +16.99 units, ROI: 11.0%
4. MIAMI – Record: 78-78, +16.85 units, ROI: 10.8%
5. CLEVELAND – Record: 85-69, +14.97 units, ROI: 9.7%
6. WASHINGTON – Record: 67-87, +14.71 units, ROI: 9.6%
7. ARIZONA – Record: 81-74, +12.73 units, ROI: 8.2%
8. LA DODGERS – Record: 98-57, +11.98 units, ROI: 7.7%
9. NY METS – Record: 89-66, +10.26 units, ROI: 6.6%
10. SEATTLE – Record: 87-68, +3.58 units, ROI: 2.3%
11. DETROIT – Record: 74-82, +2.42 units, ROI: 1.6%
12. PITTSBURGH – Record: 71-85, +2.18 units, ROI: 1.4%
13. LA ANGELS – Record: 74-81, +1.53 units, ROI: 1.0%
14. ST LOUIS – Record: 81-73, +1.43 units, ROI: 0.9%
15. MILWAUKEE – Record: 85-71, -2.53 units, ROI: -1.6%
16. BOSTON – Record: 76-79, -5.65 units, ROI: -3.6%
17. KANSAS CITY – Record: 67-86, -7.11 units, ROI: -4.6%
18. TEXAS – Record: 77-79, -7.73 units, ROI: -5.0%
19. CHICAGO CUBS – Record: 73-81, -7.7 units, ROI: -5.0%
20. CINCINNATI – Record: 66-90, -14.48 units, ROI: -9.3%
21. COLORADO – Record: 56-98, -15.54 units, ROI: -10.1%
22. MINNESOTA – Record: 76-79, -17.63 units, ROI: -11.4%
23. SAN FRANCISCO – Record: 75-81, -19.59 units, ROI: -12.6%
24. NY YANKEES – Record: 82-74, -19.67 units, ROI: -12.6%
25. PHILADELPHIA – Record: 79-76, -22.2 units, ROI: -14.3%
26. TORONTO – Record: 78-77, -22.35 units, ROI: -14.4%
27. CHICAGO WHITE SOX – Record: 60-95, -28.02 units, ROI: -18.1%
28. OAKLAND – Record: 51-105, -28.47 units, ROI: -18.3%
29. SAN DIEGO – Record: 77-79, -28.72 units, ROI: -18.4%
30. ATLANTA – Record: 80-75, -30.15 units, ROI: -19.5%

Some of my observations on the numbers above:

– Baltimore has been a big producer overall for bettors over the last three seasons but has been particularly good in the front & back end of individual series.

– Atlanta has been tremendous in the opening game(s) of series but has proven to be a fruitful fade option when closing out a series.

– The Mets have been one of the top series-opening teams in the league in recent years but also the league’s worst in terms of ROI when playing in the middle game(s) of series.

– Quite the opposite of Baltimore, the Yankees have been a good fade option early and late in series for bettors but have picked it up nicely in the middle game(s) of series.

– San Diego has been known recently to open series’ strong but get worse and worse as a series wears on, at least where betting return is considered.

– The Angels have been a terrible return on investment overall for bettors over the last three seasons, mostly in the beginning parts of series, but they have been a profitable upper-half team in the final game of a set.

Top totals trends regarding teams in series over the last three seasons

– The best Over team in any part of a baseball series of late has been BALTIMORE in MIDDLE GAME(s) of a set, as the Orioles are 96-68 for +21.05 units and a ROI of 12.8% in such contests.

– The LA ANGELS have also been a strong over team in series MIDDLE GAME(s) recently, 96-69 for +20.4 units (ROI: 12.4%) since 2022.

– The team with the best Over the total ROI in the opening game of a series since 2022 has been the LA DODGERS, 85-64 for +15.25 units (ROI: 10.2%).

– The team with the best Over ROI in the final game of a series over the last three seasons has been the NY YANKEES, 84-68 for +8.5 units (ROI: 5.6%).

– The best three Under the total ROI trends all apply to the last game of a series in recent years with CLEVELAND (90-61 Under, +22.6 units ROI: 15%), KANSAS CITY (86-62 Under, +18.6 units ROI: 12.6%), and ST LOUIS (85-61 Under, +18.05 units ROI: 12.4%) leading the way.

– HOUSTON has been the most significant Under the total team in series openers recently, going 88-64 Under for +17.65 units & ROI 11.6% over the last three seasons.

Here are some of the top MLB series team trends by locale recently, all showing a unit loss or win of 20-plus units:

Negative Trends
– CHI WHITE SOX FIRST game of a series at HOME – Record: 24-55, -38.68 units, ROI: -49.0%
– WASHINGTON FIRST game of a series at HOME – Record: 19-58, -37.4 units, ROI: -48.6%
– CHI WHITE SOX LAST game of a series at HOME – Record: 25-54, -35.31 units, ROI: -44.7%
– CHI WHITE SOX FIRST game of a series on ROAD – Record: 22-54, -28.14 units, ROI: -37.0%
– ST LOUIS FIRST game of a series at HOME – Record: 33-43, -26.5 units, ROI: -34.9%
– TORONTO LAST game of a series at HOME – Record: 38-39, -25.45 units, ROI: -33.1%
– NY METS MIDDLE game(s) of a series on ROAD – Record: 34-51, -27.46 units, ROI: -32.3%
– BOSTON FIRST game of a series at HOME – Record: 32-45, -23.85 units, ROI: -31.0%
– NY YANKEES LAST game of a series on ROAD – Record: 32-45, -23.24 units, ROI: -30.2%
– LA ANGELS FIRST game of a series at HOME – Record: 33-45, -21.8 units, ROI: -27.9%
– MIAMI FIRST game of a series on ROAD – Record: 23-55, -21.48 units, ROI: -27.5%
– CINCINNATI MIDDLE game(s) of a series at HOME – Record: 35-52, -22.89 units, ROI: -26.3%
– ATLANTA LAST game of a series at HOME – Record: 42-36, -20.44 units, ROI: -26.2%
– HOUSTON MIDDLE game(s) of a series at HOME – Record: 48-38, -20.9 units, ROI: -24.3%
– KANSAS CITY MIDDLE game(s) of a series at HOME – Record: 35-54, -20.82 units, ROI: -23.4%

Positive Trends
– SAN DIEGO FIRST game of a series on ROAD – Record: 48-30, +20.36 units, ROI: 26.1%
– PHILADELPHIA MIDDLE game(s) of a series at HOME – Record: 60-27, +23.44 units, ROI: 26.9%
– MIAMI LAST game of a series on ROAD – Record: 43-35, +25.27 units, ROI: 32.4%
– CINCINNATI FIRST game of a series on ROAD – Record: 43-35, +25.44 units, ROI: 32.6%
– NY METS FIRST game of a series on ROAD – Record: 49-28, +25.21 units, ROI: 32.7%
– BALTIMORE FIRST game of a series on ROAD – Record: 49-28, +32.36 units, ROI: 42.0%
– HOUSTON LAST game of a series on ROAD – Record: 56-21, +34.34 units, ROI: 44.6%

As I alluded to earlier, I was able to uncover 11 different MLB betting systems regarding series’. Take a look:

MLB Series Betting System #1: Teams starting a new series and riding at least a 3-game winning streak are 326-247 for +46.64 units and an ROI of 8.1% over the last three seasons
Pretty simple angle here. Team is hot and motivated by the change of opponents. 

MLB Series Betting System #2: Teams wrapping up a series and riding at least a 3-game losing streak are 302-309 but for +43.46 units and an ROI of 7.1% over the L3 seasons
Almost the opposite of #1 above but still a nice investment. The familiarity of an opponent to which this team has lost consecutive games to helps them snap the streak before moving on. 

MLB Series Betting System #3: Small road favorites of -111 to -130 have been a solid wager in the opening game of a new series, going 161-96 for +43.77 units and a ROI of 17% over the last three seasons
This is a solid system that you don’t have to risk too much to get a lot out of. Being as how we are looking at a road favorite, you probably have the benefit of either backing a decent road team or fading a poor home team. In any case, the better road team looks to get the momentum going with a series-opening win. 

MLB Series Betting System #4: Road underdogs of +101 to +187 have been a reasonably good investment in the final game of a series, going 509-664 but for +34.78 units and a ROI of 2.9% over the last three seasons
A system producing a little less than 3% isn’t a massive profit generator, but if slow and steady is your way of “investing” in MLB betting, this could be an angle for you. It is simple and straightforward and suggests that road dogs are a good play in the final game of a set, assuming they aren’t the worst of road dogs priced higher than the +187 benchmark. 

MLB Series Betting System #5: Road underdogs of +101 to +187 have been a very good investment in the final game of a series if ending a road trip, going 268-292 but for +79.11 units and a ROI of 14.1% over the last three seasons
If you’d like to limit your plays down from #4 above and get some more bang for your buck, look for the similar size road dogs that are closing out not only a series but a road trip as well, as their next game(s) are back at home. 

MLB Series Betting System #6: Small home underdogs of -109 to +120 have been awful in the first game of a series when welcoming a new opponent in a multi-series homestand, going 81-134 for -50.08 units and a ROI of -23.3% over the last three seasons
These small underdog hosts have been awful, as perhaps they’ve gotten too comfortable at home. We already know they aren’t the best of teams as they are playing in the home dog role. A new opponent doesn’t seem to motivate them to play well in front of the home folks. 

MLB Series Betting System #7: Small home favorites of -111 to -180 have been terrible in the first game of any homestand, going 251-222 but for -63.79 units and an ROI of -13.5% over the last three seasons
This one was a surprise to me. Home favorites struggling in their first game back after a road trip. You would think that would be a more motivating situation, but perhaps the change of scenery and routine is a lot to deal with and playing to a higher price at home isn’t beneficial. 

MLB Series Betting System #8: Home favorites opening up an interleague series have gone 106-44 but for +13.51 units and an ROI of 9% over the last three seasons
The last two systems have dealt with home teams struggling in series-opening spots. This one goes the other way, as home chalk has been solid in the opening game of interleague series play. These hosts seem to get up for their relatively new opponents. 

MLB Series Betting System #9: Big home favorites of -180 or more closing out a divisional series have been a nice investment lately, going 122-47 but for +16.35 units and an ROI of 9.7% over the last three seasons
Divisional opponents typically command a little more focus from teams, and based upon the significant price involved, we are obviously looking at two different-level teams in this system. Trust the better team here.

MLB Series Betting System #10: Teams playing in the first game of a new series on the road and coming off a win in which they scored 6 or more runs in a win boast a solid 306-244 record for +61.4 units and a ROI of 11.2% over the last three seasons, so long as they are not priced at +175 or worse
The change of scenery doesn’t do much to cool off these hot-hitting road teams. Any time you can get a system with an outright road winning percentage of 55.6%, you know it must be good. This system includes a lot of road dogs, just not the real ugly ones. 

MLB Series Betting System #11: Road teams wrapping up a series after a game in which they lost and scored four or fewer runs have bounced back well with a 475-522 record but for +69 units and an ROI of 6.9% over the last three seasons
This is another interesting angle that might take some guts to bet on consistently, as in the long run it produces a nice profit, but you have to accept more losses than wins. Don’t assume because a road team struggled offensively the day prior that they will again in closing out a series.

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