3 National League win totals you can't afford to miss

Win totals for all 30 MLB clubs have been posted at BetAmerica, which presents intriguing wagering opportunities for bettors willing to put in the time and effort. On Tuesday we previewed three American League team win totals, and today we'll turn our attention to the National League.

Philadelphia Phillies (85.5)

The Bryce Harper era in Philadelphia had an inauspicious beginning, as an 81-81 campaign led to the firing of manager Gabe Kapler. But the Phillies look to have targeted the right man for a rebound year in Joe Girardi, who excelled during his time as Yankees manager. They also made some shrewd offseason moves.

Philadelphia’s signing of Zack Wheeler (five years, $118 million) gives it some much-needed rotation depth, behind Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta. The Phillies took a chance on shortstop Didi Gregorius (one year, $14 million), who struggled in 82 games last season following Tommy John surgery (.718 OPS). However, he was outstanding at the dish in his previous two campaigns (.796 OPS and .829 OPS, respectively).

If the Phillies can get a full season from veteran outfielders Andrew McCutchen and Jay Bruce, as well as promising sophomore Adam Haseley (.266, five home runs, and 26 RBIs in 222 at-bats in 2019), their offense could make up for any bullpen deficiencies.

MLB free play: Over

St. Louis Cardinals (88.5)

Those who watched the 2019 National League Championship Series saw an anemic Cardinals offense get sent packing by the Nationals in four games. Unfortunately for the St. Louis faithful, this club’s lineup got even worse in the offseason.

The Cardinals were 21st in runs per game (4.65) last year, in part because they brought one of the game’s worst outfields to the ballpark every day. The Redbirds got a combined total of zero WAR from the three outfield positions in 2019 and saw one of their better hitters in Marcell Ozuna leave town for Atlanta. St. Louis will cross its fingers with the uninspiring Harrison Bader (.205 average in 2019) in center, the decaying Dexter Fowler in right, and rookie Tyler O’Neill in left.

Starting pitchers Jack Flaherty and Dakota Hudson will need to replicate their fine form from last year, and the Cardinals’ fifth-ranked bullpen by ERA will have to carry this team on a nightly basis just for this club to have a shot at 89 wins.

MLB free play: Under

Arizona Diamondbacks (83.5)

Despite dealing staff ace Zack Greinke at the trade deadline last season, and experiencing more than their fair share of injuries throughout the season, the Diamondbacks finished with a 85-77 record in 2019. However, oddsmakers don’t seem convinced Arizona will improve in 2020, even though it had a positive offseason. Over bettors should be licking their chops.

The Diamondbacks were highly active in free agency this winter, with Madison Bumgarner (five-year, $85 million pact) headlining their list of acquisitions. The former Giant should steal some wins from that suffering division rival in 2020, as he inherits Greinke’s role as the ace.

Arizona also brought in longtime Angel Kole Calhoun, fresh off a career-high 33-home run season, to replace Adam Jones in the outfield. The signing of Héctor Rondón should go a long way toward shoring up the Diamondbacks’ bullpen, too.

If outfielder David Peralta and third baseman Jake Lamb can avoid making trips to the injured list in 2020, Arizona’s offense could be a solid unit. A full season from Luke Weaver, following a promising 2019 that was cut short by injury (2.95 ERA in 12 starts), would go a long way to push the Diamondbacks past this total.

MLB Free Play: Over

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Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in a few weeks. Get a head start on MLB wagering at BetAmerica!