The Major League Baseball season is a long, long haul for teams and baseball bettors. What we see in April and May doesn’t always translate to the rest of the schedule. Teams off to slow starts get hot, and teams off to hot starts cool down.

Recognizing these ebbs and flows before they happen is one of the best ways to cash in on the MLB moneyline betting odds. Here are some teams playing above or below expectations on the diamond that will quickly flip results as the MLB season rolls on.

Los Angeles Dodgers (20-26, -23.61 units)
Whew, the Dodgers have been a costly bet so far in 2018. Already one of the most popular plays in baseball – and with moneyline odds that reflect that – Los Angeles has burned bettors through two months of ball, with a chunk of those units lost when ace Clayton Kershaw was on the mound. The Dodgers went 2-5 in his seven starts before he hit the disabled list with a bicep injury, torching -9.75 units in those appearances.

It wasn’t all Kershaw’s fault. The lineup was missing third baseman Justin Turner, who recently returned, and will be without sensational shortstop Corey Seager. It also doesn’t help that they play in a very competitive National League West with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. But with Turner back and Kershaw returning soon and getting back to form, L.A. won’t stay down long. They just swept the Nationals in Washington, winning all three games as moneyline underdogs, so now might be the best price you’ll get on the Dodgers all season.

Seattle Mariners (27-19, +6.84 units)
The Mariners are keeping pace with the world champion Houston Astros in the American League West – a pace Seattle just can’t keep up all season. The M’s have been especially stellar on the road, with a 15-9 record, stacking +5.74 units – 84 percent of their total profits this season. Seattle isn’t really doing anything notably well: its pitching staff doesn’t have a regular rotation starter with an ERA under 3.00 and the lineup is plating 4.59 runs per game.

The Mariners have played 18 one-run games, among the most in the major leagues, and have won 11 of those tight contests. They are edging opponents by an average of 0.3 runs per contests, so the margin for error is paper thin. Robinson Cano suffered an injury before getting busted for PEDs and served an 80-game suspension and fellow slugger Nelson Cruz is dealing with a sore elbow. Missing those two bats could be enough to sour the early-season success in Seattle.

Atlanta Braves (28-17, +13.76 units)
The Braves could be the most surprising team in the majors so far. Atlanta has jumped to the top of the National League East, carrying baseball bettors along with them. A young and promising roster is doing it all: averaging 5.4 runs an outing and boasting a collective ERA of 3.51. Much like the Mariners, the bulk of the Braves’ profits have been made on the road thanks to a 17-8 record that has earned +11.96 units – 87 percent of the team’s total winnings so far.

A big part of the Braves’ success has been the slow starts from their division rivals. Washington hasn’t peaked, the Phillies were terrible out of the blocks, and the Mets have been inconsistent so far this year. Atlanta is 19-9 versus NL East rivals but just 9-8 outside of the division. June and July could be a challenging month for the Braves, with a long stretch of non-divisional matchups. On top of that, younger players will begin to feel the wear and tear of the baseball season as the calendar stretches into July.

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