His last start was another gem. On Thursday, Washington pitcher Jason Marquis allowed just three hits over eight innings as the Nationals defeated the Seattle Mariners, 1-0.

While most of the attention following the game was on Nats manager Jim Riggleman, who suddenly quit due to a contract dispute, Marquis’s performance didn’t escape notice by baseball bettors. Washington’s victory was its fifth straight with Marquis on the hill.

All told, the Nationals are 12-3 when Marquis starts, making the 32-year-old the most profitable pitcher in baseball. To be fair, the offence deserves a lot of the credit for that record. Marquis is right up there with baseballs leaders in run support. In other words, there have been games when he hasn’t had his best stuff and the bats have come through.

You have to wonder what Anaheim’s Jered Weaver thinks when he hears that. Weaver has great numbers, but the Angels’ hitters haven’t done much to help him out.

On May 28, the poor guy went nine innings, didn’t allow a run, and the Twins won, 1-0, in 10 innings.

In his last five starts, the Angels have scored 12 runs combined. In Marquis’s last five starts, the Nationals have scored 30 runs combined. 

That said, over at Bodog’s online sportsbook we’ve still seen an uptick in betting when Marquis is scheduled to start.

One thing I’ve learned as an odds maker is that people like to wager on a hot hand, even if there are reasons to believe it won’t last. It’s a lot like when people up their wagers when they’re on a roll at the blackjack table. It’s only natural for people to assume that a hot streak will continue.

The best sports bettors are the ones that can see a statistic for what it is, as opposed to just taking it at face value. You have to do a lot of digging to make money betting on sports, but at least there’s the internet to help out.

Imagine what sports bettors went through before they could just point and click their way through everything. For what it’s worth, among the other profitable pitchers are Dillon Gee (Mets), Roy Halladay (Phillies), Aaron Harang (Padres), and Kevin Correia (Pirates).

Correia is another guy that’s received good run support, and when you consider he plays for the Pirates, you know he’s been the underdog in a lot of games he’s won.

The Pirates have been one of the surprise teams this year. They probably won’t be challenging for a playoff spot, but the fact they’re hovering around .500 is pretty impressive considering their payroll.

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