Best and Worst Pitchers to Back in First Five Inning Bets
There are plenty of ways to bet on Major League Baseball.
One of the most popular ways, as well as one of my personal favorites, is a bet on only the first five innings. The advantage of first five inning bets, is that you're usually taking the bullpen out of the equation. For the most part, starting pitchers will stay in the game for at least five innings, so if you like a starting pitcher, but not that team's bullpen, these might be the bets for you.
For example, take the Blue Jays. Their offense leads the Majors in OPS, and their starting rotation is one of the strongest in the American League. BUT, they rank 24th in bullpen ERA at 4.41. They are a prime example of a team you might want to stick to first five inning bets with.
Because the bullpen is out of the equation, that puts more importance on the matchup between the two starters. So, who are the best starters in the first five innings?
Joe Osborne of Vegas Insider tweeted out the best and worst first five inning pitchers in the Majors so far in 2022:
Best ERAs in innings 1-5 (Min 50 IP)
— Joe Osborne (@JTFOz) June 30, 2022
Gonsolin 1.50
Musgrove 1.52
Manoah 1.56
Alcantara 1.69
McClanahan 1.70
Verlander 1.71
Nola 1.72
Bieber 2.00
Worst ERAs in innings 1-5 (Min 50 IP):
Adon 7.29
G Marquez 6.52
Gomber 6.55
Berrios 6.05
T Rogers 5.98
T Hearn 5.84
Corbin 5.66
Top First Five Pitchers in MLB
Tony Gonsolin of the Los Angeles Dodgers tops the list for first five inning ERA. This one should come as no surprise, as Gonsolin spots a 1.58 total ERA for the season. With that being said, he's still available at a tempting price of +2000 at WynnBET to win the NL Cy Young.
The biggest surprise on the list has to be Shane Bieber, who comes in eighth on the list with a first five inning ERA of 2.00. That's more than a full run better than his total ERA, which is currently at 3.07. This could prove to be a good spot to bet on the Guardians in the first five innings when he pitches.
Worst First Five Pitchers in MLB
It's rare for pitchers to get better as the game goes on. Usually, the more times through the lineup the pitcher goes, the more batters begin to figure him out. While all eight pitchers on the list for the worst first five inning ERA are all struggling this year to say the least, German Marquez stick out as the one whose total ERA is somehow better than his first five inning ERA.
He sports a total ERA of 5.89, but that drops to 6.52 in the first five innings. Fade away with first five bets when Marquez takes the mound for the Rockies.
You can track Iain's bets on Betstamp here.