Baseball will enjoy another week or so in the spotlight before the crushing weight of the NBA and NHL playoffs siphons off viewers. Meanwhile, the favorites on the World Series futures markets are getting their bats handed to them. The Boston Red Sox (9-2) were swept by the Toronto Blue Jays (25-1). The Detroit Tigers (15-2) started the season with seven straight losses.

Given the way everything is chaotic in the MLB standings these days, it may be difficult to see very far into the future. The Chicago White Sox (35-1) and Kansas City Royals (125-1) were atop the Central Division with five wins and two losses apiece. The New York Mets (6-1) dropped four of their first six games and lost Pedro Martinez for six weeks to a hamstring injury. New York’s fortunes should improve, but what about the White Sox and Royals for the World Series? You never know these days.

So it’s the Colorado Rockies versus the Boston Red Sox. Piece of cake for handicappers, right? Actually, it could be.

Normally, I’d flippantly tell you to go ahead and bet the underdog. But then the Red Sox reeled off three wins in a row to run the favorites to 14-10 for a very mild profit of 0.54 of a unit. Boston was favored all three times on the moneyline – very slightly in Games 5 and 6, as it turned out.

Boston has carried the chalk in every single game of the playoffs, home and away, and figures to do so again in the World Series. And the Sox seem to have done it with just one consistent starter: Josh Beckett, supported by a killer batting order. Forgive me for busting out an old-school stat, but David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis are each hitting .400 or better. The Rocks have their work cut out for them.

The Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians are all knotted up at one game apiece in their American League Championship Series. Which makes Boston the huge favorite to win it all.

Huh? Check out the World Series odds. At press time, Boston was the big chalk at 27-20, followed by the Colorado Rockies at 8-5. Cleveland was next at 11-5, with the Arizona Diamondbacks bringing up the rear at 17-1. This was before Game 3 of the NLCS – the Rockies won the first two games in Arizona.

The perceived problem with Cleveland is their Nos. 3 and 4 starting pitchers, Jake Westbrook (4.40 xFIP) and Paul Byrd (4.96 xFIP). But look at Boston. Daisuke Matsuzaka appears spent, pitching just two quality starts in his last nine appearances, while projected Game 4 starter Tim Wakefield has a 5.16 xFIP and missed the ALDS and had a cortisone shot in his shoulder. Nothing will be easy for either team.

If you’ve never bet on baseball before – with the playoffs creeping up on us now’s the perfect opportunity to get in on the action.

What? No pointspreads?

Even though baseball betting isn’t quite as popular as football or basketball betting, it is one of the easiest pro sports to handicap…as long as you can understand how to read the moneyline.

Get to know the moneyline

With the moneyline, you’re betting on a team to win straight up. Oddsmakers use the moneyline so that more wagers are placed on the favorites and less is thrown down on the underdogs. (And to make up for the difference between the favorite and the underdog, payouts are higher on the dog.)

The minus sign (or negative moneyline) indicates the favorite; the plus sign (or positive moneyline) indicates the underdog. Here’s an example of a moneyline, where the New York Yankees are the favorites:

Yankees -140 Red Sox +120.

Why aren’t there any pointspreads in baseball? The low scoring in baseball games takes the spread out of the equation, but that makes betting the (game) totals more interesting. (Totals generally range from 7-12 runs.)

Who’s the starting pitcher?

If you’re a fan of statistics then betting on baseball is perfect for you. Why? Because baseball is a game of individual outcomes and that means stats…loads of stats. You can find some great action with the starting pitchers, taking into account the bullpens, batting orders, ballpark location and condition, and even the umpires working the game.

Rain, rain, go away…

Another important factor when it comes to baseball betting? The weather. Chicago’s Wrigley Field in April can be unpredictable at best. But a game at Petco Park in sunny San Diego at any time during the regular and post season is pretty much a given.