Braves go with Heyward

Rookie Jason Heyward has slugged his way onto the Braves and will be Atlanta’s starting right-fielder.

Heyward looks like he can handle big-league pitching and he should be a major boost to the offense. Consider taking the over on the Braves season wins totals.

Cliff Lee shut down by Mariners

Pitching ace Cliff Lee of the Seattle Mariners is being shut down for five days to allow an abdomen strain to heal.

Lee will likely begin the season on the DL. Lee will probably need some to ramp it up for a few days before he’s able to throw in games because he hasn’t had much work in Spring Training.

A prolonged absence will hurt the Seattle Mariners odds because they lack the offense to make up for less than stellar pitching.

Astro’s Oswalt strains hamstring

The Houston Astros’ Roy Oswalt is being examined by team doctors after leaving today’s game against the Pirates with a left hamstring strain.

GM Ed Wade, downplayed the injury saying, “I just want to get him checked.”

Oswalt previously felt a pinch in that leg so there is a slight chance that the strain is symptomatic of something bigger that could hurt the Houston Astros chances of hitting the season wins total.

Pre-Season Betting Update: Heyward boosts Braves, injured pitching aces by MLB Baseball Previews

Reyes back at camp

New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes is training once more after missing 19 days to treat a hyperactive thyroid.

The Mets were expecting him to miss up to eight weeks so Reyes’ return is a pleasant bonus at this point.

While the early return is a good sign, the Mets have Reyes on a strict diet to manage the condition and it remains to be seen if the diet change will be enough for Reyes to play with his usual frequency.

The over/under on Mets regular season wins is 82.5, but they’ve suffered so many injuries that most people are betting under so the payout is really low at -180.

The good news from Reyes might make a small bet on the over worthwhile, but the Mets have a lot of obstacles to overcome.

Pedroia’s wrist X-rays negative

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia injured his left wrist trying to stop a smash hit in the first inning of yesterday’s night game against the Twins but X-rays have confirmed that it is nothing worse than a sprain.

Pedroia was not scheduled to play in today’s game against the Pirates and the injury is not likely to impact the Red Sox odds. The over/under for Red Sox regular season wins is 94.5.

Lee not quite healthy for the Mariners

The Seattle Mariners ace pitcher Cliff Lee’s abdominal strain is still bothering him and there’s no time-line for his recovery.

The season starts April 5. Lee will need some time to build up his arm, so he likely won’t be ready to begin the season.

The Mariners will need a healthy Lee if they’re to take the next step and challenge for a playoff spot. Resting him is the right choice, but missing him for any great length of time will badly hurt this team’s MLB odds.

Pre-Season Betting Update: Mets’ Reyes, BoSox’s Pedroia, Mariners’ Lee by MLB Baseball Previews