Sticking in with baseball sports betting systems, another one this week focuses on pitchers – not just any pitchers, but struggling pitchers.

We all know how frustrating it can be when hyped-up pitchers let you down again and again in the first half of the season, losing you money when their teams are supposed to be favored. Well, it’s time for those downtrodden hurlers to atone for their mistakes. These same goats can be the key to a good sports betting system.

Manny Parra is a good recent test subject to show how this system works. He struggled in the first half of this season, never throwing strikes, and eventually earned a demotion to the minors. He worked on his mechanics for a month or so and returned last week as a different pitcher. He shut out the Cards for seven innings, walked one and struck out seven. If you bet on Milwaukee at the sportsbook that night, you would’ve cashed in nicely, as the Brew Crew would’ve been underdogs based on Parra’s past struggles.

The same happened with Jose Contreras in Chicago and, famously, Roy Halladay early in his career. Talented pitcher goes to minors, fixes flaws, returns a new man, but can win you money since his team will be an underdog when he pitches.

It’s one of the more intriguing sports betting systems I’ve dreamed up in a while, because it turns underdogs into secret favorites.

Who’s next? Consider Pittsburgh’s Ian Snell. He bombed early in the year and requested his own demotion. In the minors, he has a 0.34 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 26.1 innings, so he seems to be working out the kinks. Be ready when he gets his promotion!

OK, sports betting systems fans. I have an off the wall one for you to try. Back in my college days, I was studying for a psychology exam when I came across a section in my text book on violence and its relation to heat. It explained how crime rates tend to rise in hot summer months, especially when the temperature is extremely muggy and humid.

The next section of the text book specifically discussed baseball, explaining that the rate of hit batters rose significantly in summer months when the temperature was over a certain point. In other words, not only does the heat make the pitchers a little wild, it also makes them more likely to get frustrated and take it out on hitters.

Here’s an experiment to try. Check the forecast prior to a day game in Atlanta or Texas – somewhere sweltering and sticky. Assume the heat will lead to more total base runners and bet OVER the total. See how you do! The stats say it will work…

Hey, if you really want to get crazy, you could place prop bets on ejections or bench-clearing brawls too, as they happen far more frequently in the hottest months of the year. Remember that the next time bitter rivals like the Yankees and Red Sox face each other on a hot August day.

Have fun with your sports betting systems, folks.