A Spread, also known as the line, is a bet designed to create a balanced bet for both sides of the matchup. Underdogs have a positive number, meaning that team gets that number of runs added to their final score. The favorite has a negative number, meaning that team gets that number of runs taken away from their final score. If a team loses by the exact runs in the spread, the bet is considered a push, the original bet is returned, and it is as if the bet never happened.

While rare, a spread of 0, also known as a pick'em, indicates there was likely breaking news related to the matchup and sportsbooks have yet to adjust their market lines.