Hottest Bets in Baseball
By AARON SCHULDINER
With a little more than one third of the MLB season in the books, Covers.com looks at some of the hottest wagers of the past month.
Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies
While Jimenez’s cost has skyrocketed since the beginning of the season, he has certainly done his best to justify the increase in price. Since May 15, Jimenez has won all six of his starts, posting a 1.40 ERA and a 0.956 WHIP. In three of those six games, including a four-hit, complete-game shutout at San Francisco, he did not allow a single run. Jimenez has been dominant in 2010, leading the majors with 12 wins while no other pitcher has more than nine.
Anyone facing the Orioles
At 17-47, this once-proud franchise is 23.5 games out of first place in the loaded AL East. Seattle, the second-worst team in the league, is seven games in front of the Orioles in the AL standings. Baltimore is an MLB-worst -24.18 units this year and is just 5-23 since May 15 - a stretch that includes a 10-game losing streak. The O’s are reportedly wooing Bobby Valentine to be their next skipper. At this point, even if Valentine signs on, you have to wonder how much a managerial change would help a team that’s on pace to lose an astounding 119 games.
Cubs under
Since May 15, Chicago pitchers have an impressive team ERA of 3.52. Unfortunately for the Cubs, their record over that span is 13-14 because they’ve scored just 3.52 runs per game. Only eight of the last 27 Cubs games have gone over the total. The Cubs and their opponent have combined to score five runs or fewer in 11 games during this stretch.
Mike Pelfrey, New York Mets
Pelfrey has been spectacular over the last month for the Mets, going 5-0 with a 1.10 WHIP and a 1.65 ERA. New York has won each of Pelfrey’s last six starts, including well-pitched victories over the Yankees, Braves, and Phillies. Only once during that run did Pelfrey fail to register the win – an extra-inning victory over San Diego in which he tossed nine innings of one-run ball. At 10.31 units, Pelfrey has been the second most profitable pitcher in baseball this season, trailing only Jimenez.
Atlanta Braves
Troy Glaus has been red hot since May 15, batting .324 with nine home runs and 26 RBI, helping the upstart Braves take over first place in the NL East. In those 29 games, Atlanta is 20-9 and has outscored opponents by more than 50 runs (157-106). At 7.35 units, the Braves are the fourth-most profitable team in MLB in 2010. They have been an especially strong bet at home (+10.27), where they will play 15 of their next 18 games