Rounding The Bases: The Best Bets In The Bigs
By Covers.com
Every week we take a look at the hottest and coldest teams as well as the best over and under bets in Major League Baseball.
For the week of July 1-7
Hot team: Tampa Bay Rays
Last week: 5-1
Season: 49-40
Upcoming schedule: vs. Twins, vs. Astros
Skinny:
The Rays have won four straight and eight of their last nine to rocket up the American League standings. They’ll have a great chance to keep piling on the wins against the Twins and Astros this week.
Cold team: San Diego Padres
Last week: 0-7
Season: 40-49
Upcoming schedule: vs. Rockies, vs. Giants
Skinny: The Padres have dropped nine straight games to fall out of contention in the NL West, but the Friars are favorites Monday night when they host the Rockies.
Over team: Philadelphia Phillies
Last week: 5-1 over/under
Season: 50-38-1 over/under
Upcoming schedule: vs. Nationals, vs. White Sox
Skinny: The Phillies averaged five runs per game and allowed five runs per game last week, as they continue to be one of the better ‘over’ plays in the bigs.
Under team: Baltimore Orioles
Last week: 0-5-1 over/under
Season: 41-43-5 over/under
Upcoming schedule: vs. Rangers, vs. Blue Jays
Skinny: Baltimore's bats went cold last week, averaging just 2.6 runs per game.
MLB Teams Helped and Hurt By The All-Star break
By Covers.com
The All-Star break is a double-edged sword for MLB clubs, giving struggling teams a chance to regroup and acting as a rather large speed bump for those on a roll.
Here are three teams who could be hurt by the break and three which could benefit the most from some time off:
Hurt by the break
Tampa Bay Rays (50-40, +2.36 units)
Tampa Bay is finally gaining ground in the AL East, winning five straight and nine of its last 10 games heading into Tuesday. The Rays have benefited from some weak competition, facing the Astros, White Sox, and Twins in their final 14 games before the break. They hit the road for a 10-game divisional tour after the holiday, at Toronto, Boston and New York.
Oakland Athletics (53-37, +13.67 units)
The A’s normally wait until well after the All-Star break to really get rolling. But this year, Oakland started hot and leads the AL West by half a game heading into Tuesday. It’s won seven of its last 10 games, knocking off the Cubs, Royals and Pirates and closes with a three-game home set vs. Boston before the break. A six-game road trip awaits following the All-Star Game.
Los Angeles Dodgers (43-45, -10.83 units)
The Dodgers have come back from the dead in recent weeks, thanks to the hot-hitting of rookie Yasiel Puig and the return of Hanley Ramirez. Los Angeles has won seven of its last nine and has climbed to second in the NL West. While the downtime does allow Matt Kemp more time to heal from a shoulder ailment it’s a huge momentum stopper, with a six-game eastern road trip on deck after the break.
Helped by the break
San Francisco Giants (40-48, -13.99 units)
My how the mighty have fallen. The defending World Series champs are counting the days to the All-Star break after picking up just three wins in their last 17 games, sinking to the bottom of the NL West and the MLB money rankings. San Francisco closes out the first half of the sked on the road against the Padres. The break will allow the Giants to heal up and clear their heads before another strong second-half run.
Pittsburgh Pirates (53-35, +23.02 units)
Bettors were waiting for the other shoe to drop when it came to the Bucs’ hot 2013. The Pirates have lost three in a row and are just 5-5 in their last 10 games heading into Tuesday, watching the Cardinals jump them in the NL Central standings. Pittsburgh opens the post-break slate with a 10-game road swing to Cincinnati, Washington and Miami.
Toronto Blue Jays (43-45, -1.47 units)
The Jays are looking forward to a fresh start after the break. The first chunk of 2013 was up and down and leaves them at the bottom of the AL East. However, this team saw how good it could be with an 11-game winning streak and the break should help rush some key bats and pitchers back into action for a post-ASG push. Toronto can gain ground with a 10-game home stand following the hiatus.
Scouting The Toughest Second-Half Schedules
By Covers.com
The All-Star break provides baseball bettors with a chance to reflect on the first half of the season and make adjustments moving forward.
Here are three teams that face the toughest road in the unofficial second half.
Tampa Bay Rays +5.36 units
No team is hotter than the Rays over the past two weeks. Tampa Bay has won 12 of its last 13 games heading into a three-game set with the lowly Houston Astros but it will be tough sledding after the All-Star Break. The Rays will have played a league-high 53 home games by the break, leaving only 28 more contests at The Trop in the second half. Tampa Bay is 21-22 away from home (19-19-5 over/under) and kicks off the back stretch with a 10-game road trip following the All-Star festivities.
New York Yankees +3.31 units
The Yankees have been ravaged by injuries all season long, but sit eight games over .500 heading into their final set of the first half with the Minnesota Twins. The health of captain Derek Jeter remains a concern but Michael Pineda and Alex Rodriguez are on the mend and nearing returns to the lineup. New York plays 37 of its final 67 games away from Yankee Stadium, but that may not be such a bad thing. The Yankees are one of the few teams that boast a winning road record (23-21).
Los Angeles Dodgers -7.68 units
The Dodgers were one of the biggest disappointments in the bigs out of the gate, but Puig-mania has uplifted the squad to wins in 10 of its last 12 games. L.A. is just 1.5 games back of Arizona for the NL West lead heading into action Friday but only has a 22-25 record against divisional opponents. The Dodgers will only play 31 of their final 68 games at home and have a few tough interleague series’ remaining against strong AL East opponents (Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, Rays).