MLB Coldest Teams
By: Alex Smart
1) Baltimore Orioles (6-7) (0-5 SU L/5 -$500): Baltimore Manager Dave Trembley would much rather forget about what transpired on the field last week after his club managed to win just twice in seven tries. After picking up road wins in a pair of slugfests against the Texas Rangers in the first two games, the O’s went on to get outscored 49-20 which included a 19-6 defeat at the hands of the Rangers in a game that saw 2B Ian Kinsler hit for the cycle with a 6-for-6 effort. The offense has been above average scoring 5.38 runs per game (#8) and hitting .269 for the league’s 10th best team batting average, but the pitching has been flat out atrocious. Their 7.01 ERA and 1.82 WHIP rank dead last amongst the 30 teams in the league. Of the 13 starts made to date, only three were deemed as quality and the defense currently ranks 19th overall already having made eight errors. With 3B Melvin Mora already on the DL and CF Adam Jones hurting, the offense has already started to taper off (2 runs combined in L/2 games played at Boston). That spells big trouble for this club, but a prime opportunity for baseball bettors looking to make some nice coin backing their opponents; as well as the ‘over’.
2) Tampa Bay Rays (5-8) (1-4 SU L/5 -$435): Things haven’t gotten off to quite the start Manger Joe Maddon would have liked throughout the first two weeks of the 2009 season, and Rays bettors have paid dearly for it. Tampa Bay was one of the most lucrative teams to back throughout the 2008 season; especially at home. That said; they’ve already cost baseball bettors close to 400 on the year with most of the bankroll crippling occurring at home where they’ve won just two of their seven games (-$450). While they’ve had no problem hitting the long ball (ranked #5 with 20), they’ve had problems manufacturing runs evidenced by their poor 4.77 run per game average that has them ranked 15th overall. The pitching staff has taken a major step back, especially the bullpen. They own the league’s 22nd ranked team ERA of 5.37, and they’ve only gotten six quality starts from their overhyped starting pitching staff. After getting rolled up by both Chicago and NY last week, it might be good for them and their betting backers to get away from Tropicana Field where they’ve posted a profit going 3-3 on the year.
3) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (4-8) (1-4 SU L/5 -$330): The 2009 season started off terribly for the Angels franchise when Nick Adenhart was shockingly killed in a car crash just hours after he toed Angels Stadium’s mound. Since that game, the Angels have managed just three total wins in nine tries and most recently got swept right out of the HHH Metrodome by the Minnesota Twins. They now get six straight at home, but both Detroit and Seattle have been playing very well of late. Injuries to starting pitchers John Lackey and Ervin Santana have crippled the staff, but the injury to their big bopper, Vladimir Guerrero, has really hampered what was already a limited offensive attack. The Halos are currently ranked 25th in the league with a 4.00 run per game average, and their .250 batting average and eight total home runs rank amongst the league’s worst. Look to continue fading the perennial AL West winners until it gets healthy in many areas.
And the rest….
4) Colorado Rockies (11-2) (1-4 SU L/5 -$215)
5) Atlanta Braves (9-4) (1-4 SU L/5 -$365)