Who’s Hot MLB’s Hottest ‘Under’ Teams
by: Alex Smart Sports
Even though the summer months are here, the run production in baseball doesn’t seem to be picking up any. That’s a recipe for an ‘under’ bettors delight! Check out this week’s list of the best ‘under’ teams in baseball over the L/5 days…
(Rank) (Team) (O/U Record) (O/U Record in L/5)
1: Pittsburgh Pirates (34-41-2) (0-5 in L/5) Not only are the Bucs 5-0 in their L/5 for ‘under’ bettors, but they’ve also kept six straight and eight out of nine from reaching it. The offensive has been awful, as the unit has only scored more than three runs twice since January 24th, but the pitching has not only kept them in games, but it has won them as well. The Pirates are only allowing 2.17 runs per game over their L/6, and no team has scored more than three runs on them. They’re wheeling and dealing before the All-Star Break yet again, but much like in years past, it’s hard to see how Pittsburgh is making itself a better team by trading off all of its known commodities for unknown younger players. Still, thanks to the pitching staff, this is the best baseball team that Pittsburgh has had in years.
2: Kansas City Royals (33-41-2) (0-5 in L/5) When your pitching staff has guys like Brian Bannister and Zack Greinke and your offense ranks 28th in baseball, it’s really easy to see how the Royals have played in eight straight games without an ‘over’ (7-0-1). The Kansas City offense hasn’t scored more than five runs in a game in seemingly forever (ok, it’s since June 14th), and the truth of the matter is that this team is just no fun to watch unless Greinke is pitching. Pop quiz, hot shot! Name one player in the Royals’ normal starting lineup. Nothing? That’s what I thought. Don’t feel so bad, manager Trey Hillman probably can’t name all of his starters either. Over the L/3 days, the Royals have only given up six runs, but even then, they’re only 2-1 in that stretch. This summer is going to be another long one for the fans at Kauffman Stadium.
3: Houston Astros (29-43-3) (1-4 in L/5) The Astros are starting to play significantly better baseball than they did at the start of the season, and it’s been 100% thanks to their pitching. The staff hasn’t allowed more than four runs in its L/9 games, and hasn’t allowed more than five runs in a game since June 16th. For a staff that was absolutely blasted at the beginning of the season, its ERA is down to a very respectable 4.18 for the season, which ranks 11th in baseball. The only question left is how long the ‘Stros can keep this up for. It only seems like a matter of time before some of the big names on this team get moved to contenders. Houston had better catch fire quickly if it plans on staying anywhere near the playoffs at the end.
And the rest…
4: Tampa Bay Rays (37-39-3) (1-4 in L/5)
5: Detroit Tigers (31-44-2) (1-4 in L/5)