Playing Right Back
By Judd Hall
It’s a fact of life when it comes to baseball that eventually every starting pitcher will go down with some sort of an injury. Whether it’s a strained shoulder, torn labrum or a bum elbow, a hurler is going to need some time off of the diamond.
Those trips to the disabled list have given bettors a chance to play what is known as the “right back” angle. This is a two-part play that takes into account that a starting pitcher that has been on the DL for an extended period of time will be rusty in their first outing.
This fade has come into play on four occasions thus far with some of the better known pitchers in the big leagues. And the payoff has been pretty good for gamblers with a 3-1 mark if you bet against them.
Los Angeles’s John Lackey started the year on the DL with inflammation in his throwing elbow, but was ready to go on May 16 on the road against the Rangers as a $1.05 road pup. He only got two pitches into his start before getting the ol’ heave ho for tossing behind Ian Kinsler’s back and then nailing him in the side. Texas went on to win that game 5-3. Not the best example of this fade since he only threw two pitches. But Lackey was the pitcher of record and helped bettors backing Texas as a $1.20 home “chalk.”
The fade even holds true when the pitcher in question has appeared in a few games as a reliever. Chien-Ming Wang was diagnosed with weakness in his hip muscles after going 0-3 in April. He returned for some extended relief work in late May before making his first start on June 10 in Boston. Wang threw only 2 2/3 innings as the Red Sox claimed a 6-5 victory. And with that win, bettors cashed on the BoSox as slight $1.10 home favorites.
The Angels have a second entrant on this play with Kelvim Escobar. LA’s No. 3 starter didn’t pitch an inning after having season-ending surgery on his right shoulder and you can bet that he was pretty rusty…no doubt the sportsbooks had that on their mind by making the Halos $1.35 road underdogs against Detroit on June 6. Escobar fared well in his first outing in over a year, giving up two earned runs on four hits in five innings of work. He still lost to the Tigers 2-1, but a solid effort nonetheless.
I mentioned earlier that this is a two-part play for bettors. The second part of the play is to back that pitcher who is making his second start after coming off of the DL. That’s where the “right back” name comes from.
That play will be coming up soon with Los Angeles’s Escobar preparing to make his second start of the season at home against the Padres as a $1.85 home favorite with a total of 8 ½. That’s a huge line to take, but you can always play the run line here for a plus-110 return (-1 ½, risk $100 to win $110).
Lackey came through on this as he allowed five runs in five innings of work on May 18 as the Angels won 10-6 as $1.25 road faves in Seattle. Los Angeles even covered the run line for a return of plus-135.
There will be another chance to fade a well rested starter comes on June 13 when the Cubs send right-hander Rich Harden makes his first start almost a month at home versus Minnesota. The Twins have feasted on righties this season, ranking third in the majors with a .273 batting average.
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