The hottest bets in baseball since the All-Star break
By David Jones
Following hot and cold streaks is a great way to build your bankroll during the baseball season.
It’s been a week and a half since the All-Star break and some teams have been in cruise control while others are asleep at the wheel. A good bettor can make a profit off either situation. Here’s a quick breakdown of the five streaking (hot and cold) since the Midseason Classic.
All stats current entering Sunday’s play.
Los Angeles Angels (9-1, + 8.05 units)
The perception that the Angels are too banged up to win has taken some risk away from the bettors who have been cashing in with this squad. Los Angeles has been priced less than -150 in each of its 10 contest since the break despite facing cellar-dwellers Kansas City and Oakland for seven of the matchups.
Even with Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero on the shelf, the Angels bats have been hot. During their eight-game winning streak heading into Sunday, Los Angeles is averaging just under eight runs per outing. Their last six games have gone over the total.
Philadelphia Phillies (7-2, + 4.75 units)
Like the Angels, the Phillies have been priced in a reasonable manner since coming out of the play stoppage. In eight of its nine games, Philadelphia has been a favorite of -130 or less.
This run is a continuation of a trend that has been established for the entire month of July for the Phillies. In a strong sign that Philadelphia is a confident squad with plenty of swagger, the Phillies are beating up on mediocre opponents. From July 3 through July 23, Philly went 15-2 with nine of the victories coming by three runs or more.
New York Yankees (8-1, + 4.90 units)
Unlike the Angels and Phillies, the Yankees have been huge favorites since the beginning of the second half. New York has been priced higher than -200 in five of its nine games in a homestand that included last-place squads Baltimore and Oakland. The run included a stretch of four consecutive victories by the identical score of 2-1. These results ruined anyone who tried to offset the big prices with a runline wager.
The Yankees held their opponents to four runs or less in their eight-game winning streak to begin the second half - a sign that New York hurlers have begun to adjust to their hitter-friendly park.
Kansas City Royals (1-7, -6.75 units)
The usual spring training hopes of March actually had some real promise for the Royals in 2009. At least, that is the way things appeared when Kansas City was atop the AL Central with a three-game division lead in early May. Since their 18-11 start, the Royals have returned to Earth with a humbling record of 20-47.
Because all of their games have been at home since the break, the Royals haven’t been huge underdogs during this stretch despite hosting some playoff contenders. Kansas City was favored or a +120 underdog or less in six of the eight matchups.
Cincinnati Reds (2-7, -5.25 units)
The Reds have some things in common with the Royals. Both are small market clubs who appear on the verge of a breakthrough season, but still can’t deliver.
Cincinnati has been priced as a sizeable underdog during its current road swing through Los Angeles and Chicago. However, the Reds have been bad enough to lose all five games to the Dodgers and Cubs by two runs or more. Runline players have cashed in by going against the Reds in the month of July.
The Reds are 5-14 in their last 19 games. Only one of the 14 defeats has been by one run. Cincinnati was outscored 32-2 in consecutive outings against the Cardinals and Phillies.