This Week's Best MLB Trends

MLB Hot & Not
By Mike Rose
VegasInsider.com

The postseason is rapidly approaching meaning teams still in it to win it are making those final pushes while teams with nothing left to fight for are either rolling over or trotting more of their younger talent out to the playing field. Here’s a look at what some of the best and worst teams did over the course of the last week against the closing baseball betting lines.

Money-Makers

Milwaukee Brewers (5-1, $363): The Brew Crew’s late season charge continued this past week after manager Ron Roenicke’s squad went out and swept the Wild Card leading Atlanta Braves at home before taking two of three from the woeful Mets. Ryan Braun has continued to rip the cover off the ball and is now the NL home run leader (40) after launching two more in Sunday’s series finale. Now two-games over the breakeven point, Milwaukee finds itself just 21/2-games out of the play-in Wild Card slot.

On The Docket: It’s once again do or die for Milwaukee this week with each of their next 10-games to be played away from the comfy confines of Miller Park in Pittsburgh, Washington, and Cincinnati. While the team sits a healthy 17-games over .500 as a host, it possesses a 28-43 overall mark on the road (-$1854) but has won 13 of its L/16 versus +.500 opposition.

San Diego Padres (5-1, $363): It truly is a shame that the Padres dug themselves into such a deep hole throughout the first-half of the season. Because of it, manager Bud Black’s squad realistically has no shot of qualifying for the second season with them being forced to leapfrog six other ball clubs in order to qualify. However, the building blocks look to be firmly in place for this franchise to compete for the foreseeable future, so look for SD to continue relishing its role of spoiler as it looks to claw even closer to .500.

On The Docket: The Padres will embark upon a six-game road trip starting Tuesday night in Arizona before wrapping up in San Francisco. Chase Headley and his mates have won 12 of their L/15 series openers, 19 of their L/26 overall, and split their 60 overall NL West tussles.

Oakland A’s (5-2, $346): We questioned the A’s and their abilities at September’s outset thinking they’d struggle after catapulting themselves back into the postseason picture by beating up on lesser opposition. However, after going into Anaheim and taking three of four from a Halos outfit that desperately needed that series win, call us believers! “The Swingin’ A’s” enter the last couple weeks of the regular season firing on all cylinders having only dropped one series in their last nine played. That in and of itself is commendable, but more importantly, Oakland is now the best overall bet in baseball having reeled their supporters in a whopping $3257 worth of profit on the year!

On The Docket: Baseball bettors will now truly get a feel for what the overall Wild Card leaders are all about over the next 10 days with each of their next three series set to go in Detroit, New York, and Texas – all possible second season entrants. Oakland’s won 22 of its L/30 on the road as well as five of its L/6 away from the Coliseum versus +.500 opposition.

Honorable Mentions: Baltimore Orioles (4-2, $280), Chicago Cubs (4-2, $241), San Francisco Giants (4-2, $201), Detroit Tigers (4-2, $166), New York Yankees (4-2, $142)

Money-Burners

Pittsburgh Pirates (1-5, -$458): After dropping nearly a nickel for its baseball betting backers last week, manager Clint Hurdle’s outfit managed to pile on another hefty tally to that wretched mark after managing just one win in the six games it played against the division rival Reds and Cubs this past week. This outfit has hemorrhaged betting losses throughout the second-half of the season, and now finds itself a couple more losses away from being in the red overall; hardly expected after this club was both in the division and Wild Card races just two months ago.

On The Docket: If the Buccos have any shot of still qualifying for the playoffs, they must hold serve at home against the Brewers before turning their attention to the road trip to Houston. That said, Pittsburgh has dropped 19 of its L/26 overall games played and fallen seven of the L/10 times it welcomed Milwaukee into PNC.

Tampa Bay Rays (1-5, -$446): Once a sexy pick to outlast everyone in the AL East just a couple weeks ago, the Rays are now the forgotten team after putting forth a truly pitiful effort when the exact opposite was needed in trips to Baltimore and the Bronx last week. After pulling out just one win, Tampa Bay sits six-games in back of Oakland and four behind the Orioles with only the Angels to jump. While still doable, manager Joe Maddon’s outfit must make hay over the next week at home to have any shot.

On The Docket: The first step to turning things around will come against Boston who the Rays have dropped seven of 12 against in 2012, and it will be followed up with a visit from Toronto who the Rays have flat out dominated winning 11 of the 15 previous quarrels; they’ve won five of six when hosting the rivalry.

St. Louis Cardinals (2-5, -$358): The second-half of the defending champs season has hardly gone as well as it did just a short season ago. It was around this time last year that the Redbirds were so red hot that they made the charge that allowed them to snag the Wild Card. This time around, they’re clinging on for dear life in hopes of holding onto the play-in slot. The Dodgers, Brewers, Pirates, Phillies, and D’Backs are all breathing down their collective neck, so any prolonged losing streak would certainly see them miss out on the opportunity of defending their title.

On The Docket: The Cardinals return home from a miserable West Coast road trip (2-5) to host the Astros before taking their final trip to Wrigley Field to battle the hated Cubs. They’ll then close out the roady with a trip to Houston which means each of the team’s next nine games will come against opponents that check in a combined 81-games under .500. Losing ball clubs are what the Redbirds have feasted upon all season long – they’re 12-2 their L/14 vs. sub .400 opposition.

Dishonorable Mentions: New York Mets (1-5, -$378), Minnesota Twins (2-5, -$314), Los Angeles Dodgers (2-4, -$247), Cleveland Indians (2-5, -$175), Philadelphia Phillies (4-3, -$117), Colorado Rockies (2-4, -$101)