Major League Baseball Weekend Power Trends
The Subway Series between the Mets and Yankees highlights another weekend of interleague MLB action. The Mets have dominated their American League opponents this season with an 8-1 record. Let's take a look at the key action and reveal the list of Top StatFox Power Trends that you'll want to consider before placing your wagers at Sportsbook.com.
The first series you'll want to take a closer look at puts Minnesota in Philadelphia to take on the Phillies. The hosts come off back-to-back wins at Yankee Stadium and are within 3-1/2 games of the lead in the N.L. East. They are a disappointing 16-13 at home though and have gone just 3-12 for -13.3 net units against A.L. teams at home over the last two seasons. The A.L. Central-leading Twins have historically been one of the best interleague clubs but are a pedestrian 5-4 in 2010.
The Subway series will be the highlight matchup of the weekend for no other reason than the fact that both teams are playing well and at or right near the top of their respective divisions. The Mets come in on a seven game winning streak and as winners of 11 of their last 12 games. Their bats have come alive of late, having pounded out 58 hits over the last four games. The Yankees come in off back-to-back losses but still remain deadlocked with Tampa Bay in the A.L. East standings. These teams hooked up nearly a month ago at Citi Field with the Mets taking two of three. They are 4-2 in their last six games on the road in this rivalry.
The Dodgers and Red Sox square off for three games in what figures to be another great series. After starting the season in shaky fashion, both teams have rebounded quickly and find themselves right back in the hunt in their respective divisions. Boston is just 2-games back in the A.L. East, thanks much in part to an impressive 7-2 interleague record. They have won five of six games on their current homestand vs. N.L. foes, extending their record to 86-39 in interleague play under Terry Francona. The Dodgers, who are tied atop the N.L. West with San Diego, are just 2-4 vs. the A.L. in 2010, including a sweep at the hands of the Angels last weekend.
There are other regional rivalries that should produce good baseball in other parts of the country as well. In Florida, the Marlins welcome Tampa Bay to conclude a home-and-home series and in Houston, the Astros play host to the A.L. West leading Rangers. Elsewhere, Stephen Strasburg throws the first game of the Nationals home series with the White Sox and Pittsburgh looks for a first interleague victory of the year when they host Cleveland.
Now, here's a look at some of those Top StatFox Power Trends you'll want to consider in your weekend wagering. You can easily find all of these handicapping tools at Sportsbook.com.
MILWAUKEE at COLORADO
MILWAUKEE is 22-11 OVER (+10.6 Units) in road games vs. NL teams allowing 4.3 or less runs/game on the season over the last 2 seasons. The average score was MILWAUKEE 4.9, OPPONENT 5.7 - (Rating = 1*)
LA ANGELS at CHICAGO CUBS
LA ANGELS are 19-9 (+11.1 Units) against the money line vs. an average bullpen whose ERA is 3.75 to 4.50 this season. The average score was LA ANGELS 5.2, OPPONENT 4.5 - (Rating = 1*)
MINNESOTA at PHILADELPHIA
MINNESOTA is 18-6 (+15.1 Units) against the money line vs. an NL team with an on base percentage .325 or worse over the last 3 seasons. The average score was MINNESOTA 5.0, OPPONENT 2.8 - (Rating = 2*)
NY METS at NY YANKEES
NY YANKEES are 23-3 (+15.6 Units) against the money line in home games vs. a mediocre bullpen whose WHIP is 1.450 to 1.550 over the last 2 seasons. The average score was NY YANKEES 5.6, OPPONENT 3.4 - (Rating = 1*)
CHI WHITE SOX at WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON is 22-4 (+16.5 Units) against the money line in home games vs. an AL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse since 1997. The average score was WASHINGTON 5.1, OPPONENT 3.3 - (Rating = 2*)
CLEVELAND at PITTSBURGH
CLEVELAND is 6-17 (-14.8 Units) against the money line vs. an NL team with an on base percentage .325 or worse over the last 3 seasons. The average score was CLEVELAND 3.9, OPPONENT 5.1 - (Rating = 2*)
ARIZONA at DETROIT
ARIZONA is 20-11 OVER (+8.5 Units) vs. teams who strand 7.5 or more runners on base per game this season. The average score was ARIZONA 4.9, OPPONENT 6.8 - (Rating = 1*)
SAN FRANCISCO at TORONTO
TORONTO is 17-5 OVER (+11.8 Units) vs. a good bullpen whose ERA is 3.75 or better this season. The average score was TORONTO 5.0, OPPONENT 5.3 - (Rating = 3*)
LA DODGERS at BOSTON
BOSTON is 66-28 (+29.4 Units) against the money line vs. an overused bullpen that pitches more than 3.2 innings per game over the last 3 seasons. The average score was BOSTON 6.3, OPPONENT 4.4 - (Rating = 1*)
TAMPA BAY at FLORIDA
TAMPA BAY is 16-3 (+12.8 Units) against the money line in road games when playing against a team with a losing record this season. The average score was TAMPA BAY 6.3, OPPONENT 2.5 - (Rating = 3*)
KANSAS CITY at ATLANTA
KANSAS CITY is 60-35 OVER (+22.1 Units) vs. NL teams scoring 4.8 or more runs/game on the season since 1997. The average score was KANSAS CITY 5.5, OPPONENT 5.9 - (Rating = 1*)
TEXAS at HOUSTON
HOUSTON is 73-47 UNDER (+19.6 Units) vs. a good bullpen whose WHIP is 1.350 or better over the last 3 seasons. The average score was HOUSTON 3.7, OPPONENT 4.6 - (Rating = 1*)
OAKLAND at ST LOUIS
ST LOUIS is 27-11 UNDER (+14.4 Units) in home games vs. poor power teams - averaging 0.9 or less HR's/game over the last 2 seasons. The average score was ST LOUIS 4.0, OPPONENT 3.0 - (Rating = 2*)
BALTIMORE at SAN DIEGO
BALTIMORE is 2-16 (-13.3 Units) against the money line when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 54% to 62%) this season. The average score was BALTIMORE 2.8, OPPONENT 6.9 - (Rating = 1*)
CINCINNATI at SEATTLE
CINCINNATI is 66-41 (+24.5 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a losing record over the last 2 seasons. The average score was CINCINNATI 4.9, OPPONENT 3.9 - (Rating = 2*)
Now that you have all the key numbers, head over to Sportsbook.com to place your bets on this weekend's MLB interleague games.
MLB: Sunday Baseball Records Might Surprise
When handicapping baseball day-in and day-out, there is plenty of obvious things to consider and then there are factors that might not be as obvious. Believe it or not, some teams perform better than others on Sunday, which is exactly what we are going to analyze here. Looking back over the past 2 ½ years, there are certain trends that indicate some teams are a good bet, while others not so much. Before placing your baseball bets at Sportsbook.com on Sunday, be sure to be aware of which teams are more likely to cash.
We're not just looking at Sunday because that's what day it is today, although the timing hopefully will prove valuable. More importantly though, Sunday games in baseball present a pair of situations that can prove definitive over the course of the season, those being most often 1) Day Games and 2) The Final Games of a Series.
You may be saying to yourself, who cares how a team does on Sundays? Or "This type of information is just fluke anyway". However, keep in mind that baseball can be a superstitious game, and a team's preparation, be it going out late in an unfamiliar city on Saturday night, or perhaps even going to an early brunch, can often lead to less than typical results. Plus, if you're one who believes heavily in numbers and trends, how can you argue with some of the results below.
Is it a fluke that the New York Yankees have been almost unbeatable at home lately on Sunday, or that Tampa Bay plays way below its normal standard on the same day? Who can explain with certainty why Houston produces so well for bettors on this particular day of the week?
In any case, these are the team that have produced the most distinct results on Sundays over the last 2-1/2 seasons, sorted by units won/lost.
Top Five Overall Teams
1. LA ANGELS: 43-21, 21.1 Units
2. HOUSTON: 37-25, 20.2 Units
3. PHILADELPHIA: 47-24, 16.55 Units
4. TORONTO: 36-25, 11.85 Units
5. NY YANKEES: 41-24, 9.85 Units
Bottom Five Overall Teams
26. CLEVELAND: 26-35, -12.05 Units
27. TAMPA BAY: 29-37, -19.3 Units
28. ARIZONA: 23-38, -19.45 Units
29. BALTIMORE: 18-43, -21.9 Units
30. PITTSBURGH: 17-43, -22.85 Units
Top Five Home Teams
1. NY YANKEES: 27-4, 21.35 Units
2. LA ANGELS: 23-7, 13.2 Units
3. TORONTO: 21-10, 10.6 Units
4. DETROIT: 22-8, 10.25 Units
5. BOSTON: 25-11, 9.2 Units
Bottom Five Home Teams
26. TAMPA BAY: 18-15, -5.45 Units
27. PITTSBURGH: 11-18, -6.4 Units
28. SAN DIEGO: 13-18, -7.15 Units
29. BALTIMORE: 11-19, -8.15 Units
30. ARIZONA: 13-19, -11.05 Units
Top Five Road Teams
1. HOUSTON: 19-12, 14.95 Units
2. PHILADELPHIA: 23-12, 9.1 Units
3. LA ANGELS: 20-14, 7.9 Units
4. KANSAS CITY: 16-15, 6.6 Units
5. TEXAS: 16-16, 4.25 Units
Bottom Five Road Teams
26. NY YANKEES: 14-20, -11.5 Units
27. BOSTON: 11-21, -13.45 Units
28. BALTIMORE: 7-24, -13.75 Units
29. TAMPA BAY: 11-22, -13.85 Units
30. PITTSBURGH: 6-25, -16.45 Units
Top Five OVER the Total Teams
1. FLORIDA: 34-26 OVER
2. ST LOUIS: 33-25 OVER
3. SAN FRANCISCO: 32-26 OVER
4. NY YANKEES: 33-29 OVER
5. LA DODGERS: 33-30 OVER
Top Five UNDER the Total Teams
1. MINNESOTA: 40-22 UNDER
2. TEXAS: 38-23 UNDER
3. WASHINGTON: 37-22 UNDER
4. CLEVELAND: 36-22 UNDER
5. HOUSTON: 35-24 UNDER
As you consider these results, take a look at the full board of matchups for this Sunday to see if you can't spot any potential value plays, then hit em' hard at Sportsbook.com.
