Written by :
Published on :
With the trade deadline of July 31st rapidly approaching, baseball will continue to define its contenders and pretenders this weekend.
In the National League, only one of the three divisions offers a compelling pennant race, the Central, where four teams are separated by two games in the loss column.
In the American League, there is significantly more drama, with all three division races much in play.
Here's a look at those Top StatFox Power Trends you'll want to make note of as you handicap the weekend's games.
CINCINNATI is 23-17 (+9.3 Units) against the money line vs. teams whose hitters strike out 7 or more times/game this season. The average score was CINCINNATI 4.3, OPPONENT 3.9 - (Rating = 1*)
WASHINGTON is 15-36 (-19.2 Units) against the money line vs. NL teams scoring 4.3 or less runs/game on the season over the last 2 seasons. The average score was WASHINGTON 4.0, OPPONENT 5.2 - (Rating = 1*)
PHILADELPHIA is 24-10 (+15.2 Units) against the money line vs. NL teams allowing 4.3 or less runs/game in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. The average score was PHILADELPHIA 5.5, OPPONENT 3.7 - (Rating = 1*)
NY METS are 19-31 (-11.1 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season. The average score was NY METS 4.1, OPPONENT 5.1 - (Rating = 1*)
MILWAUKEE is 30-9 (+18.9 Units) against the money line vs. poor baserunning teams - averaging 0.5 or less SB's/game in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. The average score was MILWAUKEE 5.0, OPPONENT 2.9 - (Rating = 1*)
COLORADO is 28-10 (+14.7 Units) against the money line in July home games over the last 3 seasons. The average score was COLORADO 7.0, OPPONENT 4.8 - (Rating = 1*)
PITTSBURGH is 13-42 (-23.2 Units) against the money line in road games vs. teams whose hitters strike out 7 or more times/game over the last 3 seasons. The average score was PITTSBURGH 3.6, OPPONENT 5.5 - (Rating = 1*)
FLORIDA is 18-10 (+10.0 Units) against the money line vs. an overused bullpen that pitches more than 3.2 innings per game this season. The average score was FLORIDA 4.7, OPPONENT 4.3 - (Rating = 1*)
OAKLAND is 17-35 (-16.4 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season. The average score was OAKLAND 4.3, OPPONENT 5.0 - (Rating = 1*)
MADDON is 11-39 (-27.7 Units) against the money line in July road games as the manager of TAMPA BAY. The average score was TAMPA BAY 3.4, OPPONENT 6.2 - (Rating = 3*)
DETROIT is 12-26 (-15.6 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons. The average score was DETROIT 4.5, OPPONENT 5.6 - (Rating = 1*)
BALTIMORE is 43-90 (-33.7 Units) against the money line when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 54% to 62%) over the last 3 seasons. The average score was BALTIMORE 4.6, OPPONENT 5.9 - (Rating = 1*)
KANSAS CITY is 12-24 (-12.8 Units) against the money line vs. an average bullpen whose ERA is 3.75 to 4.50 this season. The average score was KANSAS CITY 2.9, OPPONENT 4.9 - (Rating = 1*)
MINNESOTA is 27-47 (-22.7 Units) against the money line vs. AL teams scoring 5.2 or more runs/game on the season over the last 3 seasons. The average score was MINNESOTA 3.8, OPPONENT 4.6 - (Rating = 1*)
CLEVELAND is 19-32 (-13.9 Units) against the money line when playing against a team with a winning record this season. The average score was CLEVELAND 4.8, OPPONENT 5.5 - (Rating = 1*)
