Stinking it Up - Coldest Teams in the MLB

Whereas the picture is getting rosier for the hot squads in the bigs, there are plenty of teams in baseball that are singing the blues. Check out BetUS Sportsbook’s list of which teams are down in the dumps of late that you should stay away from at all costs if recent form is any indicator…

(Rank) (Team) (SU Record, $$$) (SU Record in L/5, $$$)

1: Texas Rangers (80-64, +$1,707) (1-4, -$541 in L/5) Barring a miraculous comeback over the last two and a half weeks of the season, the Rangers have probably finally had it. Even though they picked up a three-game sweep in Cleveland last week, their L/4 series have been awfully embarrassing, losing two out of three in Baltimore, two out of three at home to Seattle, and the first two games of a three-game set at home against Oakland. That just won’t get it done when you’re trying to run down either the Red Sox or Angels to get into the postseason. Still, it very well could be a 90-win season for the Rangers, which is nothing to be ashamed of whatsoever.

Texas may only rank eighth in the majors in runs per game (4.86), but it certainly owns one of the more dynamic offenses in the bigs. The team ranks second in the majors in home runs (213) and third in stolen bases (132). With offensive production like that and an up and coming pitching staff, the Rangers are going to be a force for quite some time in the AL West.

2: New York Yankees (93-53, +$915) (2-3, -$520 in L/5) It’s really not that the Yankees are playing bad baseball right now, it’s that they lost as -300 and -320 favorites on back-to-back days to the Orioles! Trying to bet on the Yankees this year has been absolutely impossible, as the team is 40 games over .500 and only up 9.15 units on the year. It’s unfair to even try to compare that to say, San Francisco’s record.

The Giants are 13.5 games worse than the Yanks in the standings, but their baseball bettors are up almost two full units on the Yankees. Still, manager Joe Girardi is going to want to keep one eye on the Red Sox and the other one on the Angels. They’re both still in the rear view mirror by five games in the loss column, but there’s no excuse for the road to the World Series not to have to go through the Bronx.

3: St. Louis Cardinals (85-61, +$951) (1-4, -$518 in L/5) With the Dodgers slumping as well, the Cardinals had their shot to take over the best record in the National League, but they blew it with a very unexpected three-game home sweep at the hands of the Braves. If the playoffs started today, the Cards would have to begin on the road in Los Angeles.

Getting back in front of the Phillies is paramount, as the difference is likely going to either have to travel to Dodgertown or hosting whoever wins the NL Wild Card. Even if the Wild Card winner comes out of either the Central or the East, the Cards are still going to want to assure themselves of home field advantage over the Phillies in the first round of the playoffs as well, especially considering their 44-30 mark at New Busch.

And the rest…

4: Colorado Rockies (82-64, +$1,217) (1-4, -$368 in L/5)

5: Tampa Bay Rays (73-72, -$1,229) (1-4, -$339 in L/5)