Cashing in - MLB’s Hottest Under Teams
by Mike Rose
Even though the summer months are here, the run production in baseball doesn’t seem to be picking up any. That’s a recipe for an ‘under’ bettors delight! Check out this week’s list of the best ‘under’ teams in baseball over the L/5 days…
(Rank) (Team) (O/U Record) (O/U Record in L/5)
1: Chicago White Sox (39-61-2) (0-5 in L/5) Give it up for LHP Mark Buerhle, who set a Major League record by setting down the first 17 Twins just five days after pitching a perfect game against the Rays. The difference on Tuesday night is that the southpaw ended up taking the loss, as Minnesota finally figured him out in the 6th and 7th innings. The Chi Sox haven’t played a game past the ‘total’ since July 19th, a stretch of 11 games. The good news is that in that run, the team has only allowed 3.09 runs per game. The bad news is that they’ve only scored 3.18 runs per game, and they’re just 4-7 during that stretch. The team’s trio of Buehrle, John Danks, and Gavin Floyd has been fantastic this season, as the three are a combined 27-17 on the season. Pair that with a team that only has one player batting over .300 for the season (C AJ Pierzynski), and the recipe is ripe for a ton of ‘unders’.
2: Pittsburgh Pirates (41-56-4) (0-4-1 in L/5) Wednesday, July 29th will probably always be regarded as a dark day in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The best pieces from a team that was already awful were sold off for more prospects. SS Jack Wilson, once considered the gem of the organization, was shipped off to Seattle along with slumping SP Ian Snell. The team’s most consistent bat, 2B Freddy Sanchez, was reportedly sent to San Francisco. It seems like the only “name” in the bunch that Pittsburgh fans can hold on to is Zach Duke, who may be less than 48 hours away from being dealt as well. Duke threw a gem yesterday against the Giants to pitch ‘under’ bettors to their fourth win without defeat in the L/5 Pirates games. The Bucs haven’t scored more than two runs in a game since the 24th.
3: Arizona Diamondbacks (48-47-6) (0-3-1 in L/5) The Diamondbacks pitching has been absolutely fantastic in the second half of the season. The staff threw three shutouts on this most recent seven-game home stand, the most recent of which came against the red hot defending champs. The problem is that the team hasn’t won a game since July 23rd in which it conceded any runs for the game. That makes it rough on your staff. At least Diamondbacks’ bettors know that their team shouldn’t be getting disassembled by Friday’s trade deadline, though it does seem like the struggling LHP Doug Davis may be sent to a contender in exchange for some prospects at some point in the next 24 hours.
And the rest…
4: Cincinnati Reds (42-54-4) (1-4 in L/5)
5: Baltimore Orioles (45-50-5) (1-3-1 in L/5)
