Worst Money Pitchers in the National League
by Mike Rose
Anyone can find a great pitcher to back, but it’s sometimes just as effective to find a great fade! This week, BetUS.com continues the second half of the MLB wagering season by looking at the best arms to fade in the National League this season…
1) Ryan Dempster, Chicago Cubs (7-14, -$863) Dempster’s struggles are continuing into the month of August. After two strong starts in a row, the righty reverted back to the form that he has had for the entire ’09 season, allowing six runs in seven innings. It’s clearly still a case that he is getting more unlucky than anything else, as he only allowed ten base runners in that 6-1 loss to the Phillies.
2) Jonathan Sanchez, San Francisco Giants (6-14, -$744) Sanchez really has pitched quite well since throwing that no-no right before the All-Star Break. Since that point, he has a 3.22 ERA. The Giants haven’t given him a heck of a lot of help offensively though, scoring three runs or fewer in four of those seven starts. They’re only 3-4 in those seven contests.
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3) Rich Harden, Chicago Cubs (9-11, -$707) Cubs bettors maybe got a relief on Sunday when they rained out against the Pirates. Harden has already lost as favorites of -134, -181, -131, and -164 in his L/8 starts. It would’ve been really painful to add another loss of around -280 to his tab to the Pirates. Harden’s 4.30 ERA this season is the worst he’s had since his rookie season in Oakland.
4) Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies (11-14, -$669) Give it up for Cliff Lee. The left-hander has been absolutely fantastic since coming over from Cleveland at the trade deadline. He is a perfect 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA. He has allowed exactly one run in each of his three starts with the defending champs. Dating back to his time in Cleveland, Lee has won six straight starts. A few more victories and Lee’s name will probably never appear on this list again.
5) Mike Hampton, Houston Astros (7-14, -$653) Has Mike Hampton finally had it? He isn’t throwing nearly as many pitches as he used to in games, and it could be a sign that his arm is simply dead. The lefty has only reached 100+ pitches in two of his L/15 starts, and he hasn’t gone into the eighth inning once this year. In his L/2 outings (both losses for the ‘Stros), Hampton has only pitched a total of seven frames, allowing six runs in the process.
6) Kyle Lohse, St. Louis Cardinals (6-11, -$630) After leading the Cards to losses in six straight games to put himself on this list, Lohse has fired back with back-to-back victories. Yes, both victories came as favorites of at least -160, and no, he didn’t pitch all that well in either game, but a guy with a 4.57 ERA on a good team like St. Louis deserves better than a 5-7 record overall. Still, allowing five runs in 5.1 innings to the Padres isn’t going to cut it during a playoff push.
7) Yusmeiro Petit, Arizona Diamondbacks (3-10, -$615) It looked as though Petit was starting to get back into form when he threw 14 straight scoreless innings between his final start of July and his first start in August. But since then, he has allowed 11 runs (ten earned) in just eight innings of work, and the D’Backs have lost both of his starts.
