After
nearly one month of studying results, I feel confident in predicting that at
least six underdog winners are available daily when all 30 teams are in action.
The
oddsmakers are uncanny in their breakdown of games. The results have been down
the middle with remarkable frequency. Either favorites or underdogs consistently
win by margins of 8-7 and 8-6-1. So, there is money for the taking.
No
Bull From Pen:
The
New York Mets should point to the bullpen if they work their way back into the
playoff picture in the second half of the season.
Left-hander
John Franco, thought to be done at age 38, is throwing as well as ever. Franco
had not allowed a run in his last 131/3
innings, a stretch that began June 9. Franco remains a reliable set-up man for
Armando Benitez, who is a perfect 19 of 19 in save opportunities. The Mets
should be in good shape from the eighth inning on to make a run if the offensive
production improves and the starting pitching heals.
”¦Ron
Villone has come alive after being sent to the Houston Astros from Colorado
during the year. Villone was 1-3 with a 6.36 ERA for the Rockies and opposing
hitters were batting .295 against him. Since joining the Houston bullpen,
Villone is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA. The left-hander has yielded just one run in his
last 81/3 innings and the league is
batting just .167.
The Big Hurts
Heading
any list of wounded has to be Boston right-hander Pedro Martinez. The two-time
defending Cy Young winner is bothered by a rotator cuff and is expected to miss
4-to-6 weeks. Pedro may not pitch until September. The Red Sox have nine players
on the DL, including shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. But, that’s nothing compared
to Atlanta. The Braves have 11 on the DL, including shortstop Rafael Furcal
(shoulder), who was injured July 7 and is out for the season.
Rocky
economy
The
Colorado Rockies, one of baseball’s biggest disappointments, can point to the
past 10 days as the height of frustration. Ace left-hander Mike Hampton, who
jumped out to a 9-2 start, is the main culprit. Hampton has dropped five straight games as a heavy favorite.
Colorado
experienced a major recession, dropping a mammoth $975 from the previous week.Â
Minnesota has made bettors a $910 profit over the past three weeks.
Here
is the list of losing high-priced favorites.
Sunday,
July 8
Kerry
Wood (—165) ”” Detroit 9, Chicago Cubs 6
Thursday,
July 12
Shane
Reynolds (—175) ”” San Diego 7, Houston 4
Darryl
Kile (—165) ”” Detroit 7, St. Louis 5
Troy
Mattes (—165) ”” Tampa Bay 10, Montreal 0
Mike
Mussina (—160) ”” Florida 9, NY Yankees 3
Friday,
July 13
Mike
Mathews (—150) ”” Detroit 4, St. Louis 1
Saturday,
July 14
John
Burkett (—220) ”” Baltimore 4, Atlanta 1
Wade
Miller (—210) ”” San Diego 8, Houston 6
NL
teams rising from last week were San Diego (up 370), Florida (up 285) and
Atlanta (up 85). Headed south were Colorado, Chicago (down 325) and San
Francisco (down 185).
Bullish
in the AL were Kansas City (up 375), Detroit (up 265) and Toronto (up 245). The
bears during the past week were Tampa Bay (down 145), New York (down 105) and
Cleveland (down 1105).
|
JULY 14 |
|
|
NL Money Line Record |
|
|
Philadelphia  |
+1320 |
|
Chicago  |
+1005 |
|
Arizona  |
+880 |
|
San Diego  |
+570 |
|
Los Angeles  |
+210 |
|
Milwaukee  |
+
50 |
|
San Francisco  |
-125 |
|
Houston  |
-130 |
|
Florida  |
-220 |
|
Atlanta  |
-350 |
|
St. Louis  |
-795 |
|
Montreal  |
-840 |
|
Pittsburgh  |
-950 |
|
Cincinnati Â
|
