posted July 16, 2008 at 14:21 in MLB Betting Trends

1) Philadelphia Phillies – The Phillies come in ranked first in overall bullpen output with a unit ERA of 2.69. It owns a 21-12 overall mark with a save/blown save ratio of 24/8. Opponents are only batting .207 (#7 in MLB) in the late innings against Philly. It owns a K/BB ratio of 243/120 and has only allowed 84 earned runs and 249 hits (18 HR) in 281 total innings of work. Brad Lidge has converted all 20 of his save opportunities, and he and J.C. Romero have surrendered a total of 14 earned runs run this season. Only one pitcher in the pen, Clay Condrey, has allowed more hits than innings pitched this season. With the Phillies offense already showing a knack for being hit or miss this season, this unit is of most importance to allow them to hold onto the top spot of the NL East for the duration of the regular season.

2) Chicago White Sox– GM Ken Williams looked like a fool when he threw all that money to Scott Linebrink and Octavio Dotel in the off-season, but as usual, Kenny got the last laugh as the Palehose pen is one of the main reasons why they currently sit 54-40 with a 1.5-game lead within the AL Central. Chicago boasts the best bullpen in the American League that sports a stingy 2.96 ERA allowing 227 hits and 89 earned runs with a fabulous K/BB ratio of 242/82 in just over 252 total innings of work. The tell tale sign of a good pen is its K/BB ratio and ERA. We’ve already mentioned the sub 3.00 ERA, but the A’s boast a wonderful bullpen K/BB ratio of 70/29. When you don’t issue free passes and earn outs via the strikeout in the late innings, you’re well on your way towards being a successful ball club in this league.

3) Los Angeles Dodgers – Surprised to see the Dodgers just one game in back of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West standings heading into the break? Don’t be! They’re bullpen is one of the main reasons why, and this club will give everyone in the division major runs for their money throughout the rest of the season provided this unit stays healthy. As a whole, LA’s pen has allowed just 268 hits in 300+ total innings of work, but they’ve only allowed their opponents to tally 103 runs off of them. They’ve almost struck out three times the batters they walk (285/104), and have converted 18 of 27 overall save opportunities. Closer Takashi Saito’s been flat out nasty when given the ball to secure a win picking up 17 saves in 20 opportunities.

4) Toronto Blue Jays – The Blue Jays find themselves one-game under .500 heading into the break (47-48), but their record would certainly be much worse if not for the heroics from their arms in the pen. As a whole, the unit has surrendered 217 hits (23 HR) and 87 earned runs with a K/BB ratio of 216/107 in a shade under 248 total innings of work. Most importantly, they’ve secured victories in 28 of their 25 save opportunities good for the second best save conversion rate in the league behind the LA Angels. If the offense can finally start pushing some runs across the plate in the second half of the season, the BJ’s just might be able to cut into their nine-game deficit within the AL East.

5) Tampa Bay Rays – Along with their new look uniforms comes a new look in the pen where the Rays come in ranked 5th in all of baseball with a unit ERA of 3.22 going into the All Star break. This comes as a complete shock since 2007’s bullpen of the then Tampa Bay Devil Rays was a complete joke. That said the Rays pen could be looked at as one of the main reasons why the team currently sits a half game in back of the Boston Red Sox for the top spot in the AL East. The pen has allowed 98 earned runs and 211 hits (25 HR’s) with a K/BB ratio of 236/125. Closer Troy Percival has successfully closed 19 of his 21 save opportunities allowing just 16 hits and 11 earned runs with a K/BB ratio of 30/11 in 28 total innings of work, and J.P. Howell, and Dan Wheeler have done superb jobs in their set-up roles.

Go to the BetUS sportsbook today and take a swing at Major League Baseball online betting. We have the most current baseball odds and lines, as well as player, game and series props throughout the MLB baseball season. To help you bet on sports, check out the Free Picks section of the Locker Room for sports betting free picks and predictions. Join BetUS to experience the best in online sports betting action!