posted May 21, 2008 at 20:03 in MLB Betting Trends

1) Los Angeles Dodgers (3-7) (-$521.00) Let’s rewind a couple weeks back to May 7th when the Dodgers hosted the NY Mets on a sun filled Wednesday afternoon where they shockingly went on to lose 12-1 with Brad Penny on the mound costing under bettors like me a couple of units. Since that resounding defeat, the Dodgers have put forth a 3-6 mark to cost LA backers a lofty chunk of change. Throughout this losing stretch, the Dodgers have hit just .231 as a team, and the pitching staff has been rocked evidenced by its collective team ERA of 5.90. The pitching staff, already stretched thin with guys on the DL and tired arms, hasn’t gotten the best from its defense either that’s committed 29 errors good for 22nd in the league. "We just need to play better," Torre said. "We need to keep from asking our pitchers to get extra outs. For the most part, we're putting too much pressure on our starters by not limiting the other team to three outs." At 22-21, Los Angeles finds itself 5.5-games in back of the NL West leading Arizona Diamondbacks. They’ll look to get healthy this week with six at dodger Stadium against the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals before hitting the road to tangle with the Chicago Cubs and NY Mets.

2) New York Yankees (3-7) (-$495.00) Gone are the days of laying close to 2:1 to make money on a per game basis with the Yankees, but also gone is their competitiveness within the AL East. MLB bettors backing the Yankees have gotten rolled up and smoked this season evidenced by their mediocre mark of 20-24. The Yankees are amongst the largest money burners in the league costing Yankee backers $1091.00 to date ahead of only the Mariners, Tigers, and Padres. Sure, injuries have played a major role in the club’s slow start, but this payroll is supposed to have competent players fill in to keep them afloat. That just hasn’t been the case thus far. The offense ranks 24th in the league scratching home 4.07 RPG, and they own a team batting average of .255 good for 20th overall. As poor as the hitting has been, the pitching hasn’t been much better. The staff’s ERA of 4.48 equates to the 23rd ranked overall unit, and they’ve only gotten 19 quality starts good for 21st in that department. The only good aspects on this team are the bullpen that’s converted 12-of-14 save opportunities, and the defense that’s only committed 22 errors through its first 44 games. At four games under .500 (20-24) the Yankees find themselves in last place of the AL East six games in back of the Boston Red Sox. After losing to both the Mets and Rays in their last two series, they’ll look to get back on track with six home games this week against the Orioles and Mariners. Hopefully Alex Rodriguez’ return to the starting line-up on Tuesday night will be the spark this club needs to get it going.

3) Detroit Tigers (3-7) (-$435.00) With another week in the books, Detroit Tiger bettors’ have got to be kicking themselves for continuing to back this overhyped squad. They cost their betting backers again throughout their L/10 by churning out a 3-7 mark and losing another $435.00. Only the San Diego Padres have lost more money than this club this year, but not by much. Overall, the Tigers have lost the betting public $1477.00 throughout their first 44 games of the season. They’ve managed to lose six of their L/7 overall losing series’ to both the Kansas City Royals and Arizona Diamondbacks. The offense is currently in a tailspin dropping from 13th with 4.67 RPG last week to just 4.36 RPG this week good for the 19th ranked team in all of baseball. Their team speed has been a joke all season long, but was tremendously hampered due to the injury to Curtis Granderson at the beginning of the year. That said, the pitching staff continues to be this clubs primary ailment. It’s team ERA of 4.98 is good for dead last in the league (#30), and the starting rotation has only put forth 13 quality starts on the year. The only starter carrying his weight is rookie Armando Galarraga whose 3-1 with a 3.06 ERA and a decent K/BB ratio of 24/14. They’ll look to get healthy at home this week against the struggling Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins before heading west for a nine-game road trip against the AL West.

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