2008 American League All-Star Break Breakdown
The baseball season is a bit more than halfway over, and here we'll look at each of the American League teams and see how they perform in certain situations. We'll use the closing money line as the basis for all statistics, so that bettors can see how they fared in a monetary basis. All wagers are calculated in terms of $100 bets.
Baltimore 45-48 +$59
The Baltimore Orioles have been a great team at home and pretty bad on the road. Baltimore is just 20-32 on the road, for a loss of $609. At home, however, the Orioles are 25-16 for a profit of $669.
The Orioles haven't fared too well against left-handed starts, sporting a 9-15 record for a loss of $561, but have scored essentially the same number of runs (4.67) as they have against right-handed starters (4.70).
Boston Red Sox 57-40 +$217
The Boston Red Sox are another team that have been much better at home than on the road. The Sox are an impressive 36-11 at Fenway for a profit of $1,168, but just 21-29 away from home for a loss of $952. Boston has fared well on the road against left-handers, going 6-3 for a profit of $259, but against right-handers are 15-26 (-$1,211).
Cleveland Indians 40-52 -$2,032
The Cleveland Indians have big one of the biggest money burners so far this baseball season, showing a loss in all four major categories (home and away vs. RHP, home and away vs. LHP). The Indians main downfall has been their dismal efforts on the road. With a 14-31 record away from Cleveland, the Indians have shown an away loss of $1,803.
Chicago White Sox 54-40 +$551
The Chicago White Sox are another team that has enjoyed a huge home field advantage this season. Chicago is 32-13 in the Windy City (+$1,123), but just 22-27 (-$571) away from home. The Sox have been their best against right-handed starting pitchers, averaging 5.13 runs per game, compared to 4.52 against left-handers.
Detroit Tigers 46-47 -$1,003
The Detroit Tigers have been a major disappointment this season, hovering around the .500 mark when most expected them to compete for a title. The Tigers have been playing better after a terrible start and may be a team that shows improvement in the second half of the season. Detroit has been strong all season against left-handers (17-7, +$729), while the Tigers are just 29-40 (-$1,732) against right-handed starters.
Kansas City Royals 43-53 -$266
The Royals were expected to be down this year and they've pretty much met that expectation, being 10 games under .500 at the break. Kansas City is another team that has been a good bet against lefties (17-12, +$741), while a poor bet against right-handed starters, as the Royals are just 26-41 (-$1,007).
Los Angeles Angels 57-38 +$984.
The Los Angles Angels have one of the most misleading lines in baseball. Although the Angels are a solid 17-6 (+932) against left-handed pitchers, they actually average .52 fewer runs per game against southpaws, as they do against right-handers. The Angels are one of the few teams that have played better on the road this season, where they are 31-18 (+$980).
Minnesota Twins 52-42 +$1,180
The Twins are quietly getting the job from a bettor's standpoint and have been strong at home (31-18, +$1,059) and against right-handed started pitchers (39-28, +1,306). The Twins are just 4-10 on the road against lefties.
New York Yankess 50-45 -$877
Even though the Yankees are five games above .500, they're still a disappointing -$877 overall, as New York is often decent-sized favorites. The Yankees show a small loss in each of the four major categories, although they have been slightly better against right-handed pitchers in terms of runs scored.
Oakland Athletics 51-44 +398
The Oakland A's have been a solid wager against right-handed starters this season, especially on the road (18-10, +$871). It's a different story against left-handers, as Oakland is just 4-10 away from home, but a solid 13-6 against southpaws at home. The A's are averaging 4.63 runs per game against righties, but just 3.73 against lefties.
Seattle Mariners 37-58 -$1,883
Seattle has been bad no matter where they have played or when facing right-handers or left-handers. The Mariners are showing a loss in each of the four major categories and are averaging just 3.84 runs per game against right-handed pitching.
Tampa Bay Rays 55-38 +904
Tampa Bay fell on hard times just before the break, dropping seven straight games, but still are posting nice numbers on the season. The Rays have been strong at home (36-14, +$1,353), while being a losing proposition away (19-24, -$449). The Rays have been strong against right-handers, averaging 5.05 runs per game, while scoring just 3.64 runs against lefties.
Texas Rangers 50-46 +1,134
The Rangers weren't expected to do much this year, but have been a pleasant surprise. The Rangers have been hard on right-handed pitchers all season (39-28, +$1,695), but have labored against left-handers, especially on the road (4-10, -$486). Texas scored 6.06 runs against right-handers and 4.55 against left-handers.
Toronto Blue Jays 47-48 -$714
The Blue Jays have really struggled against left-handed pitchers this season (9-17, -$853) and are scoring a paltry 3.27 runs per game against southpaws. Toronto is at its best against right-handers at home (21-13, +338) and are averaging 4.55 runs per game against right-handers in general.
