BETTING BAD TEAMS 8/12/03 - Charlie Maxwell
http://www.therx.com/nm/templates/article.asp?articleid=1147&zoneid=2
The Detroit Tigers have a chance, a real good chance, to make baseball history.
The major-league record for most losses in a season – 120 by the 1962 expansion New York Mets - is within reach. Prior to Monday night’s game at Texas, the Tigers were 30-85, the identical record through 115 games as Casey Stengel’s makeshift crew.
Just look at the schedule the Tigers face the final two months of the season. It's so tough that Allen Trammell’s troops probably won't have any say in trying not to lose more than 120 games.
Although the Tigers are on pace to go 42-120, the importance of the late-season games they're playing changes all of that. It also might change the way baseball bettors look at those remaining games.
The Tigers will face an endless number of teams that have postseason dreams. Of the nine remaining opponents, only Texas, Cleveland and the defending champion Anaheim Angels don’t have playoff aspirations.
As for those in the hunt, the last thing a team can afford to do is lose to a bad team like the Tigers.
The goal will be the same for every opponent in August and September - sweep the Tigers. Three games, four games, it doesn't matter. Allowing the Tigers to win a single contest will be regarded as a failure.
That's not to say that the Tigers won't get a well-pitched game, or a clutch hit, or that an opponent might have an off-night. Anything can happen in baseball.
Still, there isn't one weak link, as far as the Tigers are concerned, left to play. Even the Cleveland Indians, in next-to-last place in the American League Central just above the Tigers, have dominated Detroit, winning nine of the first 12 meetings.
Some interesting betting trends and stats regarding the Tigers, including records against the remaining teams on their schedule, appear below.
VS RHSP on the road – 13-26
VS RHSP at home - 11-31
VS LHSP on the road 3-17
VS LHSP at home 3-11
VS teams in division 13-39
VS teams out of div. 17-46
On natural grass 28-78
On artificial turf 2-7
VS Rangers 0-0
VS Angels 0-0
VS Indians 3-9
VS White Sox 7-9
VS Blue Jays 2-1
VS Yankees 1-2
VS Royals 2-10
VS Twins 1-11
[This message was edited by THE SHRINK on August 12, 2003 at 08:37 AM.]
http://www.therx.com/nm/templates/article.asp?articleid=1147&zoneid=2
The Detroit Tigers have a chance, a real good chance, to make baseball history.
The major-league record for most losses in a season – 120 by the 1962 expansion New York Mets - is within reach. Prior to Monday night’s game at Texas, the Tigers were 30-85, the identical record through 115 games as Casey Stengel’s makeshift crew.
Just look at the schedule the Tigers face the final two months of the season. It's so tough that Allen Trammell’s troops probably won't have any say in trying not to lose more than 120 games.
Although the Tigers are on pace to go 42-120, the importance of the late-season games they're playing changes all of that. It also might change the way baseball bettors look at those remaining games.
The Tigers will face an endless number of teams that have postseason dreams. Of the nine remaining opponents, only Texas, Cleveland and the defending champion Anaheim Angels don’t have playoff aspirations.
As for those in the hunt, the last thing a team can afford to do is lose to a bad team like the Tigers.
The goal will be the same for every opponent in August and September - sweep the Tigers. Three games, four games, it doesn't matter. Allowing the Tigers to win a single contest will be regarded as a failure.
That's not to say that the Tigers won't get a well-pitched game, or a clutch hit, or that an opponent might have an off-night. Anything can happen in baseball.
Still, there isn't one weak link, as far as the Tigers are concerned, left to play. Even the Cleveland Indians, in next-to-last place in the American League Central just above the Tigers, have dominated Detroit, winning nine of the first 12 meetings.
Some interesting betting trends and stats regarding the Tigers, including records against the remaining teams on their schedule, appear below.
VS RHSP on the road – 13-26
VS RHSP at home - 11-31
VS LHSP on the road 3-17
VS LHSP at home 3-11
VS teams in division 13-39
VS teams out of div. 17-46
On natural grass 28-78
On artificial turf 2-7
VS Rangers 0-0
VS Angels 0-0
VS Indians 3-9
VS White Sox 7-9
VS Blue Jays 2-1
VS Yankees 1-2
VS Royals 2-10
VS Twins 1-11
[This message was edited by THE SHRINK on August 12, 2003 at 08:37 AM.]
