February 2012 MLB Events

Calendar of MLB Events for February 2012 brought to you by bettingonbaseballonline.com

February 2012 MLB Events News

MLB: 4th celebrates America, baseball, betting
2010-07-03

The 4th of July holiday celebrates America’s independence, and nothing signifies one’s freedom more than being able to lay down a few wagers on baseball, America’s game, on America’s birthday. As much as our elected officials seem to want to go to any length to deny us of that freedom, it’s still a passion that all of us reading this piece share. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the recent holiday history of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams, in hopes of uncovering which clubs are sparklers and which play like duds on this most celebratory of days. Get the latest lines for Sunday’s games Sportsbook.com’s LIVE ODDS page.

Before getting to each team, it’s important to note that overall, home field advantage has been significant in 4th of July games. In fact, since ’97, the year since which all the records below are noted, home teams have gone 116-78, good for a 59.8% win rate and +23.1 units of profit on this holiday. You have to figure that teams are more comfortable playing in front of the home folks in what is one of the most family-friendly days of the year. That said, let’s get to the teams and their performances on July 4th since ’97.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

4th of July Record Overall: 8-4, +5 Units (#4 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-3-3

At Home: 2-2

On the Road: 6-2

Trend(s): Arizona has lost two in a row at home and four of five overall and will be hosting the Dodgers Sunday.

ATLANTA BRAVES

4th of July Record Overall: 9-4, +4.7 Units (#5 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-7-0

At Home: 7-2

On the Road: 2-2

Trend(s): Braves have won five of L6 July 4th games at home.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

4th of July Record Overall: 7-7, +3.1 Units (#6 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 9-4-1

At Home: 2-1

On the Road: 5-6

Trend(s): Six of L7 July 4th games for the Orioles have gone OVER the total, while they have yielded 8.1 runs per game.

BOSTON RED SOX

4th of July Record Overall: 7-6, -1.9 Units (#21 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 9-4-0

At Home: 2-2

On the Road: 5-4

Trend(s): Boston is on an 8-2 OVER the total run on the 4th, having scored 8.6 RPG, and will be facing Baltimore, another OVER trending team, on Sunday.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

4th of July Record Overall: 5-8, -5 Units (#27 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-7-0

At Home: 4-4

On the Road: 1-4

Trend(s): The White Sox have lost four straight 4th of July road games, all as favorites, and will be in Texas this year.

CHICAGO CUBS

4th of July Record Overall: 4-9, -7.4 Units (#29 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-7-0

At Home: 2-3

On the Road: 2-6

Trend(s): The Cubs have struggled on this holiday over the last 11 years, going just 2-9 while scoring just 2.2 RPG.

CINCINNATI REDS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, -1.4 Units (#20 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 4-7-2

At Home: 4-5

On the Road: 2-2

Trend(s): Cincinnati is on a 4-2 run in 4th of July games but hasn’t played on the road since ’06.

CLEVELAND INDIANS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-8, -3.6 Units (#24 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 9-5-0

At Home: 6-2

On the Road: 0-6

Trend(s): Including a 19-1 thrashing of the Yankees in ’06, Cleveland has won its L4 games on this holiday at home and will host Oakland this season.

COLORADO ROCKIES

4th of July Record Overall: 5-8, -4.4 Units (#25 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-6-0

At Home: 4-3

On the Road: 1-5

Trend(s): Colorado has played its L6 July 4th games at home, going 4-2 and 4-2 OVER. Those games produced an incredible 18.2 RPG.

DETROIT TIGERS

4th of July Record Overall: 7-8, -0.4 Units (#14 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-7-1

At Home: 3-1

On the Road: 4-7

Trend(s): This year’s game versus Seattle will be just Detroit’s second home 4th of July game since ’01. The Tigers have lost their L7 on the road but won the sole home game in that span.

FLORIDA MARLINS

4th of July Record Overall: 7-6, +2 Units (#9 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 5-7-1

At Home: 5-1

On the Road: 2-5

Trend(s): Florida has lost its L3 Independence Day road games, but by a combined four runs.

HOUSTON ASTROS

4th of July Record Overall: 4-9, -7.2 Units (#28 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-6-0

At Home: 2-6

On the Road: 2-3

Trend(s): The 4th holiday has been a struggle for the Astros, as they are just 4-9 since ’97 for -7.2 units, better than only two other clubs.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, +0.9 Units (#11 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-5-1

At Home: 5-2

On the Road: 1-5

Trend(s): Kansas City will look to avoid a 5-game 4th of July road losing streak in Anaheim on Sunday.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, -2.3 Units (#22 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-5-1

At Home: 3-5

On the Road: 3-2

Trend(s): Four of the L5 Angels’ Independence Day games have gone OVER the total, as they’ve scored 8.0 RPG themselves.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

4th of July Record Overall: 8-5, +2.7 Units (#8 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 4-8-1

At Home: 3-2

On the Road: 5-3

Trend(s): The Dodgers are on a 4-2 run overall on the 4th of July and 3-1 on the road and will be in Arizona on Sunday.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, -1.2 Units (#19 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-4-3

At Home: 2-4

On the Road: 4-3

Trend(s): Milwaukee has enjoyed its most recent 4th of July games, going 4-1 in its L5 while outscoring opponents 31-12.

MINNESOTA TWINS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, -1.1 Units (#18 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-5-2

At Home: 3-3

On the Road: 3-4

Trend(s): Minnesota will look to extend a 3-game holiday winning streak when it hosts Tampa Bay for its first 4th of July game at new Target Field.

NEW YORK METS

4th of July Record Overall: 7-6, +1.1 Units (#10 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-6-1

At Home: 5-0

On the Road: 2-6

Trend(s): The Mets have lost their last three 4th of July games, all on the road, and will put that skid on the line at Washington.

NEW YORK YANKEES

4th of July Record Overall: 5-8, -7.6 Units (#30 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 8-4-1

At Home: 4-5

On the Road: 1-3

Trend(s): The Yankees have been the biggest duds in baseball on this specific holiday, going 5-8 for a league worst -7.6 units since ’97. The OVER the total is 6-0-1 in the L7, with opponents bashing New York pitching for 8.6 RPG.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-6, -0.5 Units (#15 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 5-7-0

At Home: 3-3

On the Road: 3-3

Trend(s): Six of the L8 Oakland games on Independence Day have gone UNDER the total.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

4th of July Record Overall: 10-3, +6.8 Units (#2 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-7-0

At Home: 6-3

On the Road: 4-0

Trend(s): Philadelphia, the city where our country’s Independence was born, has the best profit record of any team in baseball on the 4th of July since ’98, going 10-2 while outscoring foes 63-30.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, +0 Units (#12 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 8-4-1

At Home: 3-3

On the Road: 3-4

Trend(s): Little changes for Pittsburgh on this special holiday when compared to every other day of the season, as the Pirates are just 1-4 dating back to ’05, outscored 36-16.

SAN DIEGO PADRES

4th of July Record Overall: 8-4, +5.6 Units (#3 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-5-1

At Home: 6-2

On the Road: 2-2

Trend(s): San Diego is on a strong 6-1 run at home on the 4th of July and welcomes lowly Houston for the 4-game series finale on Sunday.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-8, -3.6 Units (#23 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-6-1

At Home: 4-4

On the Road: 2-4

Trend(s): Six of the L7 San Francisco 4th of July games have gone over the total. Average Score – Giants 7.1 , Opponents 6.7

SEATTLE MARINERS

4th of July Record Overall: 7-6, -0.2 Units (#13 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 4-9-0

At Home: 2-1

On the Road: 5-5

Trend(s): Seattle, in Detroit on Sunday, has won three straight Independence Day road games, holding opposing lineups to three total runs. Plus, overall, eight of the L9 Mariners’ games on this holiday have gone UNDER the total.

ST LOUIS CARDINALS

4th of July Record Overall: 8-5, +3 Units (#7 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-4-3

At Home: 4-3

On the Road: 4-2

Trend(s): St. Louis has lost back-to-back 4th of July games after winning the prior eight.

TAMPA BAY RAYS

4th of July Record Overall: 3-9, -4.9 Units (#26 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-5-0

At Home: 3-2

On the Road: 0-7

Trend(s): The Rays have never won a 4th of July road game in seven tries, getting outscored 58-31. They’ll put that skid on the line in Minnesota on Sunday.

TEXAS RANGERS

4th of July Record Overall: 10-3, +9.6 Units (#1 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-6-0

At Home: 9-2

On the Road: 1-1

Trend(s): Texas has put up 4th of July offensive fireworks in going 10-3 since ’97, scoring 7.4 RPG, while producing a league best 9.6 units of profit.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-6, -0.7 Units (#17 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-5-0

At Home: 3-0

On the Road: 3-6

Trend(s): Fittingly, Toronto’s last nine 4th of July games have been on American soil. The Jays are 3-6 in those and OVER the total is 7-2.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, -0.7 Units (#16 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-7-0

At Home: 5-3

On the Road: 1-4

Trend(s): The Nationals’ franchise is a profitable 6-3 for +3.8 units in its L9 4th of July games.

Enjoy the holiday and all baseball the action on Sunday. Hopefully your bankroll explodes like a firecracker!

MLB Series Betting – L.A. Angels at Oakland
2008-07-14

The Oakland Athletics might be the most peculiar team in all of major league baseball. Once again in the midst of a division chase, they end up trading one of the most prominent commodities, Rich Harden (plus others) to the Chicago Cubs and receive a bevy of mid-to-above average players. Oakland has come to epitomize the “small” in small market teams, continually developing young talent and when their time is about to come for a larger contract based on success, off they go in repetitive cycle, traded for younger players to start the process all over again. While the A’s organization is to be congratulated for having an distinct eye for the types of “moneyball’ players they prefer, in the end, they are only slightly closer to winning a champion then teams that are poorly run and have swings of brilliances and extreme failure over periods of time.

You would believe every Oakland fan would hate the Angels, with a passion. No shortage of cash to attract free agents, a deep farm system to deliver players on continual basis and ownership who has worked hard to attract fans. If that doesn’t make you jealous, nothing would. The Angels of Anaheim despite leading the AL West by five games over the A’s and having the second best record in the American League, have a leaky bullpen beyond Francisco Rodriguez. They are 20th in baseball in this category and will go stretches of games, especially on the road were they give up more hits than a 20-car pile on I-5.

This week, L.A. had problems with two Texas pitchers they have never seen, which could work to Oakland’s advantage. Sean Gallagher (3-4, 4.44, 1.353 WHIP), newly acquired from the Cubs, will make his first American League start. Gallagher possess an average fastball and slightly above average curve, but has shown the ability to work both sides of the plate. His thicker body type (not fat) suggests he could be an innings-eater. He’s backed up by fresh teammates who are 28-14 against the money line after two or more consecutive home games this season. L.A. will send John Garland (8-5, 3.76, 1.381 WHIP) to the mound in the opener contest. The Angels staff saw a flaw in Garland’s delivery when he was getting hammered in April and together they fixed it. Since then Garland has lowered his ERA by more than two full runs in the last 10 weeks. Garland is off a complete game, allowing one run against Toronto, unfortunately he is 3-11 after giving up one or less earned runs in last outing over the last two seasons. (Team's Record) This contest opened as a “Pick” at Sportsbook.com, however the money has been mostly on the A’s who are now a -113 money line favorite. This might open the door for the Halos who are 21-8 after a road win and the teams Garland has pitched for are 13-4 as a road underdog of +100 to +125 over the last two years. The former White Sox hurler is only 4-10 lifetime against Oakland.

Game 1 Edge: A’s

On Saturday night, Los Angeles will send All-Star Ervin Santana (10-3, 3.53, 1.128) to toe the rubber. Santana is still only 25-years old and was known prior to this season as having the greatest home/road splits in the big leagues. Through continued hard work and developing mental toughness, he is 7-1 with 3.77 ERA on the road. Santana’s more dogged approach has contributed to the Halos sensational road record (29-17) and coming into the series, they are 39-31 under the lights. Lefty Dana Eveland (7-5, 3.50, 1.380) is manager Bob Geren’s choice in middle encounter. Eveland will have his work cut out for him facing Pedro Guerrero and other right-handed sticks, with the Angels 16-6 this season facing port-siders. The A’s will try to get into manager Mike Scioscia’s bullpen, since they are 48-27 at McAfee Coliseum vs. a good bullpen that converts on 75 percent or more of their save opportunities since 2006..

Game 2 Edge: Angels

By the time the series finale starts, another Angels All-Star hurler, Joe Saunders (12-5, 3.07, 1.130) and his wife should be parents for the first time. Saunders has been a bit more unstable, with 3-3 record since June 9, with his control the obvious issue. When the lefty is right, he works quickly, throws strikes and mows down hitters. When Saunders is off a little, he fidgets more on the mound and tries to be too fine, usually missing high and outside. He will go up against Justin Duchscherer (10-5, 1.78, 0.861), who will be the A’s lone representative in New York for the All-Star festivities. Duchscherer, if anything is underrated. His impeccable command has seen him walk more than two batters once in 15 starts. His ERA speaks for itself and in his five losses, the Athletics generated a measly five total runs. Both teams have flourished under the light of day with Oakland 18-12 and L.A. 16-6.

Game 3 Edge: Under

This underappreciated rivalry is one of the best in the major leagues. The Angels hold the upper-hand with 6-4 record this season and have won 13 of 22 in the city by the bay, including taking two of three earlier this campaign. Every reason to believe this will be hotly contested series, with the A’s winning a pair of close conflicts.
Sportsbook.com series odds: Angels -110, Athletics -110
StatFox Edge Pick: A’s
2008 Record – 7-3

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