Cellar Dwellers To Keep An Eye On
With three weeks of baseball under our belts, I spent some time looking for what could be teams of value. At this point we have a decent idea of what most clubs have to offer. The Red Sox are looking solid once again. Surprisingly slow start for the Angels, but their wins will come and their lines will probably remain high in anticipation of that winning streak. The Dodgers should run away with the NL West. But what I was looking for was teams that should change things around, and perhaps receive some more generous prices from the books. Two jumped out at me. And then there are the Nats, but I’ll get to them later.
Tampa Bay Rays (7-12, last in AL East)
When they took 2 of 3 from the Red Sox to start off the season, I figured it was business as usual for these Rays. Um, incorrect. Since then, they have dropped four consecutive series to Baltimore, NYY, White Sox, Seattle and now Oakland. They find themselves as cellar dwellers in the mighty AL East. While this isn’t the greatest beginning for the AL champs, I see it as a great opportunity to hopefully make some money.
Nine of the Ray’s next fourteen games will be against the Red Sox and Yankees. Just on reputation alone, those two always have inflated prices. Given Tampa Bay’s poor start, it could be even worse than usual. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for, because I see the Rays turning this ship around. They are just too talented to keep piling up the losses.
A little turnaround would be a welcomed change for Ray’s backers. Thus far they have yielded a dismal -627 units. Manager Joe Maddon has some work to do, and needs to find ways to get more runs on the board. Finding more playing time for infielder Ben Zobrist is a good start. Batting .256 with 3 HR’s, Zobrist brings some power to the batting order. He’s certainly not the second coming of Hank Aaron, but it’s a start. Lord knows the Rays could use more runs. They rank 18th scoring 4.42 rpg, but the dropoff in scoring in their 12 losses is startling. They put up 8.57 rpg for their wins, but only manage 2.0 in their losses. That’s not very good support for your pitchers.
The big three in the rotation have been decent, and certainly deserve better. James Shields (2-2, 3.67), Scott Kazmir (3-1, 3.97) and Matt Garza (1-2, 4.97) all have the ability to shut teams down for long stretches. I still like their bullpen as well, which is a luxury in MLB. The one guy who makes me nervous is veteran closer Troy Percival. I become nervous like it was Todd Jones entering the 9th when backing the Rays. But he’s Maddon’s man, and I have faith in Maddon. Lest we forget, last year’s much talked about prodigy, David Price, should be joining the team sometime in the near future as well. That could be a nice shot in the arm.
This will help
The Rays just need to put some hits together. Carlos Pena has already belted eight homeruns. Exciting 3rd baseman Evan Longoria is batting .375. Carl Crawford is a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen bases and looking decent at the plate as well. Now they need B.J. Upton and newcomer Pat Burrell to do what they are capable of. I have a feeling it will all come together soon for this team, and I plan to be on the winning side several times.
Cleveland Indians (7-12, last in AL Central)
Have you been backing the Indians this year? Have you lost -602 units on them? Do you sometimes feel like you’re putting money on Ricky Vaughn, Jake Taylor and Willie Mays Hayes? It can only get better. And I mean that beyond the old adage. It really has to get better.
Yo, bartender, Jobu needs a refill
They started out 0-5, and things haven’t gotten much better. They’ve been shut down by some of the game’s true aces like Roy Halladay, Zack Greinke and A.J. Burnett. Unlike with the Rays however, these guys have been producing at the plate. Fourth in HR’s (25) and 10th in run scoring (5.37), the Tribe are managing just fine in that aspect. Grady Sizemore (6 HR, 18 RBI), Mark DeRosa (15 RBI), and Travis Hafner with a nice comeback start (.293, 4 HR) all could have monster years. The problem is not so much the hitting.
Carl Pavano is a mess at 0-3, 9.50 ERA. That really isn’t a surprise. The guys who need to turn it around are Cliff Lee (1-3, 5.25) and Fausto Carmona (1-3, 7.36). You either think this will happen, or you do not. I happen to think that they will. Even when the pitching doesn’t show up, Cleveland could end up winning many 9-8 type ballgames. I will be placing some action on the Indians as well.
Washington Nationals (4-13, last in NL East)
I know what you’re thinking – Bread has lost his mind! Everyone just calm down. Just because I hit the Nats for their first win of the year when they were 0-7 vs. the Phillies, does not mean I let anything go to my head. The Nats are bad. Really bad. They could end the year with -5 wins and I wouldn’t even blink. I’m hoping some records for futility could be broken.
Obviously I’m riding Washington for complete opposite reasons as the previous two teams. I know the odds will be high, but it’s OK. If they are -200 on a particular day, I have to ask myself, do I really think that the Nats have a 2-1 chance of beating team “X?” The answer will almost always be a resounding “no!”
I have an infatuation with the dismally bad. Whether it be movies, music or sports, I can’t look away from a good train wreck. I hope to catch Nick Johnson’s porn-stache as many times as I can. You never know when center fielder Elijah “You Dead Dawg” Dukes might get caught choking out a female seat usher. Is Daniel Cabrera their ace?! I love the Natties so much. I can’t get enough.
I love Elijah Dukes
Consider that they are 3-5 at home, 1-8 on the road. They play in a tough division with Florida, Atlanta, Philadelphia and the Mets. Look at some of these team stats, with their league ranking.
Runs – 4.35 (21st)
HR – 16 (22nd)
SB – 9 (23rd)
ERA – 4.94 (22nd)
WHIP – 1.55 (24th)
K’s – 99 (27th)
Errors – 1 (30th)
How low can the Nationals go? I have no clue, but gosh darnit, I’m going to find out. If they somehow go on a 10-game winning streak, pray for me.
