Joe Mauer & the Twins hope to gain ground on the Tigers in their head-to-head weekend series. (AP)
Major League Baseball reaches its halfway point of the 2009 season this weekend, and with the 4th of July holiday upon us, the sport will celebrate our Independence with a full slate of games. While the action doesn’t match any division leaders, or current playoff teams versus one another, there are still several intriguing series’ in which chasing clubs will be trying to make up key ground in various races. We’ll look a bit closer at some of those pairings. All three days this weekend will offer numerous baseball betting opportunities, so get prepared by utilizing our weekly Top StatFox Power Trends feature. You’ll find that at the conclusion of this piece.
June was lowest scoring MLB month since pre-97 MLB - Sometimes a hunch can really amount to something. In studying some of the baseball numbers this week, it dawned on me that something was amiss. It seemed as if there was way more lower scoring games than usual, so I dug into the numbers and looked for answers. As it turns out, my hunch was correct, as according to the StatFox Database, the month of June 2009 will go down on record as the lowest scoring regular season month in baseball since at least 1997. Not coincidentally, June also produced the most UNDER results on total bets in that span as well. Does it mean anything going forward?
Daytona & NASCAR fireworks go hand-in-hand NASCAR - It’s grown a reputation by different names than the Coke Zero 400, but Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona is always one of the best on the yearly schedule. This race is how NASCAR honors Independence Day weekend, and it is well-recognized for fireworks both on and off the track. The combination of night racing, superspeedway action at the circuit’s most famous track, and holiday pageantry make the Coke Zero 400 “must-see TV” and one of NASCAR’s most prestigious events. On top of all that, seven different winners have won the last seven races at Daytona, making Saturday a wide-open event.
Month of July Good & Bad Pitchers MLB - In keeping with our game plan of acknowledging good pitchers and avoiding bad pitchers during their GOOD and BAD months of the season, below is the list of arms to watch throughout the month of July. Note that the W-L records are those of the team in which the listed pitcher started over the previous three seasons.
Bullpens separating MLB good from bad MLB - With the frequency of wins and losses changing hands in the late innings at a seemingly all-time high in Major League Baseball, it’s more important than ever for a manager to have a solid bullpen to turn to. In that same breath, it’s also crucial for the baseball bettor to know which bullpens are firing on all cylinders and which ones are not. On a daily basis this is hard to gauge, but as is the case with most statistical observation, the cream tends to rise to the top over the long haul, and vice versa. So which bullpens are the best in 2009, and which stats regarding relief pitching have meant the most in the eyes of baseball bettors? Take a look at the numbers three months into the season.
