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2008 MLB Season, A Mid-Year Review

by: Big Al McMordie

  It’s almost as if last year’s bizarre football season has carried over into baseball. 2007 was an incredible season of shockers in football. Every week, it seemed, the No. 1 team in the nation got beat. We saw USC lose at home as a 41-point favorite over Stanford, the biggest upset ever based on wagering lines. No team had ever been a 36-point favorite or more and lost straight up.

   Ohio State got upset by Illinois, but ended up backing into the national title game because West Virginia lost at home to Pitt as a 28-point favorite. It continued in the NFL playoffs with the fifth-seeded Giants stunning the 18-0 Patriots in the Super Bowl.

   So what would be the baseball equivalent? Maybe the Tampa Bay Rays winning the AL pennant. Oh, that’s not that shocking a possibility, now, is it. The Angels, defending champion Red Sox and the Rays are the top teams in the AL. The Rays appear built for the long haul, with excellent starting pitching and an offense that has balance, tops in the AL in steals. Tampa Bay is also fourth in the AL in team ERA.

  Young CF B.J. Upton is so talented and versatile he just filled in for 2B Akinori Iwamura in the leadoff spot. Upton has a .401 on-base percentage, 56 walks (second in the AL) and 22 stolen bases (third in the AL). A quality leadoff hitter who gets on base is of great value, not to mention a lineup that is flexible. Sports bettors should note that the Rays are 29-14 under the total at home! That’s what strong pitching and defense can do.

  The Angels are also a team loaded with pitching and defense, and it’s no surprise they started 50-28 under the total.  And speaking of strangeness, the Angels took the cake this weekend, throwing a no-hitter....and losing! Jeff Weaver and reliever Jose Arredondo combined for eight no-hit innings Saturday at Dodger Stadium during the Angels' 1-0 loss to the Dodgers.

   The Dodgers became only the fifth team in the modern era of baseball to win a game without getting a hit. The last team to do it was Cleveland, which was no-hit by Matt Young of Boston for eight innings but won, 2-1, on April 12, 1992.

"This is pretty bizarre," Dodgers Manager Joe Torre said. "This is definitely the craziest game I've never been part of," Angels center fielder Torii Hunter added.  

   After getting shut out in consecutive games by the Dodgers, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Angels running more. Chone Figgins hurt his knee sliding into home plate two weeks ago against the Atlanta Braves, but is expected back this week.

    Arizona looked like the best team in the NL early in the season, but then something happened – they had to play teams outside the crummy NL West. They’ve been in a funk, with barely a .500 record as a favorite. The pitching is fine, although there is concern about ace Brandon Webb’s arm. The team is 1-3 his last 4 starts. Injuries have cropped up, with Orlando Hudson hurting and right-handers Micah Owings and Edgar Gonzalez departing games this weekend with injuries. The offense has a .322 on base percentage, 6th worse in the NL. Don’t be surprised if they go shopping for a bat before the end of July.

  The Yankees and Mets continue to struggle around .500 despite having the highest payrolls in the game. And it's interesting to hear defensive finger-pointing from the Mets' Johan Santana. The $137.5 million man has now dropped his last four decisions despite a sterling 3.01 ERA overall, and the team has lost each of his past five starts.  "All I can say is that I'm doing my job," said Santana. "Other than that, there's nothing else I can do. I can't go out there and do the things that my teammates have to do." Nice teammate! The most amazing thing about the Mets is that they are 10-9 as an underdog, yet 29-31 as chalk.

  As far as bizarre off the field, former Houston pitcher Shawn Chacon gets the bizzaro medal, getting suspended for beating up GM Ed Wade. It was just three years ago the Astros played in the World Series, which shows how quickly things can turn around in sports. The Rockies shocked the NL a year ago by winning the pennant, so perhaps the Rays or some other surprise can keep the baseball world on its head with a big second half run. After all, surprises happen more often than you might realize.  Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.

Big Al McMordie Past Articles

NCAA FB Surprise ATS Teams
College football season kicks off this weekend. While all the attention is focused on teams like Florida, USC and defending champion LSU, sports bettors ... read more

The Dogs Are Out
It’s not your imagination: The Dogs have been barking loudly this NFL preseason. In Week 1 the dogs were 9-5-2 against the number, which is not ... read more

Let The Games Begin!
Football is king and August kicks off the 2008 football season. Yes, exhibition football is largely meaningless for the players and coaches, with starters ... read more

NFL Season Wins Forecast
With the NFL season just around the corner, this is a good time to look at what might happen this fall on the gridiron. Future numbers are out for each ... read more

2008 MLB Season, A Mid-Year Review
It’s almost as if last year’s bizarre football season has carried over into baseball. 2007 was an incredible season of shockers in football. ... read more

All Big Al McMordie Past Articles

Big Al McMordie Recent Past Picks

MLB Baseball

New York Yankees @ Seattle Mariners Friday September 5, 2008 10:05 pm
At 10:10pm our selection is on the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners 'under' the total.  These two teams have played their last nine games against each other in the Bronx, and the Yankees have won eight of those nine games.  In this, the first and only series of the ... read more

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MLB Baseball

Minnesota Twins @ Toronto Blue Jays Thursday September 4, 2008 7:07 pm
At 7:05pm our selection is on the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays 'under' the total.  If the Twins fail to catch the White Sox by only a game or two and thereby do not make it into the postseason, they can look no further than the season series against Toronto, a team ... read more

Big Al McMordie Bio and Picks | Articles By Big Al McMordie

MLB Baseball

Chicago White Sox @ Cleveland Indians Tuesday September 2, 2008 7:05 pm
At 7:05pm our selection is on the Chicago White Sox over the Cleveland Indians.  The White Sox should feel lucky that they are in the AL Central division.  Were they in either the East or West, they would be struggling mightily for the AL Wild Card spot, but because they ... read more

Big Al McMordie Bio and Picks | Articles By Big Al McMordie

MLB Baseball

St. Louis Cardinals @ Arizona Diamondbacks Monday September 1, 2008 4:10 pm
At 4:10pm our selection is on the St Louis Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks 'under' the total.  It's hard to imagine that multiple-Cy Young winner and certain future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson could be in need of anything these days.  But the fact is that the 6'10" ... read more

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MLB Baseball

Baltimore Orioles @ Tampa Bay Rays Sunday August 31, 2008 1:40 pm
 At 1:40pm our selection is on the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays 'under' the total.  26-year-old Tampa Bay righthander James Shields has been terrific at home this year, and ineffective on the road.  Through 27 starts this season, Shields is 8-2 with an amazing ... read more

Big Al McMordie Bio and Picks | Articles By Big Al McMordie

MLB Baseball

Atlanta Braves @ Washington Nationals Saturday August 30, 2008 7:10 pm
At 7:10pm our selection is on the Washington Nationals over the Atlanta Braves.  If the Nationals could play the entire season against the Braves, they might just win the NL East Division and be headed for the postseason.  As bad as Washington is this season (50-85 and ... read more

Big Al McMordie Bio and Picks | Articles By Big Al McMordie

MLB Baseball

St. Louis Cardinals @ Houston Astros Saturday August 30, 2008 7:05 pm
At 7:05pm our complimentary selection is on the St. Louis Cardinals over the Houston Astros.  Veteran righthanded starter Braden Looper is a bit of a hard luck pitcher.  Despite an excellent ERA of 3.94, and playing for a team that wins about 55% of the time, Looper has ... read more

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College Football

Memphis Tigers @ Mississippi Rebels Saturday August 30, 2008 7:00 pm
At 7 pm (time change), our selection is on the Memphis Tigers plus the points over the Ole Miss Rebels.  This will be the fifth straight year that these two rivals have opened up their seasons against each other.  Last year, Tommy West's Tigers lost by 2-points, 23-21, ... read more

Big Al McMordie Bio and Picks | Articles By Big Al McMordie

College Football

Hawaii Warriors @ Florida Gators Saturday August 30, 2008 12:30 pm
At 12:30 pm (time change), on Saturday, our selection is on the Florida Gators minus the points over Hawaii.  This will be a tough season for the Rainbows.  Not only did star quarterback Colt Brennan graduate (he was drafted by the Washington Redskins), but head coach June ... read more

Big Al McMordie Bio and Picks | Articles By Big Al McMordie

MLB Baseball

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Arizona Diamondbacks Friday August 29, 2008 9:40 pm
At 9:40pm our selection is on the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Arizona Diamondbacks.  It's hard to imagine it, but one of these two teams has to win this game.  The Dodgers come into this series having lost seven games in a row and were swept by both the Phillies and Nationals.  ... read more

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