The Boston Red Sox struggles this Betonline season have been well documented by the baseball experts, so it was a bit of a surprise when they were listed at 11/1 odds to win the American League pennant when the odds were released in the hours after the 2012 All-Star game. However, a closer look at the numbers revealed that at 43-43 through the midway mark in the season, the Red Sox are within 2.5 games of the finals AL Wild Card spot, even though they are tied for the worst record in the AL East. The fact thatBoston is still alive in the playoff race in spite of everything the club has been through to this point is testament to the talent on this team, and with some more help in the second half they could be a surprise sleeper team to make a run at the ALCS.
The most interesting statistic I came across during the Midsummer Classic was the Red Sox run differential, which at plus-43 is the fifth-best mark in the AL behind the Rangers, Yankees, White Sox, and Angels. Ironically, all four of those teams are either leading their division or holding down a Wild Card spot, which leaves Bostonas the odd team out at the moment but in hot pursuit of the Baltimore Orioles for the final playoff spot. The Red Sox are also the only MLB betting team with a record of .500 or better that has a home record that is below .500, so winning atFenwayPark will be the first and most important step to turning things around.
The BoSox will get a significant boost this week with a list of returning players that includes Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, and Carl Crawford, each of whom the team has managed to stay afloat without but who should all make a positive impact upon joining the club. Andrew Bailey and Daniel Bard are also expected back in the next few weeks, and with 4-5 key players returning from injury in some capacity it will be like the Red Sox went out and made a handful of significant per head trades to bolster their roster.Boston has already experienced a couple of hot streaks through the first half of the year, and if they get going again they could really take off for good.
There is no denying that playing in the ultra-competitive AL East will make it tougher for the Red Sox to fight their way back in to it, but considering the offense already ranks second in the majors in runs scored the biggest problem is easy to identify. Boston’s rotation ranks 21st in quality starts with Felix Doubront leading the staff in ERA with a mark on the wrong side of 4.00, and while an addition from outside the organization is still a good possibility, this team could certainly benefit from improvement within. Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz are all considered All-Star caliber pitchers that have underperformed through the first half, and if one or two of them can get going the entire complexion of this team suddenly changes. Despite their struggles, the Red Sox are undoubtedly still alive in the AL playoff race, and they could end up being the online MLB betting sleeper pick that surprises everyone in the second half.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.