MLB Wed, Aug 4, 2004
Hidden trends point to over in L.A. in day
Jon Campbell
It’s probably not a shocker to you to learn that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the second-best hitting team in the majors with a .282 average. After all, they boast the third-best record in baseball right now and are the most profitable team in the majors with nearly 20 units this season.
What may come as a little more of a jaw-dropper is that the punching bag Pittsburgh Pirates are tied with the Dodgers in hitting with an identical average. Tough to swallow considering the Pirates are seven games below .500 and are just a little more than two units in the black.
OK, so those are the Pirates’ and Dodgers’ daytime batting averages only. But Thursday’s game between the two clubs at Dodger Stadium just happens to be scheduled for 3:10 ET.
In all likelihood, most handicappers will focus on the probable pitchers for Game 3 of this set. L.A.’s Jason Weaver sports a respectable 4.00 ERA on the season while Pittsburgh lefty Sean Burnett is even stingier with a 3.40 ERA.
Toss in with those numbers and the fact the Dodgers have seen more unders than traded players lately, and you can bet oddsmakers are planning on keeping this total well below the upper deck. The under has cashed in seven of L.A.’s last eight games, while Pittsburgh is close behind with six unders in their last eight.
These clubs have also played under in four of their five meetings this year. The only meeting the two clubs toppled the total was an afternoon matchup in Pittsburgh back on May 9.
In that affair, the Pirates and Dodgers combined for 26 hits over 14 innings in a 9-7 L.A. victory. The total was set at a mere eight.
That’s not a promising stat for Thursday’s starters, as both tend to be more vulnerable in the daytime. Burnett’s ERA jumps from an impressive 2.95 at night to 4.41 during the afternoon. Weaver, meanwhile, shoots from 3.94 at night to 4.14 during the day.
What that adds up to is a 2-1 over/under record for Burnett under the sun and a 1-5 mark under the stars. The over is 4-2 in Weaver’s day starts and just 6-9 in his night outings.
Oddsmakers have the Dodgers set as a -170 favorite and the total opened at eight.
Hidden trends point to over in L.A. in day
Jon Campbell
It’s probably not a shocker to you to learn that the Los Angeles Dodgers are the second-best hitting team in the majors with a .282 average. After all, they boast the third-best record in baseball right now and are the most profitable team in the majors with nearly 20 units this season.
What may come as a little more of a jaw-dropper is that the punching bag Pittsburgh Pirates are tied with the Dodgers in hitting with an identical average. Tough to swallow considering the Pirates are seven games below .500 and are just a little more than two units in the black.
OK, so those are the Pirates’ and Dodgers’ daytime batting averages only. But Thursday’s game between the two clubs at Dodger Stadium just happens to be scheduled for 3:10 ET.
In all likelihood, most handicappers will focus on the probable pitchers for Game 3 of this set. L.A.’s Jason Weaver sports a respectable 4.00 ERA on the season while Pittsburgh lefty Sean Burnett is even stingier with a 3.40 ERA.
Toss in with those numbers and the fact the Dodgers have seen more unders than traded players lately, and you can bet oddsmakers are planning on keeping this total well below the upper deck. The under has cashed in seven of L.A.’s last eight games, while Pittsburgh is close behind with six unders in their last eight.
These clubs have also played under in four of their five meetings this year. The only meeting the two clubs toppled the total was an afternoon matchup in Pittsburgh back on May 9.
In that affair, the Pirates and Dodgers combined for 26 hits over 14 innings in a 9-7 L.A. victory. The total was set at a mere eight.
That’s not a promising stat for Thursday’s starters, as both tend to be more vulnerable in the daytime. Burnett’s ERA jumps from an impressive 2.95 at night to 4.41 during the afternoon. Weaver, meanwhile, shoots from 3.94 at night to 4.14 during the day.
What that adds up to is a 2-1 over/under record for Burnett under the sun and a 1-5 mark under the stars. The over is 4-2 in Weaver’s day starts and just 6-9 in his night outings.
Oddsmakers have the Dodgers set as a -170 favorite and the total opened at eight.
