On Thursday July 14, 2011 the second half of the MLB sports betting season kicks off. With 72 games left in the regular season, all 30 teams will be entering the stretch run to the playoffs, as only three and a half months remain in the season. For several MLB betting franchises, the second half of the 2011 season, is filled with pressure, as now is the time for them to go from pretenders to contenders. Here are a few teams we believe need to have strong second half runs to get rid of the choke artist and bust labels.
Fans following the MLB standings have learnt over the years, that just because a team is good in the first half of the season, doesn’t necessarily mean they will be good in the second half of the season. One team that defines this notion perfectly, are the AL East fourth place team, the Toronto Blue Jays.
Toronto Blue Jays – Blessed with a young starting rotation, and arguably the best player in baseball manning the hot corner at third, Jose Bautista, the Blue Jays have always had strong first halves to the season but brutal second halves. Entering the All Star break, the Blue Jays were an underwhelming 11 games back of AL East division leader the Boston Red Sox. However, this is a change from years past, as the Jays have been roughly seven or eight games out of first place, before choking in the second half of the season.
Going into the second half of the 2011 season, the Blue Jays are on a three game win streak, and will need to continue winning if they hope to wipe the choke artist label from the team’s reputation. As we mentioned earlier, the Blue Jays are a really young team. Although, with the Red Sox and Yankees pitching staffs being average at best, a strong second half of the season, could catapult the Blue Jays back into playoff attention.
Cleveland Indians – The Cleveland Indians are a team projected by many to absolutely bust in the second half of the season. Cleveland, similar to the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, is a team that has come out of nowhere in the first half of the season. During the first half of the season the Indians led the league with 20 MLB scores come from behind wins.
Considering the Indians young core has only been together for a season, many fans expect the mistakes made by youthful players to catch up to the team. But, having said all of this, we believe that the Indians depending on pay roll and where they are by the trade deadline could actually add a few veteran pieces to help them make the playoffs for the first time in roughly 13 years.
Cincinnati Reds – Comparable to the Toronto Blue Jays, in that both teams are fourth in their respective divisions, the Cincinnati Reds face the most pressure of any team entering the second half of the season. After putting together a solid 2010 campaign, in which the Reds made their first playoff appearance in nine years, Cincinnati has been underwhelming at best during the first half of the 2011 season. Luckily for the Reds, they are only four games back of the division lead in the NL Central. In order to prove to the rest of the MLB, and especially themselves, that they are for real, the Reds will need to take their play to a whole new level for the remaining 72 games of the season.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.