Baseball Betting: Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles

Added on Apr 04, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

MLB

American League action at Camden Yards on Monday as the Baltimore Orioles host the Detroit Tigers in the first of a 3 game set. The Orioles have opened the 2011 season 3-0 following a road sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Tigers lost 2 of 3 to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

Detroit Tigers (Porcello) at Baltimore Orioles (Arrieta)
April 4, 2011 12:05 PM Pacific

After starting the 2010 season as the worst team in baseball the Orioles went on a tear after Buck Showalter took over the managerial reins. When Showalter took over the Baltimore had the worst record in baseball at 32-73 and a pitiful team ERA of 5.18. In his 57 games at the helm, Showalter guided the Orioles to a 34-23 record—the best in the AL East during that stretch. More impressively, the Orioles’ pitching staff compiled a solid 3.54 ERA during the stretch run. Showalter didn’t win the AL Manager of the Year award for his effort, but there wasn’t a better managerial performance in all of Major League Baseball in 2010. Even though everyone expected the team to be much improved out of the gate in 2011 the opening series sweep of a Tampa Bay team expected to contend for the AL East title was a very pleasant surprise for Orioles fans.

The mood in Baltimore isn’t quite so optimistic for a team that finished 81-81 in 2010 and was downright awful on the road. At home, the Tigers were 52-29 and ranked among the best home field teams in the American League. On the road, they were a woeful 29-52—the lowly Seattle Mariners were the only team in the American League that won fewer games away from home than the Detroit Tigers. Despite the .500 finish and horrible road record the Tigers didn’t make many changes in the offseason and expect their veteran laden team to simply do their job and produce in 2011.

Not only was Detroit awful on the road in 2010 they were a huge money loser against righthanded pitching. The Tigers lost -18.45 units against RHP away from home, and that gives us even more reason to oppose a team that was already a ‘go against’ on the road. Baltimore managed to eke out a profit against RHP at Camden Yards in 2010 despite their horrible start. We’ll lay the small chalk price with the home team.

Bet Baltimore Orioles (Arrieta) -125 over Detroit Tigers (Porcello)