MLB World Series Wagering – the Party’s over for Rays Tonight
Don’t be surprised if the Philadelphia Phillies somehow manage to beat the Tampa Bay Rays, by bashing their fantastic young pitchers senseless en route to winning the second World Series title in franchise history.
Now, after guiding BetUS MLB wagering fanatics to a respectable 3-2 wagering mark in the BetUS Sportsbook on the first five games of this World Series matchup, including calling Sunday’s 10-2 overwhelming rout ‘dead-on’ in the BetUS Locker Room, finishing off the 2008 MLB season with one more winning wager is going to be an almost literal, ‘piece of cake.’
The Phillies will hand the ball to the best postseason pitcher in either league this season in undefeated left-handed staff ace, Cole Hamels, (18-10, 2.91 ERA), who has gone a spotless 4-0 in the postseason while recording a jaw-dropping ???? ERA over the span.
The suddenly-reeling Rays will counter with their own left-hander in Scott Kazmir, (13-9, 3.57 ERA), who is coming off a loss in Game 1, despite putting on a solid performance in which he limited the Phillies to three runs on six hits – including one home run – in six, mostly solid innings.
However, with Hamels on the mound and pitching ‘lights out’ baseball this postseason, the Rays have one collective foot in the proverbial grave and look like a mere formality to be buried six-feet deep.
Not only will the Rays face a pitcher that hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in seven straight starts, but they will also have to contend with a Phillies lineup that is now knocking the cover off the ball after struggling immensely with runners in scoring positing through the first four games.
Led by big-bopper, Ryan Howard, one of baseball’s streakiest hitters, the Phillies put up a whopping ten runs on Sunday, with Howard driving in five runs on two home runs and totaling three in his last two games.
When asked about the possibility of closing out the series with a Game 5 win, Howard said, “It will be absolute bedlam. It will be one of the craziest places on Earth. It’s kind of scary to imagine.”
The feisty Rays – the toughest team to put away in all of baseball this season – are in big trouble despite the fact that manager Joe Maddon murmured some nearly incoherent words about his team coming back against Philadelphia.
“We just got to get back into it. We know what’s going on. We’re just not reacting,” Maddon said. “We have to not give them four outs in an inning, we have to have better at-bats.”
Here is a look at the Game 5 trends fro each team, followed by my in-depth analysis and MLB Free Picks.
The Rays are 7-1 in Kazmir’s last 8 starts after scoring 2 runs or less in their previous game.
The Rays are 10-2 in Kazmir’s last 12 starts when their opponent allows 2 runs or less in their previous game.
The Phillies are 4-0 in Hamels’ last 4 starts.
The Phillies are 4-0 in Hamels’ last 4 starts after scoring 5 runs or more in their previous game.
The Over is 6-0 in Kazmir’s last 6 starts with 4 days of rest.
The Over is 4-0 in Kazmir’s last 4 starts following a team loss in their previous game.
The Under is 6-0 in Hamels’ last 6 starts overall
The Under is 5-0 in Hamels’ last 5 starts on grass.
The Rays are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings.
MLB Odds
Tampa Bay Rays +1½ -140
Scott Kazmir –L +155
Philadelphia Phillies -1½ +120
Cole Hamels –L -175
Over 7½ +105
Under 7½ -125
Analysis: Stick a fork in them and turn them over, because, just like the headline to this article emphatically stated, the Tampa Bay Rays are totally, done. Take the Phillies to win this series-clinching contest while covering the run line in what should be the final MLB game of the 2008 season!
