MLB: 4th celebrates America, baseball, betting

MLB: 4th celebrates America, baseball, betting

2010-07-03

The 4th of July holiday celebrates America’s independence, and nothing signifies one’s freedom more than being able to lay down a few wagers on baseball, America’s game, on America’s birthday. As much as our elected officials seem to want to go to any length to deny us of that freedom, it’s still a passion that all of us reading this piece share. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the recent holiday history of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams, in hopes of uncovering which clubs are sparklers and which play like duds on this most celebratory of days. Get the latest lines for Sunday’s games Sportsbook.com’s LIVE ODDS page.

Before getting to each team, it’s important to note that overall, home field advantage has been significant in 4th of July games. In fact, since ’97, the year since which all the records below are noted, home teams have gone 116-78, good for a 59.8% win rate and +23.1 units of profit on this holiday. You have to figure that teams are more comfortable playing in front of the home folks in what is one of the most family-friendly days of the year. That said, let’s get to the teams and their performances on July 4th since ’97.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS

4th of July Record Overall: 8-4, +5 Units (#4 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-3-3

At Home: 2-2

On the Road: 6-2

Trend(s): Arizona has lost two in a row at home and four of five overall and will be hosting the Dodgers Sunday.

ATLANTA BRAVES

4th of July Record Overall: 9-4, +4.7 Units (#5 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-7-0

At Home: 7-2

On the Road: 2-2

Trend(s): Braves have won five of L6 July 4th games at home.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

4th of July Record Overall: 7-7, +3.1 Units (#6 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 9-4-1

At Home: 2-1

On the Road: 5-6

Trend(s): Six of L7 July 4th games for the Orioles have gone OVER the total, while they have yielded 8.1 runs per game.

BOSTON RED SOX

4th of July Record Overall: 7-6, -1.9 Units (#21 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 9-4-0

At Home: 2-2

On the Road: 5-4

Trend(s): Boston is on an 8-2 OVER the total run on the 4th, having scored 8.6 RPG, and will be facing Baltimore, another OVER trending team, on Sunday.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

4th of July Record Overall: 5-8, -5 Units (#27 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-7-0

At Home: 4-4

On the Road: 1-4

Trend(s): The White Sox have lost four straight 4th of July road games, all as favorites, and will be in Texas this year.

CHICAGO CUBS

4th of July Record Overall: 4-9, -7.4 Units (#29 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-7-0

At Home: 2-3

On the Road: 2-6

Trend(s): The Cubs have struggled on this holiday over the last 11 years, going just 2-9 while scoring just 2.2 RPG.

CINCINNATI REDS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, -1.4 Units (#20 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 4-7-2

At Home: 4-5

On the Road: 2-2

Trend(s): Cincinnati is on a 4-2 run in 4th of July games but hasn’t played on the road since ’06.

CLEVELAND INDIANS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-8, -3.6 Units (#24 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 9-5-0

At Home: 6-2

On the Road: 0-6

Trend(s): Including a 19-1 thrashing of the Yankees in ’06, Cleveland has won its L4 games on this holiday at home and will host Oakland this season.

COLORADO ROCKIES

4th of July Record Overall: 5-8, -4.4 Units (#25 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-6-0

At Home: 4-3

On the Road: 1-5

Trend(s): Colorado has played its L6 July 4th games at home, going 4-2 and 4-2 OVER. Those games produced an incredible 18.2 RPG.

DETROIT TIGERS

4th of July Record Overall: 7-8, -0.4 Units (#14 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-7-1

At Home: 3-1

On the Road: 4-7

Trend(s): This year’s game versus Seattle will be just Detroit’s second home 4th of July game since ’01. The Tigers have lost their L7 on the road but won the sole home game in that span.

FLORIDA MARLINS

4th of July Record Overall: 7-6, +2 Units (#9 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 5-7-1

At Home: 5-1

On the Road: 2-5

Trend(s): Florida has lost its L3 Independence Day road games, but by a combined four runs.

HOUSTON ASTROS

4th of July Record Overall: 4-9, -7.2 Units (#28 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-6-0

At Home: 2-6

On the Road: 2-3

Trend(s): The 4th holiday has been a struggle for the Astros, as they are just 4-9 since ’97 for -7.2 units, better than only two other clubs.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, +0.9 Units (#11 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-5-1

At Home: 5-2

On the Road: 1-5

Trend(s): Kansas City will look to avoid a 5-game 4th of July road losing streak in Anaheim on Sunday.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, -2.3 Units (#22 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-5-1

At Home: 3-5

On the Road: 3-2

Trend(s): Four of the L5 Angels’ Independence Day games have gone OVER the total, as they’ve scored 8.0 RPG themselves.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS

4th of July Record Overall: 8-5, +2.7 Units (#8 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 4-8-1

At Home: 3-2

On the Road: 5-3

Trend(s): The Dodgers are on a 4-2 run overall on the 4th of July and 3-1 on the road and will be in Arizona on Sunday.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, -1.2 Units (#19 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-4-3

At Home: 2-4

On the Road: 4-3

Trend(s): Milwaukee has enjoyed its most recent 4th of July games, going 4-1 in its L5 while outscoring opponents 31-12.

MINNESOTA TWINS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, -1.1 Units (#18 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-5-2

At Home: 3-3

On the Road: 3-4

Trend(s): Minnesota will look to extend a 3-game holiday winning streak when it hosts Tampa Bay for its first 4th of July game at new Target Field.

NEW YORK METS

4th of July Record Overall: 7-6, +1.1 Units (#10 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-6-1

At Home: 5-0

On the Road: 2-6

Trend(s): The Mets have lost their last three 4th of July games, all on the road, and will put that skid on the line at Washington.

NEW YORK YANKEES

4th of July Record Overall: 5-8, -7.6 Units (#30 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 8-4-1

At Home: 4-5

On the Road: 1-3

Trend(s): The Yankees have been the biggest duds in baseball on this specific holiday, going 5-8 for a league worst -7.6 units since ’97. The OVER the total is 6-0-1 in the L7, with opponents bashing New York pitching for 8.6 RPG.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-6, -0.5 Units (#15 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 5-7-0

At Home: 3-3

On the Road: 3-3

Trend(s): Six of the L8 Oakland games on Independence Day have gone UNDER the total.

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

4th of July Record Overall: 10-3, +6.8 Units (#2 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-7-0

At Home: 6-3

On the Road: 4-0

Trend(s): Philadelphia, the city where our country’s Independence was born, has the best profit record of any team in baseball on the 4th of July since ’98, going 10-2 while outscoring foes 63-30.

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, +0 Units (#12 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 8-4-1

At Home: 3-3

On the Road: 3-4

Trend(s): Little changes for Pittsburgh on this special holiday when compared to every other day of the season, as the Pirates are just 1-4 dating back to ’05, outscored 36-16.

SAN DIEGO PADRES

4th of July Record Overall: 8-4, +5.6 Units (#3 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-5-1

At Home: 6-2

On the Road: 2-2

Trend(s): San Diego is on a strong 6-1 run at home on the 4th of July and welcomes lowly Houston for the 4-game series finale on Sunday.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-8, -3.6 Units (#23 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-6-1

At Home: 4-4

On the Road: 2-4

Trend(s): Six of the L7 San Francisco 4th of July games have gone over the total. Average Score – Giants 7.1 , Opponents 6.7

SEATTLE MARINERS

4th of July Record Overall: 7-6, -0.2 Units (#13 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 4-9-0

At Home: 2-1

On the Road: 5-5

Trend(s): Seattle, in Detroit on Sunday, has won three straight Independence Day road games, holding opposing lineups to three total runs. Plus, overall, eight of the L9 Mariners’ games on this holiday have gone UNDER the total.

ST LOUIS CARDINALS

4th of July Record Overall: 8-5, +3 Units (#7 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-4-3

At Home: 4-3

On the Road: 4-2

Trend(s): St. Louis has lost back-to-back 4th of July games after winning the prior eight.

TAMPA BAY RAYS

4th of July Record Overall: 3-9, -4.9 Units (#26 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-5-0

At Home: 3-2

On the Road: 0-7

Trend(s): The Rays have never won a 4th of July road game in seven tries, getting outscored 58-31. They’ll put that skid on the line in Minnesota on Sunday.

TEXAS RANGERS

4th of July Record Overall: 10-3, +9.6 Units (#1 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-6-0

At Home: 9-2

On the Road: 1-1

Trend(s): Texas has put up 4th of July offensive fireworks in going 10-3 since ’97, scoring 7.4 RPG, while producing a league best 9.6 units of profit.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-6, -0.7 Units (#17 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 7-5-0

At Home: 3-0

On the Road: 3-6

Trend(s): Fittingly, Toronto’s last nine 4th of July games have been on American soil. The Jays are 3-6 in those and OVER the total is 7-2.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS

4th of July Record Overall: 6-7, -0.7 Units (#16 of 30)

Totals (O-U-P): 6-7-0

At Home: 5-3

On the Road: 1-4

Trend(s): The Nationals’ franchise is a profitable 6-3 for +3.8 units in its L9 4th of July games.

Enjoy the holiday and all baseball the action on Sunday. Hopefully your bankroll explodes like a firecracker!

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