It’s been an up and down year for the Philadelphia Phillies that has left them with a record right around .500 through the first week of June. They’ve been an enigma for not only their fans but for professional baseball bettors in Las Vegas. It’s hard to figure which way this team is going in the standings and at the betting windows they’ve also been ‘treading water’ accumulating small losses overall and in most situations.
Through the games of June 10, 2013 the Phillies have lost -6.15 units overall—not great but far from the worst ‘profit/loss’ performance in Major League Baseball. To put this into context, there are six teams in the MLB that have lost double digit units in the 2013 season. Furthermore, the Phillies aren’t alone in losing money among NL Central teams as the Atlanta Braves are the only team in the division that has turned a profit.
Philadelphia has been a marginally better betting investment on the road than at home. Away from Citizens Bank Park the Phillies have lost -2.9 units compared to -3.25 units at home. Their performance against lefthanders (-2.15 units) is slightly better than their performance against right handers (-4.0 units) but once again nothing that is particularly significant. This is the same thing you’ll find in most of the Phillies situational performance breakdowns—small losses across the board.
Baseball bettors focus closely on starting pitchers and it’s no secret to Phillies fans that the usually dependable Cole Hamels is having a disastrous season with a 2-9 record and a 4.56 ERA. He’s been an even bigger disappointment from a sports betting standpoint with the Phillies losing 11 of his 13 starts for a whopping -12.9 unit loss. Hamels has the dubious distinction of having lost more money than any other starter in Major League Baseball and one of only two hurlers to have posted double digit losses so far in 2013 (Joe Blanton of the Los Angeles Angels is the other at -11.7 units).
Tyler Cloyd is the only other Phillies starter that hasn’t been a profitable investment in the 2013 season though he’s lost less than a unit (-0.8 units). The rest of the Phillies starting rotation: Cliff Lee (+1.6 units), Kyle Kendrick (+3.5 units) and Jonathan Pettibone (+5.25 units). Roy Halladay lost -4.1 units before he headed to the disabled list.
The next week could be crucial for the Phillies’ season as they continue a 10 game road trip after having lost 3 of 4 in Milwaukee. They’ll travel to Minnesota and Colorado for their next six games and they’re definitely ‘winnable’ contests. Minnesota is under .500 at home and Colorado isn’t as dominant as Coors Field as in years’ past. You can be sure that baseball bettors will also have their eye on the Phillies looking for value betting opportunities.
