The Mariners had 4 strong years before collapsing over the past 2. Their ballpark is not very hitter friendly and top hitters do not want to play there. Just ask Adrian Beltre how he feels to be a Mariner after having an MVP caliber season with the Dodgers the year before. The Mariners were a combined 132-192 (-49 units) the past 2 seasons. Las Vegas has not properly adjusted the odds for this team by overvaluing them an average of 15 points per game. These Mariners were a pretty bad team in the second game of a series if they lost their first game. Betting against them in that spot was 20-6 (+12 units) in 2005. When betting baseball, momentum is very important and losing the first game of a series can demoralize some teams. The Mariners were just so bad the past 2 years, everything should have demoralized them. The Mariners hit lefties better than righties in 2005. I am sure a lot of that has to do with left handed hitting Ichiro Suzuki at the top of their lineup. Since Ichiro is a very lethal instigator at the top of their lineup, I like betting against these Mariners when I see them going up against righties. Look for those spots when handicapping the 2006 season. |
