These Angels make Heavenly Profits

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim quietly moved ahead of more well-known teams like Boston and the New York Yankees, to be the best team in the American League with 63-40 record and would be ahead for the best overall record with their city brethren, the Dodgers, if they had played two more games and won both. The Angels may not have made a lot of noise in climbing to be the best team in the AL, but they have excruciatingly loud with how they swing the bat.

The Angels lead the Major Leagues in hitting with a .290 average. With the high batting average, they are also the No.1 scoring offense at 5.7 runs per game, helped dramatically by hitting .308 with runners in scoring position. Just how good is the Los Angeles offense, start considering these numbers.

Manager Mike Scioscia’s team plays its own version of merry-go-round, with 94 more total hits than the average AL team to this point of the season. The Halos are second in baseball in all important on-base percentage to the Yankees and are third in slugging percentage, despite hitting 40 less home runs than the Bronx Bombers (154 homers) and 45 less than second place Texas (159 homers).

To understand just how good Los Angeles has been playing, consider on June 12, they were 29-29 on the season. Since then, L.A. is 34-11, having picked up +21.65 units of profit in just over seven weeks. Over what is a quarter of the season during this stretch, the Angels are AVERAGING over seven runs per game. That includes not having two of their biggest sluggers, Torii Hunter and Vladimir Guerrero in the lineup since before the All-Star break when they swept the Yankees at the Big A.

Just this part weekend, L.A. traveled to Minnesota, who was just off a sweep of the Chicago White Sox and feeling pretty spry. All the Angels did was outscore the Twins 35-15, collecting at least 15 hits in each game, becoming just the second American League team since the 1938 Red Sox (Sept. 4-5) to score more than ten runs with at least 15 base hits in each of three straight games. The Cleveland Indians did so in the interim with 15-4, 13-5 and 17-9 victories over the Brewers at County Stadium (Sept. 4-6 1986) according to Elias Sports Bureau.

The Angels remarkable offense plays in the Windy City starting Tuesday against the White Sox. The domination of this newer Big Red Machine shows up in several other key areas. A test of a team’s strength is how they preside over other opponents. Scioscia’s squad leads the major’s in running from first to third and this dizzying pace has them at 27-12 in games decided by four or more runs. They are 14-7 (+14.6) as underdogs and one game behind Philadelphia for the best road record (31-20) in baseball, having won 15 of last 18 as visitors.

Are the Angels than true World Series contenders? Probably not, unless the offense can continue at near the same pace, this is unlikely to occur in the postseason. The Los Angeles pitching staff does not strike fear into opposing hitters with ERA of almost five. John Lackey’s pitching has improved as the season has won on, but he is no longer the hard thrower he was when the Halos won the World Series in 2002. Jered Weaver has started to pitch like a No. 4 starter again, after throwing like an ace early in the season. Joe Saunders is hitting a lot of bats and Ervin Santana is a shell of former self since coming back from injury.

The bullpen has gotten better after carrying ERA of 5.5 or worse into June, but could hardly be described as reliable. The Angels front office acted like a salesperson working without leads in this recession and did nothing to help out current team, despite many working parts in the minor leagues.

That is something to concern with later; right now the Angels are stuffing bankrolls. Parlay wagers on them with the OVER mean serious return on investment, with Los Angeles 61-37-5 OVER (No.1). Totals players can’t believe their great fortune with L.A. on 13-0 OVER run. Since July 1, the Angels and OVER has won on parlays 18 times.

It’s not always fun to follow the crowd and do what everyone else is doing, nevertheless, when money is ripe to be taken, playing these Angels and the total is heavenly.

College World Series Wagering Preview

The road to Omaha, Nebraska has been completed for eight college baseball teams. The schools feature traditional powers like LSU, Texas, Cal State Fullerton and Arizona State. But parity has invaded college baseball as well, with Southern Mississippi and Virginia, making first-ever appearances. North Carolina has been a frequent participant in recent years and Arkansas returns for the first time in five seasons. Based on the numbers, six of the eight teams are given legitimate chance to walk away as the kings of the college diamond, meaning this is wide open tournament that could go many different ways. This is not a great spot to bet on first timer, since the last team to make initial trip to Omaha and win the whole tournament was Minnesota, 53 years ago. Here is team-by-team preview, odds by DiamondSportsbook.com.

Arkansas (39-22) Last CWS was 2004 (+1200 to win title)

The Razorbacks started hot, played poorly at the end of the season and got hot again as the postseason began, clinching berth sweeping Florida State on their own field. If Arkansas can start fast, they are capable, with hitters Andy Wilkins, Ben Tschepikow and Chase Leavitt leading the way. The Hogs need big efforts from starters Dallas Keuchel and Brett Eibner to get off to fast start. Arkansas is believed to be the worst team in their bracket, however once they believe, these Hogs are a heap of trouble.

Cal State-Fullerton (47-14) Last CWS was 2007 (+250 to win title)

The Titans are the favorites, making their 16th trip to Omaha and sixth since 2001. CS-Fullerton has four championship banners and is loaded on offense. Cal State-Fullerton has six players hitting .335 or better, led by outfielder Josh Fellhauer who is hitting robust .399. The Titans also feature strong hurlers like All-American candidate Daniel Renken, who was 11-2 record and a 2.36 ERA and freshman Noe Ramirez who is 10-1 with a 2.86 ERA. The bullpen has lots of answers, meaning if a starter fails, they have plenty of ways to close down opponents. This is the most balanced squad in the field with a lot of weapons, playing great baseball right now.

Virginia (48-13) First CWS appearance (+400 to win title)

The Cavaliers might be first timers in the tournament, nonetheless, no doubting the quality and competitiveness they bring. Virginia won the ACC tournament and swept then No.1 Cal-Irvine. After that much excitement, they handed the MLB’s top draft choice, Stephen Strasburg his only loss of the season. Still forced to play on the road, Virginia lost first super regional game at Mississippi, only to come back and take the next two against the Rebels. This confidence boosting trip is the same path Fresno State took last season, on the way to College World Series championship. The Cavaliers hit .327 as a team and have three above average starting pitchers and solid relievers led by Kevin Arico and Tyler Wilson. Dangerous club for certain.

LSU (51-16) Last CWS was 2008 (+375 to win title)

The Tigers won five titles between 1991 and 2000, but have been unable to pick up a sixth since that time. LSU has played the minimum of five games in the tournament and are playing with extreme confidence at this time. Coach Paul Mainieri likes his team’s chances after last year’s experience. The Tigers can score runs with second sacker DJ LeMahieu leading the team in batting average at a .340. Jared Mitchell hits for average (.325), has some pop in the bat and converted almost 80 percent of his 44 steal attempts. Anthony Ranaudo and Louis Coleman will be as good as any two front end starters in the field. Freshman closer Matty Ott has 16 saves and impressive 15-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Has to be one of the favorites.

Arizona State (49-12) Last CWS was 2007 (+350 to win title)

The Sun Devils expected to be here last year, before being upset by eventual champion Fresno State. Arizona State started the season, with one of its youngest teams in years and if pitching wins championships, this ASU club is well-stocked. If San Diego State’s Strasburg is the best pitcher in the college game, than right behind him is Mike Leake. He comes in with 16-1 record and miniscule 1.36 ERA. He’s matched with Josh Spence, who is 9-1 with 2.33 ERA and each pitcher easily averages better than a punch-out per inning. The pen has reliable arms coach Pat Murphy can count on. Arizona State has the lowest earned run average among the field of eight and if the Sun Devils aluminum bats heat up, you never know.

North Carolina (51-16) Last CWS was 2008 (+350 to win title)

The Tar Heels are making their fourth consecutive CWS showing, a first for ACC squad. North Carolina has been doomsday machine in the tourney, winning by better than seven runs per game. UNC doesn’t boast a sensational lineup, being more reliant on a number of players. Irregardless how everyone performs, first baseman Dustin Ackley and his across the diamond counterpart, 3B Kyle Seager have to have big games for Heels to play on. North Carolina has exceptional pitching depth, with Alex White and Adam Warren at the front of the line. Relievers Brian Moran and Colin Bates are two of the best in Omaha and should give offense chance, since they can shutdown opposing offenses. If Ackley and Seager shine, Tar Heels in the chase.

Southern Mississippi (40-24) First CWS appearance (+1400 to win title)

This team makes Cinderella’s story really look a fairy tale. Head coach Corky Palmer announced in April he was retiring and never could have dreamed of all-expense trip with his team to Nebraska. The Golden Eagles are collection of veteran players, who just found a way. USM is nothing special offensively, but with the likes of Bo Davis hitting .372 with 13 long balls, they hustle and manufacture runs. Don’t expect the Golden Eagles to be nervous, they know they were a long shot to even be in CWS, let alone win it. C-USA Pitcher of the Year Todd McInnis is the real thing, however beyond JR Ballinger and relief pitcher Collin Cargill, the kind of pitching depth needed to compete at this level is thin.

Texas (46-14) Last CWS was 2005 (+300 to win title)

No team has been to Omaha as much as the Longhorns, who have made 33 trips. Coach Augie Garrido has won more games than any D-1 baseball head coach and brings one of his more intriguing teams to Rosenblatt Field. No pitching staff has the depth of Texas, which is why the Horns have a shot. Offensively, Texas has the lowest collect batting average in the field at .287, meaning the hitters have to step up or pitchers have to be domineering. Starters Chance Ruffin, Cole Green and Taylor Jungmann are each capable of low run-low hit games and relief pitchers Austin Wood and Austin Dicharry can shut the door. The Longhorns are comfortable playing low scoring games, making them legit threat.

3DW Pick – LSU
Second Pick – Cal State- Fullerton