Sportsbook handicappers are avoiding the Baltimore Orioles early in the 2010 baseball season. Fans in Baltimore are starting to follow suit. The Orioles are 1-8 so far this season and have been a major bust vs. the odds at the Internet sportsbook.
Sportsbook odds didn’t have Baltimore as a contender in the American League this season but they were not expected to be this bad. And no one saw the attendance dropping like a rock. The Orioles had just 9,129 fans the other day at Camden Yards, the lowest figure ever for a Baltimore game at the stadium. What is also shocking about Baltimore’s record is that most of their losses have come at home. In fact, their only win so far this season was a road win at Tampa Bay. They are 0-6 this season at home vs. the sportsbook baseball odds. Maybe it is good for them that they go on the road for four games at Oakland.
The news is not good for Baltimore on the field or off the field. They put All-Star second baseman Brian Roberts on the DL with a herniated disk in his back and an abdominal strain. They put new $12 million closer Mike Gonzalez on the DL as well. After he blew saves early in the season he lost his job and putting him on the DL may have been a good move.
Baltimore has had their chances to win games this season. Kevin Millwood was pitching a great game against Toronto until Miguel Tejada made an error in the eighth inning last week. The Orioles imploded and lost the game. “When things aren’t going right for you and you give the other team a four-out inning, that’s what happens,” manager Dave Trembley said. “And certainly that’s what happened today. We gave ’em a four-out inning with a guy that pitched a tremendous game.”
The Orioles have had 12 losing seasons in a row and with a 1-8 start vs. odds at the Internet sportsbook it seems very likely they are headed for number thirteen. The Orioles have been competitive though with six of their losses by three runs or less. Trembley is trying to get wins but so far it has not worked out. “I’m putting the lineup together one game at a time,” he said, “You know, I always did it two or three days in advance. I’m not doing that any longer. We’re going to play to win. Tomorrow doesn’t matter to me.”