Red Sox Betting – 4 Factors Keying The Red Sox Collapse
4. The Demise Of David Ortiz
Big Papi is no longer so big. It’s fairly clear that whether it was performance enhancing drugs, the prime of his career or batting behind Manny Ramirez – or a combination of the three – but he’s clearly not the player that he once used to be.
The power is still there on occasion but overall, this guy is demoralizing to his team. He’s become a distraction as the conversation is constantly “when will Ortiz snap out of it?”.
The reality is that he won’t.
He’s a fading star and he barely made it .238 last year. As a matter of faction, sports betting fans saw him bat .284 last September and without that month, his average would have been even more hideous in 2009. Now it’s carried over into 2010 and reality has set it.
He’s an overpaid under-producer for this lineup and they sorely miss the pop that he once offered.
3. Josh Beckett Is Falling Apart
What has happened to Josh Beckett? A lot of MLB betting fans are wondering since opposing batters are tagging him for a .311 average and 7.46 earned runs for each nine innings that he pitches.
When you start to do the match, you realize that Beckett has pitched nearly 1500 innings, which isn’t a ton, but he’s doesn’t have that fresh lemony scent anymore either.
Throw in some back issues and it’s fairly clear that you no longer have a staff ace anymore. He may be good enough to be a No. 2 still and a No. 1 on occasion, but he’s not the guy to lead this staff anymore – especially deep into the postseason.
2. Should Have Kept Jason Bay
Going hand in hand with Ortiz’ struggles, it would have been nice for the Red Sox to keep Jason Bay around. Sure, it would have cost them a pretty penny but let’s face it, they needed his bat.
And don’t use the excuse that Bay is struggling in New York. Had he stayed in the same, comfortable environment, things would have been much better for him.
The Red Sox knew that their hitting was already lagging behind their biggest rival, the Yankees, and then they still allowed Bay to walk and they didn’t really replace him. Anyone who lies to bet on baseball knows that you need hitting to beat the Yankees and right now, the Red Sox simply don’t have it.
The Red Sox have been a surprise with their power early on in the season but most people know it won’t last. When it fades out, they’ll wish they kept Bay.
1. Daisuke Matsuzaka Was A Huge Waste Of Money
Speaking of poor roster decisions, how does that signing of Daisuke Matsuzaka look right about now? They paid more than $50 million just to negotiate with him, then they also signed him to a huge contract. Now online betting fans are wondering when he’ll start paying some of that money back on the field.
Yes, he’s coming off of his best start this year but how long will it really last. He’s constantly hurt, he’s never developed into the staff ace as expected and he’s grown into one of the biggest wastes of money.
Now in his fourth year in Boston, Matsuzaka has a record of 39-22 and an ERA of 4.09. Brad Penny can give you those numbers for a much cheaper price.
The Red Sox would have been better off splitting that money and spending it on a couple of other valuable players instead of this one albatross.
