Pirates odds – Pittsburgh will make history with another losing season
Pittsburgh Pirates odds will be more of the same this year. The Pirates have endured 16 straight losing seasons and it’s expected another one is on the way in 2009. No franchise in all of major sports has ever had 17 consecutive losing seasons but fans are bracing for it. It’s yet another year to stay away from the Pirates' sports betting lines.
Pittsburgh Pirates odds: +7500 to win the World Series
- Pirates still in the basement
- Pitching needs some semblance of consistency
- How good are the Pirates young bats?
One reason to avoid a bet on the Pirates is the pitching staff. The rotation of Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, Ian Snell, Ross Ohlendorf and Jeff Karstens isn’t exactly inspiring for Pirates betting fans and it’s not enticing any odds makers into putting faith in this team.
Maholm is supposed to be the staff ace but he’s only had one reliable season out of his three Major League years. Zach Duke is the No. 2 starter, but he hasn’t finished with an ERA lower than 4.47 in the last three years. Ian Snell had a stellar campaign in 2007 but struggled in 2008, which leaves No. 4 and No. 5 starters Ohlendorf and Karstens, who will be full-time starters for the first time this year.
While the pitching staff is unreliable, Pirates betting handicappers know that the lineup is very much the same. Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson and Adam LaRoche, three of the Pirates key hitters, are inconsistent. On top of that, since the Pirates traded away Xavier Nady and Jason Bay prior to last year’s trade deadline, the team now lacks a lot of power.
In 2008, the Pirates finished 19th in runs scored, 21st in home runs and 22nd in the Majors in batting average. Those numbers include Bay’s and Nady’s production. Pirates betting fans should expect those numbers to drop now that those players have departed.
The biggest concern for the Pirates, a rebuilding team, is that they don’t have any veteran anchors and they don’t have many five-star building blocks.
When the Milwaukee Brewers were rebuilding, they built a team around Ben Sheets, Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. Now that the Cincinnati Reds are retooling, they are building around Edinson Volquez, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips.
The Pirates don’t have those pieces and, outside of the highly touted Andrew McCutcheon, who will start the season in the minors, they don’t have a whole lot to get excited about now or later on MLB odds.
Pirates odds aren’t good and the future doesn’t look much better. If you plan to bet on the Pirates this season, well… it’s going to be a long year.
For more on Pirates odds and baseball betting lines, check out the BetOnline.com Sportsbook.
Before his arm flamed out, Dale “Skip” Lalonde was famous for his high-90s heat and power at the plate. He retired young but never turned his back on baseball, earning the nickname “Skip” for his high-school coaching prowess. A true student of the game, he loves crunching the numbers when he handicaps baseball. Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
