Here is a look at six of the worst road teams in baseball and how you should bet them.
Milwaukee Brewers (29-12 home, 16-29 road)
Milwaukee has the best home record in baseball and one of the league’s worst road records, despite being four games above .500. Only the Cubs and Astros have won fewer road games than the Brewers in the National League.
Over the last three years, the Brewers have been about a .500 team on the road, and you’d have to go back to 2007 to find the last time they were this bad. That year, they finished 83-79 overall but were just 32-49 on the road.
How to bet them: Play against the Brewers when they’re road underdogs, as they have posted a 6-18 record as pups. Then again, you might have success fading them as a favorite, too. The Brewers are an MLB-worst minus 12.96 units in road games.
Washington Nationals (25-15 home, 18-28 road)
The Nationals have been one of the league’s biggest surprises, but their road performance, as bad as it is, is actually better than usual.
Since 2008, the Nats have finished 28-53, 26-55 and 25-56 on the road. There’s a good chance they’ll be able to exceed their previous road win totals by mid-August.
How to bet them: If you’re looking for a strong situational bet, fade the Nats when Livan Herndandez (5.13 road ERA) is on the mound. They are just 1-8 and down 6.53 units in his road starts.
Kansas City Royals (23-24 home, 11-27 road)
After winning three of their first five road games to start the season, the Royals have since lost 25 of 33. The main reason for the Royals’ struggles has been their disastrous pitching staff, which has an MLB-worst 5.12 road ERA.
The Royals have won a handful of games as +150 road dogs or more, but are still down 9.49 units away from home for the season - worst in the American League.
How to bet them: Fade the Royals in the first game of a road series. They are just 4-10 in series openers and lost seven in a row at one point this season.
Oakland Athletics (22-20 home, 16-28 road)
Only the Royals have lost more money on the road than the Athletics, who are down 9.48 units so far in 2011.
Losing nine of 10 in an East Coast trip in early June didn’t help the A’s, who have had to play a brutal road schedule. They had road series against the Giants, Phillies and Mets in interleague play.
How to bet them: Getaway day hasn’t been too bad for the A’s. They are 7-7 in the final game of a road series, with four of their seven wins coming as underdogs.
Minnesota Twins (19-18 home, 18-28 road)
Minnesota has struggled to score runs all season, and that’s been especially true on the road. The Twins, whose 316 runs scored is the third worst in the AL, are averaging just 3.69 runs on the road.
In a recent five-game road losing streak, the Twins managed to score just eight runs.
How to bet them: The under has hit in 25 of the Twins’ 46 road games so far, and 15 of those have come in Twins losses.
Baltimore Orioles (22-22 home, 14-24 road)
No team has a tougher division to play road games in than the Orioles, whose easiest trip involves crossing the border to play the Blue Jays.
The Orioles haven’t won more than 35 road games since 2005, when they finished 74-88 overall and 38-43 on the road.
How to bet them: Don’t be afraid to take the O’s as heavy dogs, as they’ve pulled off some surprises so far. Five of their 14 road wins have come as dogs of +145 or more, including wins over the Rays as +166 and +173 underdogs.
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