It wasn’t supposed to be this way for Kansas City any more, on the morning of May 19, they were 21-22
2008-05-30
It wasn’t supposed to be this way for Kansas City any more, on the morning of May 19, they were 21-22, showing real promise of being a .500 or better club. Since then, the “magic” has died. Despite that, 57% of early bettors like the Royals’ chances tonight against the Twins.
That night of 5/19, K.C. was no-hit by John Lester of Boston 7-0 and have not recovered since, with losses now up to 10 in a row. The Royals have drifted downward to a spot they are very familiar with, the basement of the AL Central.
The first eight games of the streak occurred on the road, thus returning home to Kansas City was thought to be a potential cure and get Kansas City back on the winning track. A hard fought 4-3 loss to division rival didn’t do the trick, despite totaling 11 hits. Last night, with Zack Grienke on the mound, even oddsmakers liked the Royals chances to end skid, making them -150 money line favorites.
Things were looking pretty darn swell, for the Royals, ahead 8-3 with two outs in the top of the ninth, when the Twins managed to score five runs to tie the game and Justin Morneau won it with a homer in the 10th. This was especially painful, as the previous night, K.C. rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth, only to lose in extra innings.
The mood of the clubhouse is going sour with the mounting pressure of losing. “Too many babies here,” outfielder Jose Guillen said. “They don’t know how to play the game and win the game right, the way it’s supposed to be played. And that’s the problem here. Now I know why this organization’s been losing for a while. Now I know.” Ouch, that has to hurt for a team that has been outscored 62-27 in this stretch.
Baseball’s a funny game and a system, a run line system no less, suggests Kansas City might be ready to break out of malaise. With Luke Hochevar (3-4, 4.54) taking the mound for the Royals, Sportsbook.com has established the Royals as -1.5, +160 on the run line, leading directly to this Super Situation.
PLAY ON home teams like Kansas City against a run line (+1.5, -130) to (-1.5, +160), off two straight home losses vs. division rivals, being a weak team (38 to 46 percent) playing a team like Minnesota with a winning record.
In the last three seasons, this system has delivered 75 percent winners with a 27-9 record. The basic rational is as long as a home team isn’t horrible, they should manage to secure one win at home in a division contest, by a comfortable margin.
The Royals will face Minnesota’s Kevin Slowey, who is 1-4, with a 4.21 ERA. Kansas City is 14-4 against the run line in home games after batting .240 or worse over a 10-game span over the last three seasons.
Consider K.C. a confident wager to end 10-game winning streak and pull off the win by two or more runs at Kauffman Stadium.
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