Click Away for Free Picks from the Nations Best   Baseball’s Home Field: Pay Close Attention My 8 2004 Al McMordie Former Orioles' manager Earl Weaver never cared much for the idea of momentum in baseball. “Momentum,” the great Earl used to opine, “is only as good as your next day’s starting pitcher.” The Earl had a point. A team may be on a seven-game winning streak, but if they’re going with their worst pitcher and the other team is going with Roger Clemens, no momentum in the world is going to make it easier to get men on base. With that said, one area to keep both eyes on is home and road play by baseball teams. Baseball betting lines are largely established by each day’s starting pitchers, but it’s also important to look at how a team plays at home and on the road. Baseball home/road play is very different from basketball and football. Those sports often have teams playing their best at home and consistently less so on the road. In baseball, many factors come into play and the home/road disparities can be remarkably different. Sometimes they’re even hard to explain. For example, in 2002 the Oakland A’s made the playoffs with a strong all-around team that went 54-27 at home and 49-32 on the road. The A’s were built around their great starting rotation and strong defensive players. Speed in the outfield and a strong defensive shortstop (Miguel Tejada) are essential, as Oakland plays in a large stadium with a huge outfield. This strong defense and pitching then helped them also when they went on the road. However, in 2003 essentially the same team went 57-24 at home and 39-42 on the road. They still made the playoffs, but their poor road record last season was difficult to explain. This year’s Anaheim Angels team is off to a start that's also a bit odd: after 24 games the Angels were 4-5 at home but 10-5 on the road. Perhaps the best example of home/road is the Colorado Rockies. And this is easier to explain, as the thin air creates enormous problems to pitchers as the ball carries easily. Colorado went 47-34 at home in 2002, yet 26-55 on the road. In 2003, they went 49-32 at home and 25-26 on the road. This season, the Rockies started 7-7 at home and 3-6 on the road. There is simply no other professional park quite like Coors Field, so the Rockies enjoy a home edge as they know better what to expect as the baseball travels, both to the plate and in the field, and their teams have always been built to succeed in that park. The Red Sox, too, have historically enjoyed an edge in tiny Fenway Park. When star center fielder Fred Lynn was winning batting titles in the 1970’s, whenever he would go into a hitting slump on the road, he used to love coming back to Fenway and slice a few pitches to left field where it would bang off the Green Monster. Presto, end of slump! Players can become so familiar with the nuances of their home stadium that they can use them to their advantage during a game. Notice that Lynn never enjoyed the kind of offensive years again after he left the Red Sox. His last two years in Boston he hit .333 and .301 with 42 and 32 doubles, then in his first three seasons with the Angels he never batted over .300 and averaged 22 doubles. In fact, in his first season with the Angels in 1981 he hit .219 with 8 doubles (in half a season). He clearly missed the Monster. This season, Boston started 8-3 at home and 7-5 on the road. A year ago they were 53-28 at home and 42-39 on the road. Sometimes losing teams can offer good home/road betting value, such as the Rockies. Notice that this season the Royals started 6-6 at home but 1-9 on the road, while the Devil Rays started 5-7 at home and 2-8 on the road. Baseball home/road play is not as consistent or distinct as football and basketball, but there are key differences to keep up on. Be sure to join Big Al McMordie every day for Guaranteed Selections - Remember you must WIN or there is no charge Owned and operated by Alliance Sports Media  Any information furnished by this site is for information and entertainment only and is not to be used in violation of any federal, state, provincial or local laws - Privacy Policy Contact Servus - Picks2bet.com