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In the first edition of the trends article since the deadline, there are some surprising numbers you may want to track as we enter the final two months of the season. The White Sox are in the midst of a humiliating stretch, while the Diamondbacks are getting hot at the right time. The Astros are scratching and clawing to keep pace with the Mariners, as their depth issues surface, while the Orioles cannot stop hitting homeruns. Without further ado, let’s see who’s trending over the last 10 games.

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ATS

Hot

Pittsburgh Pirates 8-2

The Pirates have gone only 5-5 over the last 10 overall, but they have covered the run line in eight of them and in each of their last seven games. They have lost three of their last four games, but all three losses were by one run. Their pitching staff has been better than expected. However, with this lineup ranking in the bottom third of this league, the Pirates still find themselves stuck as a middle of the pack team that is trying to snag the last Wild Card spot. Their offense may not be good. However, when one of their top three starters toes the rubber, a cover is always in play. Overall, the Pirates rank fourth in the MLB in covering the spread, as they have covered 62 of their 113 games.

Season Standings:

1) Washington Nationals 64-49

2) Kansas City Royals 64-49

3) Los Angeles Angels 63-49

Cold

Houston Astros 2-8

This is not the same dominant Astros team we have been used to over the last seven years. Outside of Ronel Blanco, the starting rotation has been severely underperforming. And to make matters worse, their closer (Josh Hader) carries a 3.94 ERA through 48 innings of work. Offensively, this team ranks in the middle of the league in OPS, runs, and homeruns, but the lack of depth has caught up to this team. Kyle Tucker has missed nearly half of the season so far with an injury, and the Jose Abreu experiment did not work out. Yanier Diaz has had a great season behind the dish, as he leads the team with 59 RBIs and is hitting just .296 and has been one of the reasons why this team has remained competitive despite the depth issues and injuries. Overall, the Houston Astros have covered 55 of their 112 games.

Season Standings:

1) Chicago White Sox 48-66

2) Seattle Mariners 50-64

3) Texas Rangers 49-63

Game Total

Over

Baltimore Orioles – 9/10 over game totals in last 10 games

It’s no surprise to see the Orioles back with the most frequent overs in the last 10 games. The one game that fell under the game total, was an eight-run game missing the over by just one run. The over has hit in 13 of the O’s last 14 contests. The Baltimore lineup is one of the deepest in the MLB, with eight players featuring double-digit homeruns, five with more than 55 RBIs, and six regulars with an OPS of over .750. As a team, the Orioles lead the league in OPS and homeruns, rank second in runs scored, and third in hits. It also helps the overs cause when everyone in the rotation, outside of Corbin Burnes, has over a 3.80 ERA. Overall, Baltimore has maintained the top spot in the league as they have had the most overs (64) on the season.

Season Standings:

1) Baltimore Orioles 64-40-10

2) New York Yankees 62-48-4

3) Detroit Tigers 62-46-4

Under

Atlanta Braves – 6/10 under game totals in last 10 games

Moving on from one of the leagues best lineups to the league’s most disappointing lineups. The Braves lineup has had a colossal fall from grace, and they are just bad this year. Outside of Marcell Ozuna, and a halfway decent showing from newbie Jarred Kelenic, the lineup has no bright spots. Olson has regressed a ton and has only 18 homeruns after eclipsing 50 last season. Ozzie Albies power numbers have disappeared, as he just has eight homeruns on the season, and Austin Riley has just 15 bombs and 47 RBIs. The supporting cast of Orlando Arcia, Adam Duvall, Sean Murphy, and Travis d’Arnaud has a combined WAR of just 2.5. The pitching is the only thing keeping the Braves in the playoffs. And with good pitching, it is no surprise to see Atlanta in low scoring games.

Season Standings:

1) Atlanta Braves 40-68-5

2) Houston Astros 45-64-3

3) Chicago Cubs 49-63-4

Moneyline

Hot

Arizona Diamondbacks 8-2

The second half of the season has been kind to the Diamondbacks, as they have gone 11-4 over their last 15 games with a +28-run differential over that span, and two of the four losses coming in extra innings. Deadline additions A.J. Puk and Dylan Floro should be solid additions for the bullpen down the stretch, as pitching has been a bit of an issue for Arizona. Ryne Nelson, Jordan Montgomery, and Slade Cecconi have combined for a 5.73 ERA over 258.1 innings this season, and closer Paul Sewald has a 4.08 ERA. Nonetheless, Arizona keeps finding ways to win games, and they find themselves just five games behind the Dodgers in the NL West and currently hold onto the final Wild Card spot with a 1.5-game lead over the New York Mets. Arizona is getting hot at the right time.

Cold

Chicago White Sox 0-20

This is just embarrassing. The White Sox have lost their last 20 games and have a -83-run differential over the current skid. They have scored more than three runs in a game in just three of their last 20 contests and have allowed four or more runs in each of their last nine games. After shipping off the likes of Paul DeJong, Tommy Pham, and Eloy Jiminez, this lineup got even weaker (if that’s possible), while the pitching staff got much weaker with Erick Fedde (was the team leader in ERA at 3.11), Tanner Banks, and Michael Kopech also getting sent to new teams. Outside of Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr., there are not a lot of pieces to build around. This franchise is in complete shambles. The White Sox are three losses away from tying the record for longest losing streak in the MLB (1961 Philadelphia Phillies) and are on pace to finish with a 39-123 record, which would be four games worse than the current record holder, the 2003 Detroit Tigers, who finished 43-119.

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