More so than any other major professional sport, baseball is highly conducive to streaks, both from an individual as well as a team perspective.
Batters having reached base safely in 15 consecutive games, fielders going three months without committing an error and clubs, like the defending champion San Francisco Giants, who have ripped off multiple five-game winning streaks to complement their season-long eight-game winning streak, capture headlines on a routine basis thanks to a 162-contest season that caters to freakish levels of consistency.
Look no further than the 2014 Oakland Athletics for a prime example in the art of streaking, as the Bay Area’s east side squad produced five winning streaks of five or more games during the first half of last season before racking up six losing streaks of three of more games during the second half of the campaign.
It’s no secret that there’s money to be made on a streaking baseball squad, whether it be a winning or losing streak. But the question becomes at what point should a gambler jump on the train? After all, it’s technically not a streak until an organization hits three straight wins or three consecutive losses, so should bettors look to jump into the pool come game four in the equation?
We recently examined the 2015 schedules of each of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams in order to identify how many three-game streaks have taken place through the first two months of the season as well as to track what happened after a three-game streak was firmly locked into position.
Granted, this is a relatively small sample size, but our research did yield a grand total of 172 instances so far in 2015 in which a team won or lost three consecutive matchups.
So what happened next?
1. Of the 172 three-game winning or losing streaks to take place this season, 77 of them (44.7 percent) ended in game four.
2. However, 50 of those 172 three-game streaks (29 percent) went longer than four games. The most profitable winning streak of the year came courtesy of the New York Mets, who went on to win eight times in a row following the establishment of the team’s three-game winning streak that began on April 12 at Atlanta.
The longest losing streak of the season took place in Colorado, where the Rockies lost eight straight matchups following the establishment of a three-game losing streak that began April 28 at Arizona. As you could no doubt infer, riding both of those aforementioned runs following the establishment of each three-game streak would have resulted in bettors posting a 16-2 record.
3. The National League has been far more profitable than the American League this season when it comes to jumping on the train after a three-game streak. National League teams have posted a combined 126-90 record (.583) for bettors after the establishment of a three-game streak, while AL squads have combined to go 78-79.
4. Betting on (if winning) or against (if losing) the following teams after the establishment of a three-game streak this season has yielded the most profitable results: San Francisco Giants (14-5), Philadelphia Phillies (13-4), Houston Astros (10-4), Milwaukee Brewers (10-5), St. Louis Cardinals (10-5), Colorado Rockies (12-7).
5. Betting on (if winning) or against (if losing) the following teams after the establishment of a three-game streak this season has yielded the worst results in terms of profitability: San Diego Padres (2-8), Boston Red Sox (2-6), Seattle Mariners (3-6).
CURRENT ACTIVE THREE-GAME STREAKS
Should you be interested in tracking this information for yourself or in the event you want to jump on the train and test your luck, here are the current active streaks heading into Tuesday night’s slate of action:
Washington Nationals: Having lost three in a row to the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend, the Nationals play two against the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday after Game 1 was rained out Monday.
Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies have dropped seven straight contests heading into Tuesday night’s three-game series opener against the Cincinnati Reds. Johnny Cueto is scheduled to take the bump for the Reds, who are currently listed as -160 favorites. As an added bonus, be advised that…
Cincinnati Reds: …are currently riding a three-game winning streak after sweeping the Washington Nationals in Cincinnati over the weekend, meaning we have the best of both worlds taking shape in this showdown against the aforementioned Phillies Tuesday night.
Boston Red Sox: David Ortiz and the BoSox have dropped three straight leading into Tuesday night’s matchup with Mike Pelfrey and the Minnesota Twins. Be advised that these two teams were scheduled to play on Monday, but that game has since been postponed.
Detroit Tigers: Losers of four straight, the Tigers had the day off on Monday before the commencement of a three-game series with an Oakland A’s squad that has won six of its last nine games. Kendall Graveman and the A’s are currently listed as +125 underdogs.
Texas Rangers: Thanks to the emotional boost provided by the return of slugger Josh Hamilton to the lineup, the Rangers have ripped off three straight wins entering Tuesday’s meeting with the Chicago White Sox. Colby Lewis and the Rangers are currently prices as -110 favorites.
