Despite a red hot 26-14 start to the 2005 season, the Orioles once again couldnt contend with the Yankees and the BoSox for the AL East crown as they went just 48-74 the rest of the way out. The Orioles gained many backers in the early going as they got off to a fast start. The odd thing was that these initial backers, for the most part, continued to stick with Baltimore for the remainder of the season, despite the breakdown the team experienced. These early bandwagon jumpers, in non bandwagon-like fashion, stuck with the Orioles and it ended up costing them as they finished their last 122 games at -31 units.

The 2005 Baltimore Orioles are the perfect example of why it is vital to do your homework. Pay special attention to trends developing as the season unfolds. Vegas was able to trap plenty of Orioles backers last season, but if you are able to recognize when a team is in a terrible slump, youll be able to start betting against them at the right time and youll make some nice gains instead of taking huge losses.

The 2006 Orioles have all the makings of a mediocre team. Their pitching staff isnt good enough to keep them in games consistently. Last season, the Orioles were terrible as a home favorite at just 11-18 against American League ball clubs. Watch to see if a similar trend develops this season. You may be able to take advantage of road underdogs beating up on the Os at home, especially within their division.

In my opinion, Baltimore has a great player in Tejada. His numbers are incredible but they even suffer slightly as sometimes he tries to do too much at the plate to help his team win. Javy Lopez is one of the better catchers in the game. But overall, they just dont have enough fire power to help out a mediocre pitching unit. Acquisitions like Kevin Millar just dont do enough to put a team over the top, especially one who has to contend with two of baseballs best franchises.