The new MLB season has 25 games worth of home/away stats to analyze and the Houston Astros (15-9) emerged as the best home team in baseball with an 8-1 record, while the Seattle Mariners (16-11) boast the best road team in the baseball with an 11-4 record.
The St. Louis Cardinals (15-9) are the best team in the National League thanks to a 10-3 record at Busch Stadium. Meanwhile, the Arizona Diamondbacks (14-11) have the best awayrecord in the NL with a 10-6 clip on the road.
With 162 games on the slate in baseball, we’re almost 15% of the way through the season. The Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays are the only two teams with 16 wins. The Rays have been feasting on poor teams in the AL East, but they are making fantasy nerds drool with their stellar pitching staff that allowed only 80 runs in 25 games.
In the 15-win category, you have solid teams like the Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, and LA Dodgers. The Dodgers (15-11) are trying to return to the World Series for a third year in a row. Perhaps third time is finally a charm for Dave Roberts’ squad? One thing is for certain, Cody Bellinger found his groove and he’s been mashing the ball.
Houston Home Field Advantage, Seattle Road Warriors
The Astros won the World Series two seasons ago and they are the favorites to win this year according to bookmakers in Las Vegas. The Astros are nearly unbeatable at Minute Maid Park. They lost only one game in Houston this year (to the Minnesota Twins). As per usual, the starters lead the way in Houston with 16 quality starts. Opponents are hitting only .208 against them. Verlander is off to a hot start with a 4-0 record, 2.61 ERA, and 0.89 WHIP.
The Cards have stood out from the rabid pack in the NL Central by crushing opponents. Even though Christian Yelich is off to a smoking-hot start, the Milwaukee Brewers are only 13-13. The Brew Crew are chasing the first-place Cards.
BEST HOME RECORD (AL): Houston Astros 8-1
BEST HOME RECORD (NL): St. Louis Cardinals 10-3
BEST AWAY RECORD (AL): Seattle Mariners 11-4
BEST AWAY RECORD (NL): Arizona Diamondbacks 10-6
The Mariners won 11 games on the road already this season. General Manager Jerry DiPoto overhauled the Mariners in the offseason, but for some reason they struggle at Safeco Field in Seattle. The Ms have just a 5-7 home record.
The Diamondbacks looked like they were punting on this season after trading Paul Goldschmidt. Right now, the D-Backs won 10 games on the road and find themselves in the thick of the NL West race. The Dodgers only hold a half-game lead over the upstart San Diego Padres and the D-Backs.
Fade the Chisox, Marlins, Angels, and Reds
The Chicago White Sox have huge problems with their pitching. Their starters allow too many runs. Carlos Rodon is the lone star on the team (3-2 record, 2.89 ERA and 1.11 WHIP). The rest of the starters are awful with bloated ERAs: 9.45, 8.42, 7.46, and 5.30.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim won only two games on the road. It’s not easy being on the West Coast, but the Angels are probably the worst team in the American League. After an 8-7 start, the Angels dropped 9 out of their last 10 games.
WORST HOME RECORD (AL): Chicago White Sox 3-6
WORST HOME RECORD (NL): Miami Marlins 5-11
WORST AWAY RECORD (AL): LA Angels 2-9
WORST AWAY RECORD (NL): Cincinnati Reds 3-8
The Diamondbacks are a much better road team, yet they have only four wins in Arizona. If it were not for the lowly Miami Marlins, the D-Backs would be the worst home team in the NL. The Miami Marlins rebranded with some hip colors, but Derek Jeter’s team is as bad as we expected.
The lowly Marlins are 2-6 on the road this season, they should probably occupy the spot for worst away record in the NL. The Cincinnati Reds are just 3-8 away from Great American Ballpark. The Reds made a couple of big offseason moves like acquiring Yasiel Puig and Sonny Gray, but both have been busts. Puig is hitting .200 with 21 strikeouts. Gray (0-3) played horribly with the NY Yankees last year and talked smack about them when he got traded to the Reds. Gray continues to struggle on the mound and the Reds are 2-3 in his starts.
