Major League Baseball Report -Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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Those of you that follow our Bullpen System should be very happy to already know this, but there are three early season surprise teams in MLB that continue to be underrated by the oddsmakers.

All three of these teams have been in the top 10 in the Major Leagues in bullpen ERA since our system kicked in on May 1, and those bullpens have been a key part of these teams’ success so far. This is further evidence that you cannot go wrong if you consistently back good pens, because these clubs are less likely to blow late leads and more likely to come back from early deficits while the pens hold down the fort.

So without further ado, the three underrated teams that may not cool off any time soon are:

FLORIDA MARLINS (23-15, +12.32 units): The Marlins are currently tied for third in the Major Leagues with a 3.18 bullpen ERA. Florida may not have one single reliever that someone would call intimidating, but they have been the ultimate definition of bullpen-by-committee to this point. Florida has five relievers that have pitched at least 13 innings this season and have an ERA of less than 3.00. This is the main reason that the Marlins surprisingly sit atop the National League East at this point in time.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS (23-16, +8.71 units): The Athletics currently rank second in the Major Leagues with a 2.78 bullpen ERA. The Athletics have two relievers that current sport an ERA under 1.00, as Andrew Brown and Santiago Casilla have incredibly combined to allow a grand total of two earned runs in 34.1 innings! Alan Embree has also done a fine job, posting a 2.60 ERA over 17.1 relief innings. Closer Houston Street has recovered nicely from a slow start, allowing just one earned run in his last seven appearances. Street is now up to nine saves after blowing two opportunities early.

TAMPA BAY RAYS (22-16, +7.16 units): The Rays are currently tied for third in the Major Leagues with a 3.18 bullpen ERA. These are not your father’s (alright, your older brother’s) Tampa Bay Devil Rays, as it appears this club exorcised the bullpen demons that have plagued the franchise when it dropped the “Devil” from the team name. Troy Percival of all people has been brilliant in the closer’s role, posting a 1.93 ERA with 13 scoreless outing out of 14 total appearances. The Rays have also gotten yeoman’s work from set-up men Gary Glover, J.P. Howell and Dan Wheeler. This unit is the primary reason that the Rays are off to the best start in the history of the franchise.