Close doesn't mean much when you're taking underdogs, at least not if you take the run line, but that's where the value is in the long run.
That's the price paid: Your winning percentage is going to suffer, but your bottom line will be fatter if you can find a way to win one of two bets in most instances.
Plus, it's baseball, which is different than other sports when it comes to betting on the dogs. Bad hops, field conditions, hang nails and a myriad of other factors mean underdogs have a shot in almost every single game.