The Race for the Playoffs
By SPORTSBETTING.COM
The MLB season is long and the All-Star game might?ve just ended but NFL and college football are on the horizon and before you know it the baseball season will be over, almost assuredly ending with exciting divisional races.
As it stands right now, the Chicago Cubs are listed as the odds-on favorites (+150) to take the National League pennant, while the Boston Red Sox are favored (+130) to do the same in the American League and to win the World Series (+250).
But before the Senior Circuit and Junior Circuit can vie for the World Series, the playoffs must take place. The dog days of summer will be over before you know it and teams will push for a berth in the Fall Classic.
If the season ended today, the AL East would belong to the surprising Tampa Bay Rays; the Chicago White Sox would take the AL Central; the Los Angeles Angels would be the best in the AL West and the Wild Card berth would go to the defending champion Boston Red Sox.
Over in the NL, the Philadelphia Phillies would play a single game playoff with the N.Y. Mets to determine who would be champions of the East; the Cubs would take the Central; the Arizona Diamondbacks, the West and the Milwaukee Brewers would squeak in with a Wild Card berth.
Are these the teams that will actually make the postseason? Let?s take a look.
American League
L.A. Angels (-2000 to win West)
Although, the Angels (62 wins and 39 losses) are far from locking up the division, it would take a Mets-like collapse to keep them from the postseason; their nearest challenger, the Oakland Athletics (+400 to win West) are 10 games behind in and they also have the lowly Seattle Mariners (+50,000 long shot) and the Texas Rangers (+1500) in the same division.
The Angels have gone 13-7 on Money line betting against both Seattle and Oakland in the last 20 games but have struggled somewhat against Texas with a 9-11 record.
They have 10 games each against the M?s and Rangers and six more against the A?s and if they can continue to beat up on Seattle and Oakland and hold Texas at bay while staying true to their first half form, the West will belong to the Los Angeles Angels.
Chicago White Sox (-200 to win Central)
The AL Central is a three pony race and the ChiSox are currently the leaders.
Chicago holds a 2? game lead over the second place Minnesota Twins and a 5? game lead over the third place Detroit Tigers.
Currently sitting with a record of 57-43 (as of July 24), the ChiSox will be looking to avoid the same kind of August they had last year.
From August 11 until September 1 of last year, the White Sox only managed 3 wins and 17 losses and if they repeat those numbers this year, it will leave the door wide open for the Twins (+200) or Tigers (+400) to lap them and pay out in AL Central futures bets.
Tampa Bay Rays (+100 to win East)
Although the Rays are currently the Beasts of the East, you can be certain there will be movement at the top of the AL East standings before the season is through, with the Boston Red Sox a mere ? game behind.
This season the Rays and BoSox have been even head-to-head thus far, splitting the season series at 6-6.
Tampa Bay is a profitable 26-18 against fellow teams from the AL East and 25 of their remaining games are against divisional opponents and that should be good news for Rays? bettors.
National League
Arizona Diamondbacks (+100 to win West)
The NL West is probably one of the weakest divisions in all of the major league. The D-backs are the current division leader with a 1-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, however, Arizona has a 50-51 record.
Radio show host Jim Rome joked about wanting to see the NL West division winner to be a team with a sub-.500 record and with second place L.A. sitting at 49-52 he could get his wish.
The D-backs have struggled SU against the NL East and Central with 13-16 and 9-14 against each division respectively but they have thrived against teams in their own division going a very profitable 22-12 and with 38 games left against divisional opponents, the D-backs could very well take the NL West.
Chicago Cubs (-300 to win Central)
It?s been about a century since the Chicago Cubs last took home a World Series and the North siders are starving for a title but although things are looking good right now there is still a ways before the postseason.
With the rival Milwaukee Brewers adding CC Sabathia, the Cubbies decided to bolster its lineup adding Rich Harden seeing as the Brewers are almost neck-and-neck with the Cubs, currently sitting 1-game back.
The two have 10 more head-to-head matchups including the final three games of the season with three games at home and seven on the road.
Believe it or not, the Cubs have yet to play a game in Milwaukee this season but in their last 20 games against the Brewers have gone 11-9.
Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets (+110 and +100 to win the East)
Currently tied for top spot in the East are the Phillies and the Mets thanks in part to New York?s 6-3 home victory last night.
The two teams play the rubber match of their current series this afternoon and SPORTSBETTING.COM has the Mets favored at -125.
The Phillies play a lot of games against divisional opponents, 36 in total including the final 12 games of the season.
Philadelphia is 19-17 against NL East teams but has gone 4-8 against the Mets this season.
The Mets are also 19-17 against divisional opponents but, of course, are 8-4 against the Phillies.
Some people complain about the baseball season being too long, but things are about to get very interesting as the boys of summer make a push to the postseason.
Have a good weekend.
By SPORTSBETTING.COM
The MLB season is long and the All-Star game might?ve just ended but NFL and college football are on the horizon and before you know it the baseball season will be over, almost assuredly ending with exciting divisional races.
As it stands right now, the Chicago Cubs are listed as the odds-on favorites (+150) to take the National League pennant, while the Boston Red Sox are favored (+130) to do the same in the American League and to win the World Series (+250).
But before the Senior Circuit and Junior Circuit can vie for the World Series, the playoffs must take place. The dog days of summer will be over before you know it and teams will push for a berth in the Fall Classic.
If the season ended today, the AL East would belong to the surprising Tampa Bay Rays; the Chicago White Sox would take the AL Central; the Los Angeles Angels would be the best in the AL West and the Wild Card berth would go to the defending champion Boston Red Sox.
Over in the NL, the Philadelphia Phillies would play a single game playoff with the N.Y. Mets to determine who would be champions of the East; the Cubs would take the Central; the Arizona Diamondbacks, the West and the Milwaukee Brewers would squeak in with a Wild Card berth.
Are these the teams that will actually make the postseason? Let?s take a look.
American League
L.A. Angels (-2000 to win West)
Although, the Angels (62 wins and 39 losses) are far from locking up the division, it would take a Mets-like collapse to keep them from the postseason; their nearest challenger, the Oakland Athletics (+400 to win West) are 10 games behind in and they also have the lowly Seattle Mariners (+50,000 long shot) and the Texas Rangers (+1500) in the same division.
The Angels have gone 13-7 on Money line betting against both Seattle and Oakland in the last 20 games but have struggled somewhat against Texas with a 9-11 record.
They have 10 games each against the M?s and Rangers and six more against the A?s and if they can continue to beat up on Seattle and Oakland and hold Texas at bay while staying true to their first half form, the West will belong to the Los Angeles Angels.
Chicago White Sox (-200 to win Central)
The AL Central is a three pony race and the ChiSox are currently the leaders.
Chicago holds a 2? game lead over the second place Minnesota Twins and a 5? game lead over the third place Detroit Tigers.
Currently sitting with a record of 57-43 (as of July 24), the ChiSox will be looking to avoid the same kind of August they had last year.
From August 11 until September 1 of last year, the White Sox only managed 3 wins and 17 losses and if they repeat those numbers this year, it will leave the door wide open for the Twins (+200) or Tigers (+400) to lap them and pay out in AL Central futures bets.
Tampa Bay Rays (+100 to win East)
Although the Rays are currently the Beasts of the East, you can be certain there will be movement at the top of the AL East standings before the season is through, with the Boston Red Sox a mere ? game behind.
This season the Rays and BoSox have been even head-to-head thus far, splitting the season series at 6-6.
Tampa Bay is a profitable 26-18 against fellow teams from the AL East and 25 of their remaining games are against divisional opponents and that should be good news for Rays? bettors.
National League
Arizona Diamondbacks (+100 to win West)
The NL West is probably one of the weakest divisions in all of the major league. The D-backs are the current division leader with a 1-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers, however, Arizona has a 50-51 record.
Radio show host Jim Rome joked about wanting to see the NL West division winner to be a team with a sub-.500 record and with second place L.A. sitting at 49-52 he could get his wish.
The D-backs have struggled SU against the NL East and Central with 13-16 and 9-14 against each division respectively but they have thrived against teams in their own division going a very profitable 22-12 and with 38 games left against divisional opponents, the D-backs could very well take the NL West.
Chicago Cubs (-300 to win Central)
It?s been about a century since the Chicago Cubs last took home a World Series and the North siders are starving for a title but although things are looking good right now there is still a ways before the postseason.
With the rival Milwaukee Brewers adding CC Sabathia, the Cubbies decided to bolster its lineup adding Rich Harden seeing as the Brewers are almost neck-and-neck with the Cubs, currently sitting 1-game back.
The two have 10 more head-to-head matchups including the final three games of the season with three games at home and seven on the road.
Believe it or not, the Cubs have yet to play a game in Milwaukee this season but in their last 20 games against the Brewers have gone 11-9.
Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets (+110 and +100 to win the East)
Currently tied for top spot in the East are the Phillies and the Mets thanks in part to New York?s 6-3 home victory last night.
The two teams play the rubber match of their current series this afternoon and SPORTSBETTING.COM has the Mets favored at -125.
The Phillies play a lot of games against divisional opponents, 36 in total including the final 12 games of the season.
Philadelphia is 19-17 against NL East teams but has gone 4-8 against the Mets this season.
The Mets are also 19-17 against divisional opponents but, of course, are 8-4 against the Phillies.
Some people complain about the baseball season being too long, but things are about to get very interesting as the boys of summer make a push to the postseason.
Have a good weekend.
