Somehow, we’ve made through the summer. The air is getting a bit crisper and pumpkin spice is everywhere. More importantly, the baseball regular season is in the rearview mirror and the playoffs are getting underway.
There are just 10 teams remaining with a few clear-cut favorites and some teams looking to surprise. After back-to-back seasons losing in the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers are trying to get back to the Fall Classic for the third-straight year and win it this team. L.A. hasn’t won it all since 1988. The Minnesota Twins’ and Oakland Athletics’ draughts go back to 1987 and 1989, respectively. Meanwhile, the Yankees are looking to snap their decade long title draught which for the Bronx Bombers feels like eternity.
There are also some teams looking for their first ever World Series title including the Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals, and Milwaukee Brewers.
Will we see a first-time World Series champion like we saw when the Houston Astros won it all a couple years ago? Or will another team snap a draught like what happened for the Chicago Cubs—though not that long of a draught—in 2016? We are about to find out.
As the MLB postseason continues along, you can bet on all the latest MLB odds and props—including all the World Series odds—anytime at BookMaker.eu.
WORLD SERIES ODDS
Houston Astros +210
Los Angeles Dodgers +300
New York Yankees +450
Atlanta Braves +750
Minnesota Twins +1300
Washington Nationals +1500
St. Louis Cardinals +1800
Oakland Athletics +1800
Tampa Bay Rays +2000
Milwaukee Brewers +2200
ODDS BREAKDOWN
The odds are expecting a 2017 World Series rematch between Houston ( +210 ) and Los Angeles ( +300 ), but the Yankees are close at +450. From there, it’s a bit of a drop off. The Braves are the only other team with odds in the triple-digits as most expect Atlanta and Los Angeles to meet in the NLCS with the Astros and Yankees squaring off in the ALCS.
After the four supposed championship series favorites, the Twins, Nationals, Cardinals, and Athletics are lumped together, leaving the Rays and Brewers are the longest shots.
It makes sense given the records for all the teams. Milwaukee and Tampa Bay are playing on the road in the Wild Card game, giving them a bit more of an uphill battle. But Washington boasting better odds than the Cardinals is a bit interesting as the Cardinals are guaranteed a five-game series, the Nationals could be one-and-done, particularly considering their bullpen issues. Even if the Nationals do win their Wild Card game, they face the Dodgers in the next round. While the Braves aren’t a picnic, the matchup is at least a bit more favorable than Los Angeles.
INTERESTING LONGSHOTS
This year, there are the big three of the Astros, Yankees and Dodgers; and then there are everyone else. It easy to understand why these three are the favorites, but in the postseason anything can happen.
There were four teams that won 100-games this season. Along with the big three, the Minnesota Twins also reached the milestone, going 101-61 in a surprising season. Minnesota is one team to keep an eye on. The pitching is a bit of a question, but Taylor Rogers has nailed down the closer’s role. Meanwhile, Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi have shown—at times this season—that they can elevate their games.
Going through New York in the ALDS will be challenging, but its just a five-game set and New York’s rotation isn’t exactly the gold-standard either. Besides, this Twins lineup can mash, making them one of few teams that can keep up with the Bronx Bombers in a higher-scoring affair. The team has 12 active players with at least 200 plate appearances and an OPS+ over 100, giving Rocco Baldelli plenty of options to matchup and put his players in the best position to succeed.
Beyond the Twins, the Braves and Cardinals are interesting teams to watch. Like Minnesota, they’ll avoid a one-game play-in and face each other in the NLDS. If the Wild Card winner is able to unseat the Dodgers that certainly clears the path to the Fall Classic, but even going against L.A. in the NLCS, both the Cardinals and Braves still have a path forward. St. Louis, for instance, has been playing inspired baseball down the stretch with Jack Flaherty throwing the ball as well as anyone in the sport. The Braves, meanwhile, have seemingly put it all together, too. Their bullpen has come together, and the starting pitching is lined up to support a strong offense that boasts three players in Freddie Freeman, Josh Donaldson, and Ronald Acuna Jr. all capable of putting a team on his back.
As for the Wild Card teams, we’ve seen teams win it all from the Wild Card spot, just ask the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants who participated in an all-Wild Card World Series a few short years ago. That said, it’s an up-hill battle and with the super teams in place this year, it’ll be a big ask to burn your ace and then have to go against Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Zack Greinke in the ALDS or against Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, and Hyun-Jin Ryu in the NLDS.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
A rematch of the 2017 World Series certainly seems possible. The Houston Astros topped the Los Angeles Dodgers in an exciting seven-game series in that one.
This Astros team is better than the one that won the World Series in 2017. Justin Verlander continues to throw extremely well as he did a couple years ago, but he’s got a lot more help. In the rotation, Gerrit Cole and Zack Greinke are his co-aces with the former pitching to a team leading 2.50 ERA with 326 strikeouts. The latter is coming off a no-hit bid he took into the ninth and has pitched to an 8-1 record and 3.02 ERA since joining the Astros via trade at the deadline.
In addition to the starting pitching improvements, the Astros also have a much better bullpen. In place of a struggling Ken Giles, Houston has Roberto Osuna in the ninth inning and set him up with Will Harris, Ryan Pressly, and a slew of other.
Even the offense for the Astros is better. The team had nearly a .900 OPS in the second half. Alex Bregman made a case for MVP even after Mike Trout had his best season yet. He ended the year with 41 home runs and a 1.015 OPS. Meanwhile, three others hit at least 31 home runs including 39 from George Springer in just 122 games.
There’s plenty of power to go around in Houston, but there’s strong OBP and batting average numbers, too, as this team can score in many ways.
The offense should be able to keep pace with the Yankees while the pitching—particularly in the rotation—sets them ahead of the Bronx Bombers who will hope Masahiro Tanaka turns in on in the playoffs and James Paxton can thrive in the pressure.
On the Dodgers’ end, they also have a better—or at least deeper—team this year. The bullpen is a bit of a question with Kenley Jansen showing some regression and some inconsistencies from the likes of Joe Kelly and company, but the depth in the rotation covers for that. We’ve seen Kenta Maeda thrive in relief in years past. Ross Stripling, Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin, and Dustin May all have excellent stuff.
Even with those guys in the pen, the rotation features Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, and Hyun-Jin Ryu. That’s not a bad trio and probably the best counter to the Astros’ elite three.
In the end, as chalky as it is, Houston and Los Angeles are probably the best bets, though L.A. may have the slight edge as their road to get here doesn’t go through New York and is, thus, probably a bit clearer. Their odds also provide a slightly better payout.
If you’re looking to go with a better upside play and want to throw some money on the hopes of a larger payout, look to the Cardinals at +1300, they’ll have to go through Atlanta and Los Angeles, but have with how Flaherty is throwing and the depth on their roster, they have a chance.
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