The All-Star break is over and the second half of the season has begun. Below, we will take a look at the current World Series odds as well as the MLB divisional odds and discuss how the teams have fared entering the second stage of the season.
We invite you to peruse our MLB picks page and all of our other resources including our betting calculators.
Bookmakers Review’s Betting Edge
- Imagine you had a crystal ball back in March when the perennially woeful Baltimore Orioles were being offered at +2500 to win the AL East and roughly +6000 to win the World Series.
- The Twins rank 23rd in batting average (.236) but their pitching has been outstanding as they are second in the majors in team ERA (3.71) and No. 1 in WHIP (1.17).
- Texas shortstop Corey Seager has landed on the 10-day shelf with a sprained thumb and hopefully, it won’t impact his sensational season when he returns, currently hitting .350 with 15 home runs.
- … the Braves are currently boasting the best record in baseball with a .653 winning percentage, 11½ games in front of their nearest challenger, the Miami Marlins, and on pace to win 106 games.
- Had you decided this was the year that Cincinnati would turn into Cinderella and make a run at the division title for the first time since 2012, then you would have been blessed with odds of +6600 to win the division and +27,500 to win the World Series!
- LA’s Freddie Freeman continues to mash with a .329 batting average and 20 home runs, while Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, and J.D. Martinez have all surpassed him in the big bangers club with 27, 25, and 24 homers, respectively.
World Series Odds
Below are the MLB World Series odds as of July 27, 2023, courtesy of BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*Note that the odds, like the rankings, will fluctuate.
American League
AL East Odds
Preseason AL East Projected Winner: Tampa Bay Rays (2023 Record – 96-66)
Imagine you had a crystal ball back in March when the perennially woeful Baltimore Orioles were being offered at +2500 to win the AL East and roughly +6000 to win the World Series. And although it’s too early to anoint the Orioles winners of anything, those odds look mighty fine in Week 15 of the MLB season.
However, despite their current 2½ game division lead, these are still the Orioles, a team that up until now hadn’t sniffed first place in seven years. As chalky as it may seem, the Rays are still our pick to win the division, even though they dropped three of four to the O’s last week. Every team goes through a dry spell and the Rays are firmly entrenched in a drought since the beginning of July, having gone 4-14 over their last 18 games.
But the rains will come and the Rays will shine yet again. They’re too talented not to, and their No. 1-ranked team ERA (3.70) and No. 2-ranked WHIP (1.18) will propel them to their rightful place atop the East when October rolls around.
AL Central Odds
Preseason AL Central Projected Winner: Minnesota Twins (2023 Record – 85-77)
The AL Central boasts just one team above .500, and that happens to be the Minnesota Twins. They are currently winning at a .529 clip, and while that might be good enough to get a team in third place in most divisions, in the Central it makes Minnesota the prettiest pig in the poke.
The Twins rank 23rd in batting average (.236) but their pitching has been outstanding as they are second in the majors in team ERA (3.71) and No. 1 in WHIP (1.17). Ironically, none of their starters crack the top five in wins, ERA, or WHIP. Nevertheless, their pitching is too deep while their division rivals are simply too shallow to compete.
AL West Odds
Preseason AL West Projected Winner: Texas Rangers (2023 Record – 95-67)
The Rangers are the second of three Cinderella stories this season, aside from the Orioles, whom we’ve already discussed, and one more to come. Texas is currently pacing the field in the AL West, two games in front of the Astros, and the oddsmakers are asking the Texas faithful to lay -130 for the boys in blue to claim the division crown.
Texas shortstop Corey Seager has landed on the 10-day shelf with a sprained thumb and hopefully, it won’t impact his sensational season when he returns, currently hitting .350 with 15 home runs. But the Rangers are 3-5 against their talented rivals from Houston this season, and how they handle the Astros in their five remaining games could tell the tale as to which team wins the West.
National League
NL East Odds
Preseason NL East Projected Winner: Atlanta Braves (2023 Record – 106-56)
If there was a mercy rule in baseball, they would have called this massacre in the NL East with the Braves currently boasting the best record in baseball with a .653 winning percentage, 11½ games in front of their nearest challenger, and on pace to win 106 games.
Atlanta has eight players with double-digit home runs, soon to be 10, and have the pitching and hitting to reclaim the title they won just two seasons ago. The price to bet on them to win the division is prohibitive, but as the oddsmakers' choice of winning the World Series at +350, you could do much worse.
NL Central Odds
Preseason NL Central Projected Winner: Milwaukee Brewers (2023 Record – 89-73)
The Brewers are in sole possession of first place in the NL Central but one of the biggest preseason long shots, the Cincinnati Reds, are breathing down their backs. And that brings us to our third surprise team of the 2023 MLB season.
Had you decided this was the year that Cincinnati would turn into Cinderella and make a run at the division title for the first time since 2012, then you would have been blessed with odds of +6600 to win the division and +27,500 to win the World Series!
But here’s the cautionary tale for anyone thinking of jumping on the Reds bandwagon after its stock has likely reached its zenith, Milwaukee has defeated Cincinnati in 9 of their 11 meetings thus far. And we should note that the Brewers are 4-0 versus the Reds in the second half of the season.
NL West Odds
Preseason NL West Projected Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers (2023 Record – 94-68)
The Dodgers are four games up on the upstart Diamondbacks and Giants, but the -475 odds feel a bit too steep for a team that has not quite lived up to its lofty preseason billing, despite sitting at the top of the division.
However, the Dodgers’ +103 run differential, currently third in the majors behind only the Rangers and Rays, gives us insight into how good this team can be when they are clicking on all cylinders.
LA’s Freddie Freeman continues to mash with a .329 batting average and 20 home runs while Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, and J.D. Martinez have all surpassed him in the big bangers club with 27, 25, and 24 homers, respectively.
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
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