The Los Angeles Angels have rolled through the American League West thus far, and they appear to be getting stronger as they head towards the postseason. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs have recently been dubbed the most complete team in baseball by Sports Illustrated, but something always goes wrong for the team with the longest championship drought in all of professional sports. However, MLB betting odds say these are the two teams with the best shot at raising the “Commissioner’s Trophy”.
The Angels are the World Series favorites at +335, and to be honest, their offense has not been as good in recent years. But the acquisition of Mark Teixeira is paying off, and with pitching like the Angels have, you do not have to score a boatload of runs. All five of their starters, led by Joe Saunders, have at least ten wins and they also have the best closer in the big leagues in Francisco Rodriguez, which means a lot in the close, pressure-filled games of the playoffs.
The Cubs are just behind the Angels at +350, and with a rotation of Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, Ryan Dempster and Ted Lilly, Chicago can compete with anyone in the majors. But they have also scored the second-most runs in the majors, and that is a deadly combination for the opposition. The only question is: can the Cubs avoid the bad luck that has seemed to plague them for the past century?
The defending champion Boston Red Sox come in with World Series odds of +505, but they have experienced some injuries as of late, notably to 2007 World Series MVP Mike Lowell, as well as 2003 Word Series MVP Josh Beckett and veteran knuckleballer Tim Wakefield in the rotation. However, Red Sox fans are happy to see Jason Bay getting acclimated to his new surroundings.
The surprise darlings of the season, the Tampa Bay Rays, are rated at +610, and only their lack of playoff experience (or any kind of experience, for that matter) puts them below the Red Sox, who trail the Rays by 3 ½ games as of August 27. The trio of Scott Kazmir, James Shields and Matt Garza is as good as any in the American League, and their fearlessness sets the table for the rest of the team. However, injuries to All-Star rookie Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford could hurt the Rays come October.
A solid darkhorse bet would be Arizona, who have World Series odds of +1400. The Diamondbacks have some offensive troubles, but any club that can trot out probable Cy Young winner (and 2006 Cy Young recipient) Brandon Webb, five-time Cy Young winner (and 2001 World Series MVP) Randy Johnson, and Dan Haren (who would be an ace anywhere else) will always have a chance.
For more props and odds, visit BetOnline.com. BetOnline.com is a top rated online sportsbook providing reliable sports betting to millions of online betting customers. BetOnline.com also offers MLB football betting, live MLB betting lines, props and futures.
