MLB Futures: Divisional Odds and Best Bets to play now

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00:00live right here on this Tuesday on the early line on sports grid. He is Donnie. I am Ben.

00:09So let's take a look around Major League Baseball divisional races at this moment in the six

00:15divisions in MLB, some very compelling races and some others that might already be done

00:21even before we get to the all star break. That's just six days away, even five days

00:27away now with our final games on Sunday. So Donny, as we look at the American League East

00:33after a big weekend for Baltimore in the Yankees, continue to struggle just five and 15 in the

00:40pinstripes last 20. The O's have now opened up a three game advantage atop the American

00:45League East and a minus money favorite at minus one 50 Baltimore, 57 and 33 Cleveland

00:51with the loss yesterday in Detroit, 56 and 33. The O's the best record in the American

00:58League, but the Guardians still remain a heavy favorite to win the American League Central

01:02a five game advantage over Minnesota minus one 90. Perhaps the most compelling race is

01:07the battle for the bad division, and that's the American League West, which is not what

01:12we anticipated entering this year with the reigning World Series champs in the Rangers,

01:17the Houston Astros, who have played in the last seven straight ALCS is in a Seattle Mariners

01:22team off to a very hot start this year, but the M's have certainly cooled down just a

01:27two game lead for Seattle minus one 30 and ever so slight minus money favorite. Yeah.

01:33And by the way, let's start here with the American League East. And, you know, I think

01:36one of the most compelling matchups is going to be the Orioles and the Yankees been throughout

01:39the summer months. Why? Because I think that the two best teams in the American League,

01:43they're going to go toe to toe. Just a few short weeks ago, the Yankees had that pole

01:46position in the AL East. Now it's back over to the Baltimore Orioles with a three game

01:50lead over the Yankees. And also sometimes you take a look at, you know, the games, every

01:55single game matters the same as it does, let's just say in the months of April, May, June

01:58and July, as they do in those final couple weeks of September. It's just that everything

02:02gets elevated at that point. So if you can stack that lead up early in the season, makes

02:06it much more hard to come back, even in the months of September, when some teams technically

02:11might be out of it and you pick up easy victories. The reason I bring this up is most people

02:14are already looking forward to the all-star break. Let's just say by the time you get

02:18the Sunday, that's going to be massive. If you have the Baltimore Orioles with a five

02:21game lead at that break, boy, that's really going to set the tone for the second half

02:25of the major league baseball schedule. And also starting today, the New York Yankees

02:29go on the road to take on the Tampa Bay Rays. Rays aren't playing great baseball by any

02:33stretch losers of the last three games, but it's still a road game in the chopper. It's

02:36going to say a road series. Now you take a look at the Baltimore Orioles. They're going

02:40to be a home band against the Chicago Cubs with the thoughts on the Cubs are they're

02:44ready to have a fire sale on that baseball team. Let's just say simple. And the Orioles

02:48just win the series. I haven't checked to see the length though, but I assume it's probably

02:52just a three game set. Let's just say the Orioles go two and one there and the Yankees

02:55go one and two. That's another game tacked on here with still a weekend series to go.

03:00So I still say, and you saw some of the clips going around here, the sports grid network.

03:04I'm not giving up on the New York Yankees. I still think they're the best team overall,

03:07but boy, oh boy, it's look a five game lead at the all-star break. That is a tough lead

03:12to overcome. And if you're the Yankees sitting only three games back, you can't let that

03:16happen, but advantage to the Orioles in this next series ahead, they should win their series.

03:20The Yankees probably going to have a battle in their hand with the race.

03:23Just look at the odds for game one of both of those sets. The Yankees, as you would expect

03:28still a road favorite, but minus one 30 Baltimore, even with Dean Kramer, who is not necessarily

03:34their ACE or top of the staff, a dollar and a half favorite at home against the Cubbies

03:39and Chicago is seven games below 500 Baltimore should win that series.

03:45The Yankees might struggle and Donnie, it will be ever important to update where that

03:49race is at this time next week during the all-star break in major league baseball, because

03:56of course the two sides and the first half, if you want to call it that before the all-star

04:01break, although we're already well past 81 games in total against each other inside Camden

04:06yards. And just a few weeks ago, it was the old winning a three game set against the Yankees.

04:12It's three games. Now, what might it be? By the time we get to the all-star break, maybe

04:17the Yankees can make up some ground. Again, they have lost 15 of their last 20 games and

04:23that day on June 14th, that is really one that we will mark for the Yanks over the last

04:29month. It's really where they have started to struggle. Donnie, when you look at the

04:33American league division prices, we have minus money favorites, sure, but none greater

04:39than $2. Compare that to the favorites around the national league, the Philz still a seven

04:43and a half game lead over Atlanta, minus five 50 to win that division. The Dodgers were

04:48already a big minus money favorite entering the year to win the national league West.

04:53Not only because they have the best team in baseball on paper, and they've won the division

04:5710 of the last 11 years. That's now minus 6,000. They also only have a seven and a half

05:04game lead over San Diego and in the national league central, the Brewers and the Cardinals,

05:10the only two teams above 500, the brew create four and a half game lead over St. Louis.

05:15I mentioned by the way, the Cardinals planked the Nats yesterday on the road in the nation's

05:19capital winning six zip. They won the fourth and final game of the series to take three

05:24of four in Washington DC. The Cardinals have won 12 of their last 17 games. I don't think

05:30that division has been put to bed just yet, despite a four and a half game difference.

05:36No, absolutely not. And the St. Louis Cardinals may have the most talent in that division

05:39overall. If you're looking at the full scope of the lineup, which again, we always like

05:42to count that one through nine lineup. I like to see it from the Cardinals here, but also

05:46keep in mind them by the time we get to the all-star break, which is going to start Sunday

05:50night. Next Friday, when we get back underway in major league baseball, two weeks away

05:54from the trade deadline choices are going to be made on these franchises where they're

05:58going all in for a world series to maybe get a wild card or sellers at the deadline.

06:03That's why I brought up the Chicago Cubs taking on the Baltimore Auras. We're anticipating

06:06the Cubs probably to be sellers. But if you are looking, it's interesting to me where

06:10nobody really running away with you say, Donnie, hold on seven and a half game lead for the

06:13Dodgers, seven and a half game lead for the Philadelphia Phillies. But look at the three

06:17division leaders here across the board in the National League. Five and five for the

06:21Phillies in the last 10, five and five for the Brewers in the last 10, the Dodgers five

06:25and five in their last 10 games. So nobody really extending it right now. So if you are

06:29the Braves picking up small wins yesterday, getting those half games down every single

06:34game, you get that advantage up because I always take a look at the reevaluation.

06:38And as you pointed out, Ben, you're right. We're already past the halfway point, but

06:42it's most organizations say, okay, all-star break is here. We got a week to decompress.

06:46Let's take a look at the roster. Let's factor in our schedule, what contracts that we have.

06:50And also in two weeks, we know that deadline is coming up. Which way are we going to go?

06:53And trust me, a lot of teams are going to look at this final week right now saying,

06:57show me something for my team. So we can go all in at the deadline or at least pick up

07:02a pitcher or a bullpen arm or a bat at this point. So these are key indicators because

07:06the Phillies just a couple of days ago, Ben 10 game lead in the NL East.

07:09If the Phillies played great baseball through it, it's an 11 game lead. Maybe the Braves

07:13are going like, okay, well we can't win the division. Let's not go all in. But if the

07:17Braves let you stare down to five and a half games by the deadline, hey, you know what?

07:21Let's make some moves here and flip some prospects and maybe chase down the Philadelphia Phillies.

07:25So I like the game plan of the organizations and it's going to be fun to see these organizations

07:29game plan play out over the next two weeks with the trade deadline coming up faster than

07:32we know it.

07:34The Braves are the top team in the National League wildcard race. They have a three and

07:38a half game advantage over that final spot, which is the San Diego Padres. The Padres

07:43lost their final two games of their weekend set against the D-backs, but entered those

07:47last two of the weekend set winners of 12 of their last 15 to try to have that resurgence

07:54ahead of the all-star break. San Diego, by the way, five all-star selected to the all-star

07:59team, the cards, a game up over San Diego, two and a half back of the Atlanta Braves.

08:05So the Braves have that now fourth best record in the National League. There's only two teams

08:10above 500 in all three divisions in the NL. It's the Phillies and the Braves in the National

08:15League East, the Brewers and the Cardinals in the National League Central, the Dodgers

08:19and the Padres in the National League West. A huge series, as we said, in Philadelphia

08:25starting today at the bank between the Phils and the Dodgers. That will be interesting.

08:29Philadelphia, the best record in all of Major League Baseball at this moment and that highest

08:35winning percentage, 58 and 32.644, that win percentage for the Phils. Donnie, as we know,

08:44as we get closer and closer to October in the postseason bracket, you are going to be

08:48battling it out perhaps for those top two seeds to earn the opening round by to the

08:52division series. And then we'll get into the rest versus Russ debate. We have the past

08:56few Octobers in the extended MLB playoff bracket. And also keep in mind for the Philadelphia

09:01Phillies, JT Ramuto will be back by the end of the month due to be activated today is

09:05Kyle Schwerber. And actually activation could be for Bryce Harper today. They're not anticipating

09:10that to happen, but getting some of that help back each and every day for the Phillies,

09:14they'll like that.

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