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The defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers were the favorites to win the NL West once again at -250 odds. However, the standings in the NL West looks completely different as we approach the MLB All-Star break. The San Francisco Giants are surprisingly first in the division and was the first team to 50 wins in the majors. No one did not expect that the Giants to be in the race for NL West crown with the Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Can San Fran hold on to first place? Or will the Dodgers and Padres make a push for the NL West title? We’ll breakdown the odds and standings for one of the best divisions in baseball.
1. San Francisco Giants (55-32) —
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (54-35) 2 GB
3. San Diego Padres (53-38) 4 GB
4. Colorado Rockies (38-51) 18 GB
5. Arizona Diamondbacks (26-64) 30.5 GB
The story for this division is the Giants, who have a run differential of +108 and have the best record in the NL. San Francisco was a long shot to win the NL West with +4000 odds before Opening Day in April. The Dodgers were the betting favorite to start the season and it made sense based on them bringing back the same roster and adding Trevor Bauer. But they’ve dealt with injuries this season and received stiff competition from the Padres and Giants.
NL West Division winner odds
Dodgers -230
Padres +325
Giants +375
D-Backs +50000
Rockies +50000
As we head into the All-Star break and get into the second half of the season, there will be a lot of people putting money on the Dodgers (-230) and Giants (+375). However, I believe the best bet is the Padres. San Diego has an exciting offense that averages 4.69 runs per game and solid pitching with an ERA of 3.35. The Padres will likely make a move at the deadline, which could push them over the top. San Diego is 7-3 against the Dodgers, but needs to do better against the Giants (4-5). They have 10 games left against Giants, which all happen in September.
Betting value: Padres +325
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