Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
For the Los Angeles Dodgers (60-32), their 2019 campaign is World Series or bust, with anything less than a championship considered a disappointment. It is no surprise to see this talented squad sitting atop the MLB standings once again at the All-Star break and favored on the 2019 World Series odds at +270 (bet $100 to win $270).
The big question is, can Los Angeles continue to play well in the second half and then win its first World Series since 1988?
The Dodgers were listed behind the defending World Series champion Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros – who were both +700 – before the season started at +800 odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. That certainly made a lot of sense at the time since the Red Sox and Astros each beat them in the past two World Series, although the defending champs may not even make the playoffs this season.
Los Angeles’ offense does seem much better this year and it could be tougher in the postseason to match the team’s vaunted pitching staff, which ranks second only behind the surprising Tampa Bay Rays in ERA (3.37) with eight more wins.
Led by National League MVP candidate Cody Bellinger (30 home runs, 71 RBI and .336 batting average) and fellow sluggers Max Muncy (22 HR) and Joc Pederson (20 HR), the Dodgers have more pop in their lineup than either of their previous two pennant-winning teams.
They also have more quality depth in their starting rotation, with Hyun-Jin Ryu (10-2, 1.73 ERA) and Walker Buehler (8-1, 3.46 ERA) joining Clayton Kershaw (7-2, 3.09 ERA) as legitimate contenders for the NL Cy Young Award.
The key for the Dodgers will be keeping these players healthy down the stretch to give them another shot to win it all.
The competition in the NL West is weaker than last season, with the Dodgers currently holding a 13.5-game lead over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks. But oddsmakers do not think much of the Diamondbacks, who are +9000 to win the World Series at sports betting sites behind the third-place Colorado Rockies (+6600), another team without much of a chance to get back to the postseason after finishing just one game out of first place a year ago. Los Angeles is definitely the team to beat in the division and the rest of the league.
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