On Thursday Dodgers dominated the San Francisco Giants on their way to a doubleheader sweep that featured back-to-back shutouts.
With the two wins, per FanGraphs, the Dodgers chances to win the 2020 World Series surged to 17.5 percent, over ten percentage points better than the next team (Oakland Athletics 7.4 percent). Also working in the Dodgers favor was the Yankees seventh consecutive loss, a walk-off heart breaker against the crosstown rival New York Mets.
Percentages aside, online casinos and sportsbooks still have the Dodgers and Yankees as World Series betting favorites. The consensus odds place the Dodgers at +350, while the Yankees have fallen a bit to +425. The Minnesota Twins (+750), Oakland Athletics (+800), and the National League Chicago Cubs (+1200) round out the futures action for this pandemic shortened season.
Compressed Schedule
The compressed 60-game season is likely giving oddsmakers headaches. Short winning or losing streaks are exponentially more impactful, particularly for bubble teams in the middle of the pack. Add that to the expanded playoffs and three-game shortened series and the result is odds and numbers that can swing wildly.
Moving Up
The Athletics opened the season at +2000 and are now sitting atop the AL West, 3.5 games ahead of the Houston Astros. The A’s pitching has been surprisingly stellar, allowing just 122 runs against, for second best in the league. Oakland’s bullpen leads baseball in total saves, and the team ERA is 5th. They are currently +800 to win it all in this short season.
The Cubs are 19-13 through 32 games and have opened a 3.5 game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. Opening at +2500, they are currently at +1200 which represents the second-best odds in the NL behind the Dodgers. Their hot start is baked into those odds, but even while cooling off a bit, the Cubs have not lost much ground to their division rivals.
Sliding Down
The Los Angeles Angels signed one of the most coveted free agents in the offseason (Anthony Rendon) and saw the return of their prized import Shohei Ohtani, only to see their pitching staff implode to start the season. The season seems over before it’s even really started.
The Halos opened at +3000 and have fallen to +18000, but they might as well be +100000. They are 9-21 through the first half of the season, dead last in the AL West, and tied with the Boston Red Sox for the worst record in the American League. The Angels have played so poorly this season that they look cooked even with the Astros off to a mediocre start.
