Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in a tight divisional race heading into the MLB All-Star break, sitting behind the San Francisco Giants and ahead of the San Diego Padres a little more than halfway through the season.
However, oddsmakers at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com still believe the defending champions are in solid position to repeat, keeping them as the +350 favorites on the 2021 World Series odds despite experiencing some struggles in the first half (how sports betting works).
Los Angeles is currently without two of the team’s top starting pitchers in Trevor Bauer (indefinite leave) and Clayton Kershaw (elbow inflammation), but a nearly complete roster down the stretch should put the defending champs into prime position to defend the National League pennant and World Series title.
The Dodgers have won the NL West in each of the eight previous seasons though and might have to win it a ninth consecutive time if they are going to take home the pennant and World Series championship yet again.
That said, the Padres are viewed as a much more serious threat than the division-leading Giants right now at +700 to win the World Series at sports betting sites. San Diego has proven to be a formidable foe in head-to-head competition so far this year – winning seven of the first 10 meetings – and matches up extremely well with Los Angeles in the pitching department.
San Francisco is expected to fade in the second half and listed at +1000 to win the World Series. The New York Mets (+900) are another NL team to watch if Jacob deGrom can stay healthy.
The American League West’s Houston Astros are the +500 second choice to win their second World Series title in five seasons and first under manager Dusty Baker. The 72-year-old skipper is in his second year with the Astros and has taken five different teams to the playoffs, including them in 2020 despite finishing the regular season at 29-31.
Houston’s main competition in the American League looks to be from the Chicago White Sox (+700 to win the World Series) and Boston Red Sox (+1000) while the defending league champion Tampa Bay Rays (+1200) are also in the mix.
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