Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Dodgers (64-43) have not gained any ground on the National League West-leading San Francisco Giants (66-39) over the past week, yet their moves at the MLB trade deadline seemingly put them over the top as the team to beat the rest of the way.
The defending NL and World Series champion Dodgers have moved to +150 favorites to win the pennant for the fourth time in five years at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com after adding starting pitcher Max Scherzer and shortstop Trea Turner despite sitting three games back in the NL West standings (how sports betting works).
Meanwhile, San Francisco continues to get little respect from oddsmakers even though the team owns baseball’s best record heading into August. The Giants saw newly acquired third baseman Kris Bryant homer on Sunday in a 5-3 victory against the Houston Astros, giving them a nice added offensive boost down the stretch of the season as well.
That said, San Francisco is still the fifth choice to take the pennant at +600 at online betting sites behind Los Angeles, the San Diego Padres (+400), the New York Mets (+500) and the Milwaukee Brewers (+500).
The big question is, can the Giants hang on and end an eight-year run for the Dodgers as NL West champs? San Francisco (35-17 at Oracle Park) and San Diego (36-22 at Petco Park) both have more home wins than Los Angeles (33-18), so home-field could be a significant factor in the postseason depending on how things shake out. Milwaukee has actually been better on the road (34-19) than at home (29-24) while New York has been bad away from Citi Field (22-29).
The Philadelphia Phillies (52-53) and Atlanta Braves (52-54) are each within four games of the Mets for the lead in the NL East, and they are also worth watching as longer shots in the NL. New York is banking on the return of ace Jacob deGrom (arm inflammation) along with the addition of shortstop Javier Baez, who joins Bryant as two former Chicago Cubs who have the potential to make a major impact in the NL pennant race.
Atlanta is listed at +2500 to win the pennant after playing for it a year ago in the NL Championship Series, and Philadelphia might have the most value at +2800 because the Bryce Harper-led squad is only 3.5 games back.
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