Steve Starr
- Bovada has updated its 2019 World Series odds for all 30 Major League Baseball clubs
- The Dodgers (+250) and Yankees (+320) are the favorites heading into the Midsummer Classic
- A strong starting rotation highlighted by Max Scherzer makes the Nationals (+3500) a great bet
All-Star Week in Cleveland has arrived and four powerhouse teams look poised to win 100 games in a Major League Baseball season that has been both very top- (Astros, Yankees, Twins and Dodgers) and bottom-heavy (Orioles, Royals, Tigers, Marlins, Blue Jays).
Before sitting down to watch guys sock dingers at Jacobs Field on Monday night, let’s take a look at Bovada‘s odds to see if we can find any strong World Series bets with half the season still to play.
2019 World Series Odds
| MLB Team | Odds |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +250 |
| New York Yankees | +320 |
| Houston Astros | +350 |
| Atlanta Braves | +850 |
| Minnesota Twins | +900 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | +1900 |
| Chicago Cubs | +2000 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | +2200 |
| Boston Red Sox | +2800 |
| Cleveland Indians | +3500 |
| Washington Nationals | +3500 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | +3500 |
| Oakland Athletics | +4000 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | +4500 |
| Texas Rangers | +4500 |
| Colorado Rockies | +6000 |
| Cincinnati Reds | +7000 |
| San Diego Padres | +7500 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | +8000 |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | +9000 |
| Los Angeles Angels | +9000 |
| New York Mets | +17500 |
| Chicago White Sox | +25000 |
| San Francisco Giants | +150000 |
| Seattle Mariners | +300000 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | +300000 |
| Baltimore Orioles | +400000 |
| Detroit Tigers | +400000 |
| Kansas City Royals | +400000 |
| Miami Marlins | +400000 |
*Odds taken 07/05/19
Los Angeles Dodgers
Having just reeled off five straight walk-off victories, the Dodgers are cruising towards their seventh-consecutive NL West title and third World Series appearance in as many years.
Cody Bellinger has the most home runs (30) in club history before the All-Star break and Los Angeles is just the fifth team in the past 20 years to have three starting pitchers (Hyun-Jin Ryu, Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler) make the Midsummer Classic.
Here’s a list of @Dodgers players to hit 30 HR before the All-Star Break:
– Cody BellingerThe list is not long. pic.twitter.com/jDfbBJvaaW
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 5, 2019
LA’s gloves are also the best in the game, recording the most defensive runs saved in the entire league. However, they’ll need to shore up their bullpen at the deadline to defeat the Astros and Yankees in October. While the Dodgers have the fewest losses in the league, 19 of their 29 defeats are the responsibility of relievers.
New York Yankees
After the Astros dropped nine of 11 games during a recent June stretch, the Yankees are now favorites in the American League.
Despite Aaron Judge missing two months of the season and the continued absence of Giancarlo Stanton, the Bronx Bombers are somehow hitting home runs more frequently this season than they did in 2018 when they set the all-time record with 267 bombs.
Will the #Yankees end their nine-year World Series drought in 2019? FiveThirtyEight’s season projections say…
✍️ by @TomHanslin
? Details: https://t.co/wOUNxCK0HY pic.twitter.com/5ZAkp0YPWP— Bronx Pinstripes (@BronxPinstripes) March 27, 2019
With staff ace Luis Severino hopeful to return this season and GM Brian Cashman expected to use outfielder Clint Frazier to upgrade the starting rotation, New York is well-positioned to win its first World Series title this decade. If not, the 2010s will join the 1980’s as just the franchise’s second title-less decade since the 1920s.
Washington Nationals
Rebounding from a putrid 19-31 start to the season, the Nationals actually have the best record in baseball (26-10) since May 24th and are currently on a four-game winning streak. Given they now have almost a 60% chance to make the playoffs, Washington is an incredible value bet at 35/1 considering the strength of their starting rotation.
In a recent four-game stretch, the quartet of Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Stephen Strasburg, and Anibal Sanchez combined to give up just four runs in 28 1/3 innings (1.27 ERA) with 37 strikeouts.
Max Scherzer gives a sneak peek of the Expos throwbacks the @Nationals will wear on Saturday.
? OR ❄️?#MLB | ? @masnNationals pic.twitter.com/R6EFvqMGqY
— Tim and Sid (@timandsid) July 3, 2019
Scherzer, the National League’s Pitcher of the Month, was especially hot in June, compiling a 6-0 record with a 1.00 ERA and four straight double-digit strikeout games.
With the Nationals ace in the midst of an all-time great season, here’s hoping you took my early-June advice to bet on the 34-year-old at 8-1 to win his fourth-career Cy Young Award.
