All world series odds according to Bodog.
Philadelphia Phillies (+800) – Let’s not forget the Phillies have represented the National League in the World Series each of the past two seasons. Thanks in large part to a recent hot streak, the Phillies are only two games behind the Braves in the NL East and just 1 ½ games behind the Giants in the Wild Card race. There is no reason to worry about Ryan Howard’s injury. It doesn’t appear to be severe and he should return to the lineup within the next few weeks. Philadelphia has shown inconsistencies throughout the season, but the acquisition of Roy Oswalt will solidify the rotation. Oswalt is 4-0 with a 3.66 ERA in seven career postseason starts. Even though the Phillies have struggled at times, it appears that the team has finally begun to put it all together, having won 12 of the past 14 games. When Philadelphia is at its best, no team in the NL is better.
San Francisco Giants (+1400) – Just like the past few seasons, the Giants have one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathon Sanchez, Barry Zito, and Madison Bumgarner each have an ERA under 3.40. But the difference this year is that the Giants have a strong enough offense to push them into the postseason. At 62-47, the Giants lead the NL Wild Card race and are two games behind the Padres for the division lead. With Aubrey Huff (.312/398/552, 20 HRs), rookie sensation Buster Posey (.349 BA in 58 games), and lead-off man Andres Torres (.884 OPS, 19 SBs) leading the way, the Giants rank fourth in the NL in team batting. But with only three players with more than 10 home runs, the Giants do lack some power in the middle. Even so, with a pitching rotation as good as San Francisco’s, there is no reason to think that this team can’t come out of the NL.
Chicago White Sox (+1500) – The White Sox are one of baseball’s hottest teams, going 39-12 since June 9. After struggling to start the year, the starting rotation has begun to live up to its high preseason expectations. Gavin Floyd has been the best of the bunch, allowing two earned runs or less in each of his last 11 starts. The White Sox have the starting pitching to make a deep postseason run, but have a relatively average offense (rank seventh in the AL in runs scored). But great pitching and timely hitting is what Chicago had five years ago when it won the World Series, and this team uses the same formula. The main difference now is that Bobby Jenks isn’t the closer he used to be (5.13 ERA).
Los Angeles Dodgers (+4500) – A bit of a long shot, but not as improbable as it may seem. Coming off a 2009 campaign with 95 wins, it’s easy to say that Los Angeles has underperformed this season. But still, at 56-53, the Dodgers are only six games behind the Giants in the Wild Card race. The acquisitions of veterans Ted Lilly, Scott Podsednik and Ryan Theriot will help complement a young but talented team. The Dodgers proved last year that they are a dangerous postseason team by sweeping the Cardinals in the first round. If the Dodgers start looking like the team from 2009, the NL better watch out.
For the current world series odds on all teams visit Bodog which has kept their world series betting odds up all season long for sports bettors.
