MLB Divisional Series odds update: Can the Rangers stun the Orioles?
The MLB Divisional Playoff slate begins Saturday with Game 1 of all four series on the schedule.
The day begins with the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles followed by the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros in the ALDS games. The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies first pitch is scheduled for a little after 6 p.m. ET and the Arizona Diamondbacks will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the nightcap.
As for individual team odds to win the World Series, Atlanta has been the favorite for most of the season and remains so at DraftKings Sportsbook with +310 odds. The Astros (+425) and Dodgers (+425) have the second-best odds. The Orioles (+650), Phillies (+700), Rangers (+700), Twins (+1000) and Diamondbacks (+1400) round out the rest of the remaining teams.
With the odds between the Orioles and Rangers so close it’s no surprise that DraftKings has that series as the tightest of the four. The Orioles are a very slight favorite (-115) while the Rangers are a healthy -105 underdog — the only underdog in the four series that doesn’t have positive juice.
The Braves-Phillies series is arguably the most anticipated of the four. Last year, the Phillies eliminated the Braves in four games, including lopsided routes in Games 3 and 4 at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia also beat Atlanta in the 1993 NLCS — the only other time the two teams faced off in the postseason. However, the oddsmakers at DraftKings like the Braves to win this year behind their multiple MVP and Cy Young candidates. Atlanta is -175 favorites in the series while the Phillies are +145.
Minnesota came into the postseason having lost nine-straight playoff series and 18 straight postseason games, but a two-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays ended that. The Twins needed a big series from shortstop Carlos Correa to help stop the skid and the former All-Star went 3-for-7 in the Wild Card series with the game-winning hit in Game 2. Now, the Twins will be +135 underdogs against the Astros, whom Correa helped win the World Series in 2017.
Los Angeles is the largest favorite of the bunch at -215 against their NL West rival Arizona Diamondbacks (-185). The Dodgers held an 8-5 record against the Diamondbacks this season and won five straight to close out the season series. But the last time the two teams faced was August 30th.
