MLB playoff picture, best bets and World Series odds

We’re in the 11th hour of the Major League Baseball season. Several playoff spots are still being fought for with about six games left for most teams.

The favorites to win the World Series might be feeling pretty good, and oddsmakers have the odds pegged to reflect their talent, but as we know, the baseball postseason is a tournament with twists and turns.

Last season, the Phillies rampaged to the World Series from the sixth and lowest seed in the National League. Since 2014, a wild card team has advanced to the Fall Classic in six of the nine postseasons. Which teams will meet in the 2023 World Series in a few weeks is far from determined. That’s why our MLB’s best sportsbook reviews are so helpful when finding the most generous platforms for playoff betting.

With one week remaining in the regular season, six of the 12 playoff spots are still up for grabs. Three divisions, two in the NL and one in the AL, have been clinched. The top two teams in the NL, which will receive a bye in the first round, have been determined (Atlanta and Los Angeles).

In each league, three division winners and three wild cards make the postseason.

• Baltimore - AL
• Tampa - AL
• Minnesota - AL (clinched division)
• Atlanta - NL (clinched division)
• LA Dodgers - NL (clinched division)
• Milwaukee - NL

• Texas - AL
• Houston - AL
• Toronto - AL
• Seattle - AL
• Philadelphia - NL
• Chicago Cubs - NL
• Arizona - NL
• Miami - NL
• Cincinnati - NL

The National League has a pair of teams aiming to cement their dynasties with a second championship in the 2020s. The Braves and Dodgers have been at the front of the line all season and will enter the NL postseason in the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. Odds from BetMGM Sportsbook list the Braves as +110 to win the pennant, with the Dodgers the only other team in baseball as low as +180.

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The Astros are the champions until some other team eliminates them. Houston has what it takes to win in the playoffs: superstars and depth of pitching. The re-acquisition of Justin Verlander at the trade deadline in August gave the Astros their ace for October. We like +475 on Houston to win a third straight AL pennant.

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The best lineup in baseball belongs to the Braves, who can beat you with power, hitting, and speed. The same team also has the fourth-best bullpen ERA in the majors with steady arms throughout the rotation. Yet, the Dodgers are equally well-armed and have hit more than 239 home runs (and counting) this season. Those two teams will be difficult to eliminate in the NL Playoffs.

Still, we like the Orioles moxie and the Rays depth offensively and defensively. Of course, Houston is on track to defend its title. That’s to say we think the American League champion will win the World Series, whether it’s the O’s, the Rays or the ‘Stros.

Can we choose two? We like the Rays at +1100 as a good longshot bet, but we also have a National League team to keep an eye on. The Phillies have the superstar power (Bryce Harper, Trea Turner) to roll through the playoffs (again). If they found a way to win the World Series, your a $100 bet would earn you $1,300.