Tigers and MLB future odds update 8/3/23

M Live

03 August 2023

With exactly two-thirds of the season complete, the Detroit Tigers are at a juncture where they can make a move in their division, or they can meander to the completion of the schedule.

The Tigers are 6 ½ games out of first place, even though their record is 12 games under .500 for the MLB season. Still, a winning streak could propel the team into the division race. In the next two weeks, Detroit will play the Twins and Guardians, the teams they’re chasing, ten times. If you believe that win streak is eminent, check out our best MLB sportsbooks to place your Tigers bets.

These odds on AL Central futures are from the BetMGM Sportsbook. New users of BetMGM MI sports betting app are eligible for a First Bet Offer, where they can receive up to $1,000 in bonus bets, if their first wager loses.

Minnesota Twins … -300
Cleveland Guardians … +210
Detroit Tigers … +6600
Chicago White Sox … +25000
Kansas City Royals … +100000

We expect the Twins to stave off the competition, but if they stumble, Cleveland, and yes maybe even our Tigers, could put pressure on the top of the standings. Detroit and Minnesota will play six times between now and Aug. 16. Those games afford the Tigers an opportunity to chip away at their deficit in the standings. To do so, Detroit will need a more consistent offensive attack. The Tigers rank 14th in the AL in runs scored. Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson will need to lead the way with the lumber. And where are you, Javy Baez? A .225 average and 593 OPS at the two-thirds mark of the season is atrocious. The Tigers’ high-priced shortstop needs to earn his salary if Detroit wants to make noise in a very quiet division.

Futures bets on the MLB pennant races can be found at BetMGM under the MLB tab, to the right of games, under “FUTURES.” These odds are for the American League pennant, as of August 4.

The Tigers are +50000, lumped together with two of their rivals in the AL Central. A winning bet of $100 on these futures odds would pay $50,000. That’s a lot of Faygo and vacation weekends in Traverse City.

Unsurprisingly, the defending World Series champion Astros are favored, but the Tampa Bay Rays are also priced at +325 to win the AL flag.

Houston Astros … +325
Tampa Bay Ray … +325
Texas Rangers … +425
Baltimore Orioles … +550
Toronto Blue Jays … +750
Minnesota Twins … +1200
New York Yankees … +1800
Los Angeles Angels … +3000
Seattle Mariners … +3000
Boston Red Sox … +3000
Cleveland Guardians … +3000
Chicago White Sox … +50000
Detroit Tigers … +50000
Kansas City Royals … +50000
Oakland A’s … +50000

We like two bets on the AL pennant futures odds: the Astros, who are aiming for a third consecutive pennant, and an underdog of sorts. Even a $50 winning bet on Houston would earn $162.50 if that team makes it back to the Fall Classic. The Astros have more stars in their lineup (Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Jose Abreu, Kyle Tucker, and Jeremy Pena, for example), and their pitching stuff boasts Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, and Cristian Javier, to name a few. Houston will have so many weapons in the postseason, we find it hard to imagine another team can knock them off.

But if you want to put down a wager on a longshot, how about the Red Sox? Yes, that’s right, the Red Sox. A year ago, when Boston finished in last place, their critics buried them. But, the Sox still managed 78 wins in 2022, and that was despite many setbacks. This year, the Red Sox are only a few games out of a wild card spot. The offense ranks third in the AL in scoring, and Boston has the second-best record in the league against teams with a winning record. That means the Sox are a good team that can beat good teams. If they squeak into the postseason, and if they can knock off a few teams, Boston could snare their first pennant since 2018. If you wager $100 on that possibility and it happens, you would win $3,000 from BetMGM Michigan.

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