MLB NL West Odds: Dodgers Still Class of Division
Amid San Diego's Struggles, LA's Division Odds Jump to -400
The Los Angeles Dodgers have lived up to expectations over the season’s first two months. The San Diego Padres? Not so much.
With Memorial Day — an unofficial benchmark on the baseball calendar — now behind us, we look at the updated MLB NL West odds.
Los Angeles Dodgers (-400)
The Dodgers (who else?) remain the team to beat in the NL West. At 33-22, Los Angeles is a half-game up on Atlanta for the league’s best record. In the process, its MLB NL West odds have jumped from -140 in March to -400.
Los Angeles continues to be an elite offensive team. It ranks third in baseball in runs (304) and is tied with Atlanta for second in home runs (90). First baseman Freddie Freeman is off to another torrid start, batting .333 with a .980 OPS, while third baseman Max Muncy is second to Mets first baseman Pete Alonso with 17 home runs.
At +650, the Dodgers and Rays have the second-lowest World Series odds behind the Braves and Astros (+600).
San Diego Padres (+650)
With only a sub-.500 record to show for their offseason spending spree, the Padres are arguably the biggest disappointment in baseball. At 24-29, they’re currently in fourth place, 8.0 games back of Los Angeles in the MLB standings by division. Oddsmakers have adjusted to their slow start, dropping San Diego’s odds from +140 to +650.
There are myriad reasons for San Diego’s struggles, including third baseman Manny Machado. Fresh off signing an 11-year, $350 million extension in the offseason, the six-time All-Star is batting just .231 with a career-low .282 on-base percentage. To make matters worse, he’s currently on the 10-day Injured List with a fractured hand.
Arizona Diamondbacks (+1000)
Arizona has made a significant jump in the MLB NL West odds, improving their chances of winning the division from +6000 to +1000. The Diamondbacks are currently second place at 31-23, just 1.5 games back of the Dodgers.
With a run differential of plus-13, the Diamondbacks may have staying power. It sure helps that outfielder 22-year-old Corbin Carroll looks like a star in the making. He’s positioned himself as the NL Rookie of the Year favorite at +150 while batting .292 with eight home runs and 19 RBI. On top of that, right-hander Zac Gallen (6-2, 2.97 ERA) is now the NL Cy Young favorite at +200, slightly ahead of Atlanta’s Spencer Strider (+225).
San Francisco Giants (+1200)
Despite an encouraging start that has them 4.5 games back of rival Los Angeles, the Giants (28-26) haven’t seen much movement on the odds board. Their odds have dropped slightly, from +1100 to +1200.
The Giants are middle of the pack offensively, ranking 16th in baseball with a .248 team batting average, and have the 11th-lowest ERA at 4.03. With a run differential of plus-9, the Giants may be just good enough to hover above .500 for a chunk of the season. Obviously, it’ll take much, much more offensively for them to challenge the Dodgers.
Colorado Rockies (+25000)
Wait ’til next year? It sure feels that way again for Colorado. The Rockies are in last place at 24-31 and have the worst run differential (minus-51) in the NL. As a result, their divisional odds have dropped from +15000 to +25000.
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