The MLB betting world was fairly balanced overall this past week with not many teams delivering noteworthy performances.
However, there were still some teams that delivered profits for bettors as well as others who dealt out heartbreak as the MLB regular season nears the end.
We take a look at those noteworthy performers as well as update the top 10 World Series favorites with odds from Caesars Sportsbook.
Week’s Top Performer: St. Louis Cardinals (6-0 for the week, 5-1 run line record)
The Cardinals had an easy stretch of their schedule this week against the Rockies and the Diamondbacks, but they took full advantage with a pair of sweeps in which Albert Pujols turned back the clock in his quest for 700 career home runs. While Pujols is unlikely to reach that historic mark, the Cardinals have cemented themselves as the clear NL Central favorites and appear to be a dark horse World Series threat.
Week’s Worst Performer: Los Angeles Angels (1-5 for week, 0-6 run line record)
The Angels fell flat coming off promising showing the week prior, as they were swept by the Mariners and struggled against the Tigers over the weekend in which their only win was by one run, failing to cover the run line. The Angels saw Shohei Ohtani make two starts, but his efforts weren’t enough, as they lost both games and are too far behind in the wild card race for Mike Trout’s return to matter.
Clutch Performer: Chicago Cubs (5-2 for week, two extra inning wins)
The Cubs haven’t had much to celebrate this season, but they delivered not one, but two extra inning victories this week in which both contests went 11 innings. The first extra innings triumph was a 7-5 win over the Nationals on Tuesday, with their next coming against the Brewers on Saturday in which they won 6-5.
Bad Beat Specialist: Washington Nationals (One extra inning loss, two one-run losses)
The Nationals have consistently been unkind to bettors this season, but they made things interesting this week only to ultimately disappoint. They had a shot to take their series against the Cubs but fell short in 11 innings on Tuesday, and they went on to lose not one, but two 2-1 contests against the Padres in which they would’ve swept the four-game series but ended up splitting instead.
Trending Up: Tampa Bay Rays (5-2 for week, now +5000 to win World Series)
The Rays have been on the AL Wild Card borderline all summer, but they were able to build a bit of a cushion after a strong week and currently find themselves tied for the No. 4 seed with the Blue Jays. The Rays were able to take two-of-three against the Yankees and are coming off two-straight wins over the Royals, and while their stock has gone up somewhat, they still offer plenty of value at 50-to-1 to win the World Series.
Trending Down: New York Yankees (2-5 for week, now +450 to win World Series)
The Yankees’ downward spiral continued, as they lost two-of-three against the Rays followed by dropping three-of-four against the Blue Jays over the weekend. They’re still heavy favorites to win the AL East, but these recent struggles against divisional opponents aren’t encouraging with the playoff less than two months away, as the Yankees World Series odds went from +430 last week to +450 currently.
WORLD SERIES FAVORITES
Los Angeles Dodgers (+350)
Houston Astros (+400)
New York Yankees (+450)
New York Mets (+475)
Atlanta Braves (+1100)
Toronto Blue Jays (+1600)
San Diego Padres (+1800)
St. Louis Cardinals (+2800)
Philadelphia Phillies (+3500)
Seattle Mariners (+3500)
Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook
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