The All-Star Game was played on Tuesday night in Miami, Florida. The game saw the American League defeat the National League, something that has been pretty standard for the last two decades. Regular-season games will be back up and running on Friday. Heading into the post-All-Star break games, it's the Houston Astros that are considered the favorites to win the 2017 World Series with bet365 sportsbook.
Houston Astros' betting odds
The odds on the Astros are +375 (17 to 4) to win the World Series. They imply just a 19% chance of winning the Fall Classic.
However, in a market that doesn't have a heavy favorite, a 19% share of the betting market is good enough to be the front runner.
Chicago among disappointments
The Astros have slowly supplanted the Chicago Cubs as the World Series favorites over the course of the season. The Cubs, as defending champions, opened as favorites to win the World Series. However, the Cubs have never really enjoyed a solid stretch of play. In fact, as teams enter the post-All Star break, the Cubs are just 43-45. Not only are they not World Series favorites any longer, but they have drifted down to 6th favorites behind all of Houston, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, and Cleveland. With a .489 winning percentage and facing a 5.5-game deficit in the NL Central division, you could question if Chicago should even be the 6th favorites.
They do, however, remain favorites to win the NL Central with Betfair sportsbook, perhaps under-rating the chances of the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers.
Houston enters the post-All Star break with a .674 winning percentage. They aren't the best team from that point of view in the Major Leagues. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the only team with a better winning percentage at .678.
The difference is only slight, but betting odds don't reflect winning percentages. They are subjective in nature and based on both odds-setter opinion and their reactions to betting trends.
Houston does have a better situation than Los Angeles at this point. They hold a commanding 16.5-game lead in the AL West, one that they might be able to protect even if they suffered injuries to key players.
The Dodgers look strong in the NL West, but Arizona is playing .595 baseball so far and might yet make a pennant race out of the NL West division.
The post-All Star period is always an interesting one in Major League Baseball. Teams are now well rested, and any niggling or minor injuries have been given a chance to heal. Some players come on strong after the All-Star break. But with virtually no prospects for a pennant race in the AL West, the Astros are the team most likely to make the divisional round of the 2017 playoffs. They truly are the favorites for the World Series championship at this point.
