Things are looking up for baseball in New York, as both the Yankees and Mets are among the betting odds favorites to make the World Series.
Yankees betting odds
The Yankees currently boast the best record in baseball at 66–31 after their Sunday afternoon matchup with the Orioles, as they sit 1 game ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the American League, they are 2 games ahead of the 2nd-place Houston Astros.
They will very likely make the postseason, as they’ve begun running away with the AL East lead — besting the Tampa Bay Rays by 12 games in the divisions, and they show no signs of slowing down.
Their stellar season has been propelled by a lineup of superb power-hitters, along with a solid bullpen that has become a force to be reckoned with.
According to the popular sports betting site FanDuel Sportsbook, the Yankees are betting favorites to win the American League in October, with +140 odds (meaning gamblers would win $1.40 for every $1 wagered).
That is better than the next-best Astros with +200 odds, and the 3rd-best Blue Jays at +450.
On offense, the Bronx Bombers have been led by MVP-favorite Aaron Judge, who hit his league-leading 37th home run on Sunday (7 more than the next-most, from Philidelphia’s Kyle Schwarber), which marked his 4th since the All-Star break last week. He also leads all hitters in the majors with 81 RBIs.
Judge’s .292/.373/.643 stat line has drawn widespread praise, and has made him one of the most consistent offensive power hitters in the game.
Meanwhile, Giancarlo Stanton’s 24 homers puts him 5th in the MLB, and he’s managed to record a similarly-impressive .228/.309/.498 stat line. Stanton and Judge have combined for over 140 RBIs on the season.
But it hasn’t been just long ball in the Bronx, as the team boasts 4 hitters with an above-.250 batting average — Judge, DJ LeMahieu (.284), Isiah Kiner-Falefa (.273) and Gleyber Torres (.263).
On the other side of the ball, the team has been buoyed by a rotation of ace Gerrit Cole (3.09 ERA), Jordan Montgomery (3.24 ERA), Jameson Taillon (3.93 ERA) and Nestor Cortes (2.63 ERA). Meanwhile, closer Clay Holmes has become a star of the year in the bullpen in the Bronx, as he has given up just 28 hits and 7 runs in 43 innings, earning him a 1.26 ERA.
Mets betting odds
The Mets, meanwhile, head into their Sunday night matchup against the Padres with a 58–37, which is good for 4th in the MLB — behind only the Yankees, Dodgers and Astros.
In the NL East, the Amazins’ are attempting to fend-off the 2nd-place Atlanta Braves, who trail New York by just 0.5 games.
Still, oddsmakers in Las Vegas are bullish on the Mets, as the team boasts the 2nd-best betting chance to make the World Series as the National League winner at +300 (meaning gamblers would win $3 for every $1 wagered), according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Those odds trail only the Dodgers, who boast +150 betting odds, and are better than the Braves’ odds at +450.
The Mets season has been defined by an all-around team effort, as well as major injuries that have sidelined some of their best players — particularly on the mound.
Fan-favorite Pete Alonso has performed extraordinarily well, and he’s become the 7th-most favored player to win the NL MVP trophy.
With 24 home runs, along with 78 RBIs (tied for 2nd-most in the MLB) and a .271/.345/.521 stat line, the 1st baseman has been a steady hand in the lineup that has struggled at times — particularly at the DH position.
Utility player Jeff McNeil has also (.297 batting average), outfielder Starling Marte (.294 BA), and Luis Guillorme (.291 BA) have also contributed greatly to the well-rounded lineup in Queens.
On the mound, Mets fans were devastated just prior to Opening Day when ace Jacob DeGrom went down with a stress reaction in his right scapula, and has missed the entire season thus far. That news was shortly followed by recently-signed Max Scherzer’s oblique injury shortly after the season began, which kept him out until June.
Now, though, Scherzer is back on the mound, and DeGrom is making one more rehab start before rejoining the team in Queens — finally giving the Mets a chance to see the 2-headed monster they’ve been dying to see since the offseason.
Other than those two, the team has relied on Taijuan Walker (2.55 ERA), along with Chris Bassitt (3.72 ERA) and David Peterson (3.24 ERA) to keep the team in games and hold off opposing offenses.
