Major League Baseball’s Best Bets for Its Second Half

Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers is your home run champion, and once again the American League is the winner of the All-Star Game. They’ve won 10 of the last 11 games.

Now it’s time to turn to the second half of the season and find the best places to put your baseball betting dollars.

MLB’s Best Team – Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies lead all of Major League Baseball with 62 wins, and that is a franchise record for most wins by the All-Star Break. But in terms of winning the World Series in October, the Phillies don’t lead the league. The Phillies are paying +500 to win their first World Series since 2008, while the Dodgers are the favorite at +300.

You can get +255 on the Phillies to win the National League, which also trails the Dodgers, and +125 to finish the regular season with the best record in baseball. Those are the shortest odds of anyone, and are ahead of the second-place New York Yankees, who are paying +340.

You aren’t going to make much money betting on Philadelphia to win the N.L. East – that bet pays -525. But in terms of their October success, there are good values to find and potential winnings to be had.

American League East Champion

In the A.L. East, the Baltimore Orioles have played two fewer games than the Yankees, and they have two fewer losses. That has Baltimore ahead in the division by one game over New York, with a 4.5-game lead over the Boston Red Sox.

The Yankees are the favorite to finish the season on top, paying -135. Considering that the Orioles are the current leader, it’s good to know that right now, you can still get +115 on an Orioles A.L. East championship bet.

Baltimore did finish the first half on a slide, losing five of six games before the break and scoring just three runs in those five losses. But the O’s begin the second half with three at the Texas Rangers, three at the Miami Marlins, three at home against the San Diego Padres, and four at home against the Toronto Blue Jays. That’s 10 of 13 games against teams below .500, which should help them right the ship.

For real value, you might consider the Red Sox as division champions. They are paying +1800 and still have seven games left with New York and Baltimore. Boston won 10 of 13 heading into the break, and their second-half success rests in their hands.

Home Run Champion MVPs

Never before has a full-time designated hitter won an MVP award, but it’s becoming more likely each week that Shohei Ohtani changes that this year. The Dodgers slugger leads the National League in home runs, and his home run at the All-Star Game over outfielders Aaron Judge and Juan Soto while they were being interviewed was near-perfect.

Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper is the only other player within shouting distance of Ohtani, but he’s at +600, a distant second to Ohtani’s -290. Ohtani has 29 home runs, he’s hitting .316, and he’s tied for third in the National League with 23 stolen bases.

Judge couldn’t say enough good things about Ohtani this week in Texas, but he’s also not too shabby with a bat in his hand. Judge leads all of baseball with 34 home runs, and he, too, is over .300, hitting .306. Incredible numbers when you consider that Judge ended April hitting .206 with just six home runs.

Judge is -310 to win his second MVP award, currently ahead of Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson. The American League’s starting shortstop on Tuesday is second in the A.L. with 28 home runs, and he is paying +250 to be the MVP.

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