Ben Verlander
MLB analyst at FOX Sports
The MLB postseason is just around the corner.
There are two weeks left in the MLB regular season, and all 12 playoff spots are still up for grabs. Some teams will likely clinch playoff spots in the coming days, but about half the league still has legitimate hopes of making the postseason.
As we enter the penultimate week of the regular season, here are my top 10 baseball teams with World Series odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.
10. New York Mets (81-68, last week 8)
World Series odds: +4200
The Mets still have a good chance of making a playoff berth that nobody would have thought they could have just a few months ago. They start the week tied with the Atlanta Braves for the last wild card spot in the National League, despite losing two of three games against the Phillies over the weekend. The bigger concern, however, is Francisco Lindor. The NL MVP candidate had to pull out of two of the three games against Philadelphia because of back pain and will not be in the starting lineup on Monday.
9. Kansas City Royals (82-68, LW10)
World Series odds: +2700
The Royals may have given up their hopes of winning the division when they lost two of three games to the Yankees and failed to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend. But they still have a solid playoff spot. Bobby Witt Jr. didn’t have the best performance in the Bronx either, which weakened his late push for AL MVP. Still, his play and continued strong performances from Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans make this team a looming postseason threat.
8. Baltimore Orioles (84-66, LW5)
World Series odds: +850
The Orioles’ six road games last week couldn’t have gone much worse, as they lost four of six games to the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers. In fact, they had four good starts from their rotation last week, but their lineup aside from Gunnar Henderson has been inconsistent of late. They are now three games behind the Yankees for first place in the American League.
7. Cleveland Guardian (86-64, LW7)
World Series odds: +1400
The Guardians took advantage of the Chicago White Sox’s schedule, sweeping their divisional opponent before splitting a four-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays. Outfielder Lane Thomas is having perhaps his best stretch since being traded to Cleveland, hitting two home runs last week. With a four-game lead over Kansas City, Cleveland is in a great position to secure a first-round bye.
6. Milwaukee Brewers (86-63, Left Back 3)
World Series odds: +2300
Much like the Guardians, the Brewers are minding their business and will likely be rewarded with a champagne celebration in the coming days. Milwaukee won two of three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants last week to extend its lead in the division to 10 games. William Contreras, Garrett Mitchell, Jackson Chourio and Willy Adames each had a great week at bat and will hope to carry the momentum into the postseason.
5. San Diego Padres (85-65, LW 9)
World Series odds: +1300
The Padres may be peaking at just the right time, as they allowed just three runs in their three-game sweep of the Giants over the weekend. Their rotation seems to be firing on all cylinders right now, with Dylan Cease, Michael King and Joe Musgrove putting in strong performances of late. Additionally, Fernando Tatís Jr. hit four home runs in his second week back from injury. San Diego still has some work to do to secure a playoff spot, but is only 3.5 games behind the Dodgers at the top of the NL West.
4. Houston Astros (81-68, LW6)
World Series odds: +800
The Astros have won four games in a row, extending their lead in the division to 4.5 games. Their pitching staff is also doing well, with four members of their rotation making good starts last week. The lineup is also becoming more exciting, especially the dangerous Yordan Álvarez. He hit two home runs last week and is now fifth in the MLB in OPS.
3. New York Yankees (87-63, LW4)
World Series odds: +480
The Yankees had an impressive week, winning two of three games against the Royals before nearly sweeping the Red Sox in a four-game season sweep. Aaron Judge had a monster weekend, ending his 16-game home run drought. His grand slam on Friday against Boston was the game-winning hit, and he added a two-run shot on Sunday. That may have secured his place at the top of the AL MVP race.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (88-61, Left Back 1)
World Series odds: +330
The Dodgers’ lineup was great and narrowly avoided losing three games in a row to the Braves. Their back-to-back home runs were a reminder of how strong their lineup can be. However, their pitchers can’t stay healthy. A few days after Yoshinobu Yamamoto looked solid in his first game back from injury, Tyler Glasnow appears to be out for the season.
1. Philadelphia Phillies (90-59, Left Back 2)
World Series odds: +450
The Phillies became the first baseball team to reach 90 wins this season after winning two of three games against the Mets over the weekend. Their rotation actually had a slightly weaker week, but they should earn a win after dominating most of the year. It also might not matter if Bryce Harper and Trea Turner have multiple home run games like they did last week.
Ben Verlander is an MLB analyst for FOX Sports and host of the “Damn bats” Podcast. Born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, Verlander was an All-American at Old Dominion University before joining his brother Justin in Detroit as a 14th-round pick of the Tigers in 2013. He spent five years in the Tigers organization. Follow him on @BenVerlander.
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