Posted on
3/10/2008 4:44:51 PM
MLB Baseball Betting - Phillies Underdogs in the NL East
By BetUS Staff
The Philadelphia Phillies won seven of their final 10 games last season to get past the New York Mets and win the National League East division. However, those doing any MLB betting on division props this spring will note that the Mets are the favorites again.
New York is pegged as the -200 favorite at BetUS to win the NL East in 2008, while Philadelphia is back of them on that list at +310. The Mets’ key offseason acquisition, starting pitcher Johan Santana, has been a big factor in the team’s favored status. New York is also hoping that Pedro Martinez has a healthy, productive season left in his arm.
The Phillies have made a change to their starting rotation as well – they’re putting Brett Myers back on the starting staff, with Brad Lidge (once he gets healthy) taking over as the team’s closer. Philadelphia had huge offensive years from the likes of Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Ryan Howard last year, and they’ll guide the team’s fortunes again.
The Atlanta Braves finished five games back of Philadelphia in the NL East last season, and they’re listed at +340 odds to finish in first place in 2008. The Washington Nationals and the Florida Marlins ended up well behind those top three teams in the division in 2007, and they’re longshots to surprise this season at +3000 and +5000 odds to be first.
The BetUS oddsmakers are expecting to see a different NL West champion this year as well, as the Los Angeles Dodgers have been listed as the +200 favorites. The Dodgers actually finished fourth in that division last season, eight games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Outfielder Andruw Jones and starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda were Los Angeles’ big moves in the winter as they look to get back into contention in the division.
The Diamondbacks are second on the NL West odds list at +210, with the Colorado Rockies at +300 and the San Diego Padres at +350. The Rockies were a half game behind Arizona in the final NL West standings last season, while the Padres were 1.5 games behind the first-place team. The San Francisco Giants, who were 19 games back of first place in 2007, are well behind the other four clubs at +2600 to finish in first.
The Chicago Cubs finished two games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers to win the NL Central last season, and the BetUS oddsmakers have them pegged as the -135 favorite to repeat as the division champions. Chicago has brought in Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome to boost their offense this season, and they’ve been rumored to be in the running for Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts over the past month.
The Brewers are behind Chicago on that odds list at +220 to win the NL Central, and they’ll be looking for second consecutive strong offensive campaigns from both Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. Milwaukee also has a new closer this season; Francisco Cordero shuffled on to the Cincinnati Reds, forcing the Brewers to bring in Eric Gagne.
Cordero should help solidify the Reds’ bullpen in 2008, and they’re listed third at +750 odds to win the NL Central this season. Cincinnati still has question marks in their rotation beyond Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo, however, and they’ll be counting on Brandon Phillips, Adam Dunn, and Ken Griffey Jr. to carry them to more wins this year.
The Reds actually ended up behind both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros in the division in 2007 as well, but the Cards (+950) and the Astros (+1000) are farther back on the NL Central odds list for 2008. St. Louis brought in third baseman Troy Glaus during the winter, while Houston made a deal for shortstop Miguel Tejada.
Finally, the Pittsburgh Pirates are pegged at a longshot +4000 odds to win the NL Central this season, and they’re a club that made few changes for 2008. That doesn’t bode well for their chances, as they ended up 17 games behind the Cubs in that race in 2007. Check the BetUS MLB odds section for all the latest prop bets for the new season.
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