Baseball Bettors Back Yankees, Sportsbooks Like Dodgers as MLB Reaches the Midseason Mark

Posted on: July 3, 2019, 05:56h. 

Last updated on: July 3, 2019, 10:19h.

Steve Bittenbender Read More
Expertise: Legislation, Sports Betting, Horse Racing.

With the calendar having reached July, Major League Baseball now is at the midpoint of its regular season. Every team except for the Detroit Tigers have played at least 81 of their 162 games already, and the Tigers should reach that mark Wednesday as they’re scheduled to play a day-night doubleheader in Chicago against the White Sox.

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, seen here hitting a home run in April, missed two months due to muscle strain. Despite his prolonged absence, the Yanks managed to post the American League’s best record at the midway point of the season. (Image: Rob Tringali/MLB Photos)

In checking with a couple of sportsbooks, the New York Yankees are the bettors’ choice to win it all this season. The legendary franchise, which last won a World Series a decade ago, is in prime position to win its first American League East title since 2012 as they lead the defending world champion Boston Red Sox by five-and-a-half games entering play Wednesday.

Jeff Sherman at the Westgate SuperBook told Casino.org that bettors have wagered more money on the Yankees to win the title this year than any other team. The Las Vegas sportsbook, though, has taken more bets, though, on the Chicago Cubs.

Over at FanDuel, the Yankees top both the money wagered and tickets written categories.

The Yankees own a 54-29 record, best in the AL and trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers overall. They’ve reached that mark despite missing a pair of key sluggers for most of the season.

Aaron Judge has played in just 28 games due to a strained oblique muscle that caused him to miss two months of action. The 2017 AL Rookie of the Year returned to the lineup on June 21.

Meanwhile, Giancarlo Stanton played the first three games of the season before he missed two months due to injuries with his biceps and calf muscles. He returned a couple days before Judge, but he strained the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last week. New York expects him to return to the lineup sometime in August.

Baseball Betting ‘Regional’

FanDuel runs sportsbooks at the New Jersey Meadowlands and at Pennsylvania’s Valley Forge Casino Resort in suburban Philadelphia. As such, the betting action reflects a lot of local interest.

After the Yankees, the most money has been wagered on the Philadelphia Phillies, Washington Nationals, the Red Sox, and the Dodgers. Regarding the number of bets, the Phillies, Red Sox, and the New York Mets have the most bets placed after the Yanks.

Kevin Hennessy, FanDuel’s director of publicity, told Casino.org most of the bets on the Mets, whose 39-47 record is the third-worst in the National League, came before the season started.

Overall, baseball can be regional for us,” he said in an email.

On March 18, FanDuel listed the Yankees as World Series favorites at +600 or 6-1. As of Tuesday, the Yankees odds have dropped to +350, or 7-2. Meanwhile, the Dodgers, who were the fourth choice at +750 on March 18, are now the odds-on choice to win the World Series at +280. That means a $100 bet on LA would win $280.

Dodgers Favored in Westgate Futures

The Dodgers also have the lowest odds at Westgate as they dropped from 7-1 last October to 3-1 in July. The Yankees, similarly, have gone from 7-1 to 7-2.

The biggest mover at the Westgate has been the Minnesota Twins. The current leaders in the AL Central started last fall at 60-1 to win the championship. Today, they’re fetching 7-1 odds. FanDuel currently offers the Twins at +750.

Another team that has seen its odds fall is the Texas Rangers. While they trail the Houston Astros in the AL West, the Rangers are among the leading contenders for one of the two AL wild card spots. Texas started the season with 100-1 odds to win the Series, but as of Monday, the Rangers odds are 25-1.

Houston started the offseason at +650 at FanDuel and 6-1 at Westgate. Now, the Astros odds are +400 at FanDuel and 9/2 at Westgate, making them the third choice at both.

The Philadelphia Phillies were once considered World Series contenders after signing Bryce Harper in February, but at FanDuel their odds have risen from +1200 in March to +2600 now. Their odds are now 25-1 at Westgate.

Looking for the longest odds? Those would belong to the Baltimore Orioles, who own the worst record in baseball. Westgate offers the O’s at 20000-1, while FanDuel lists Baltimore among six teams at +100,000.

Don’t expect the Orioles to make a run like the St. Louis Blues did in hockey though as Baltimore currently finds itself 31 games behind the Yankees in the AL East.