Best American League Central Betting Odds And Outlook To Win AL Central

Best American League Central Betting Odds And Outlook To Win AL Central

Cole Paganelli
2 years ago
3 min read
Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan celebrates an RBI triple vs. Chicago White Sox

With under 40 games left in the regular season, the closest divisional race in all of baseball is the AL Central as the Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins are separated by just two games. As the season is in the sprint to the finish, here is a look at the best odds to win the AL Central.

⚾Ready to bet on some MLB Futures? Get started for FREE in Ohio with betJACK Training Camp! ⚾

Cleveland Guardians

Odds to win the division: (-176)

Odds to win the World Series: (+5500)

At 67-59, the Cleveland Guardians currently sit two games ahead of the Minnesota Twins for first in the division. They have been solid both at home (32-25) and on the road (35-34), although they are just 5-5 in their last 10 after losing three of four to the Mariners over the weekend.

Cleveland currently has the second-easiest remaining schedule left, as their opponents hold a cumulative .479 winning percentage. Their toughest games include three with the Mariners, Rays and Orioles. They also have eight crucial games left with the Minnesota Twins.

Offensively, Cleveland has the 17th-best offense in the majors averaging 4.30 runs per game. Defensively, they rank 11th, allowing just 4.01 runs per game to opponents.

Led by Jose Ramirez, who is hitting .283/.353/.548 with 26 home runs, 106 runs batted in, and 71 runs scored, the Guardians are trying to hold onto their slim lead as the season comes down the stretch.

Minnesota Twins

Odds to win the division: (+300)

Odds to win the World Series: (+6500)

Currently the biggest threat to the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central, the Minnesota Twins sit just two games back of the Guardians. Despite having just the 18th-toughest remaining schedule overall, they actually have the second-toughest remaining schedule in the division.

The defining point of the season will come in mid-September as they play the Guardians eight times in 11 games.

To this point, Minnesota has played much better at home (38-28) than on the road (27-33). Unfortunately for Minnesota fans, they have just 15 home games remaining and 21 on the road.

The Twins ranked 15th overall in scoring as they are putting up an average of 4.38 runs per game. On the defensive side, they rank 13th in scoring defense as they are allowing 4.17 runs per game to opponents.

Chicago White Sox

Odds to win the division: (+500)

Odds to win the World Series: (+5500)

There may not be a more disappointing team in all of baseball than the Chicago White Sox. After winning the AL Central by 13 games last season, they sit third in the division, five games behind the Guardians.

Chicago has really struggled as of late, losing eight of their last 10 including being swept by the Diamondbacks over the weekend. They do have the easiest remaining schedule in the division, but they do still have nine games left with the Twins and four games left with the Guardians.

For as bad as they have played, their deficit is not insurmountable, but they have to play considerably better baseball down the stretch for any chance at making the playoffs.

Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers

Odds to win the division: (+100000)

Odds to win the World Series: (+900000)

While the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers are not mathematically eliminated at this point, it would take a small miracle for them to make the playoffs. The Royals sit 16.5 games back in the division while the Tigers sit 18 games back.

The Wild Card is actually worse as they sit 17.5 and 19 games back, respectively.

Overall Outlook

This is the Guardians’ division to lose. With a combination of strong pitching and timely hitting, they have put themselves in a good spot to control their own fate. 

The biggest key will be the eight remaining games with Minnesota in September. To this point, Cleveland has gone 6-5 against the Twins and need to maintain that winning record when the dust settles to feel comfortable in the division.

Everything sets up well for them, though, from already holding a two-game edge to having one of the easiest remaining schedules in the division. If they can finish the season that way, they will make their first postseason appearance since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when they lost in the AL Wild Card round.

Share article on: