The 2010 Major League Baseball regular season is a quarter of the way complete and after the first eight weeks of action some teams have made an early statement they hope to carry right through this Summer while some others are already digging themselves an early hole they may not be able to climb out of.
All 16 National League teams still have the dream of making it all the way to this year’s World Series, but in reality there are only a handful of teams that actually have a chance. Here is a look at my top four teams in the NL after week eight and their current odds to win the Pennant and the World Series.
Philadelphia Phillies Odds to Win the NL Pennant 9-4 World Series 9-2
At 28-21 Philadelphia’s lead in the NL East is down to just ½ game over Atlanta with New York just three games back. After getting shut out by the Mets in three straight games last week, they got a spark over the weekend when pitching ace Roy Halladay has etched his name in the record books by throwing a perfect game against the Marlins on Saturday. It was only the 20th one in the history of the league. This does not erase the fact that the Phillies have been held scoreless in five of their last eight games.
San Diego Padres Odds to Win the NL Pennant 30-1 World Series 150-1
San Diego has won six of their last eight games to run their overall record to 30-20. They have a two game lead over Los Angeles and 2 ½ game lead over San Francisco in the NL West. The Padres have gotten to this point behind a solid performance from their pitching staff. They are currently tied with St. Louis with lowest team ERA in the league at 2.95. Their team batting average leaves a bit more to be desired, as they are ranked 14th in the NL at .242.
Cincinnati Reds Odds to Win the NL Pennant 20-1 World Series 50-1
After taking three out of four from Pittsburgh last week and two out of three from Houston over the weekend, Cincinnati is back on top in the NL Central. They are 30-21 and have a one game lead over St. Louis. The Reds are 7-3 in their last 10 games as their batting lineup continues to grind out the necessary hits and runs to keep winning games. They lead the NL with a .276 batting average and have scored 264 runs in 51 games. The main problem with this team has been their pitching as their 4.38 ERA ranks them 12th in the NL.
Atlanta Braves Odds to Win the NL Pennant 15-1 World Series 30-1
Atlanta is the hottest team in baseball, winning eight out of their last 10 games and five straight. At 28-22 they can take the lead in the East if they win their upcoming series against the Phillies that starts today. Their team batting average is just .225, 11th in the NL but in their last 11 wins they have averaged close to seven runs per game. Rookie sensation Jason Heyward leads the team with 38 RBI’s and 10 homeruns. Their team 3.85 ERA ranks them eighth in the NL.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.