The 2010 Major League Baseball regular season is a quarter of the way complete and after the first seven 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 14 American League teams have a 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 AL after week seven and their current odds to win the Pennant and the World Series.
Tampa Bay Rays Odds to win the AL Pennant 3-1 World Series 11-2
Tampa Bay remains hot and after winning eight out of their last 10 including two game sweeps over Cleveland and New York, they have opened up a six game lead in the AL East with an overall record of 32-12. While they have been solid at home, their road record of 19-5 is one of their more impressive accomplishments so far this season. With a team ERA of just 2.87, the Rays’ pitching staff has been the backbone of this team. With a team batting average of .261 they are ranked 7th in the AL, but are third in runs scored with 230.
New York Yankees Odds to win the AL Pennant 8-5 World Series 5-2
While New York is having trouble keeping pace with the Rays, at 26-18 they are still tied with Minnesota for the second best record in the AL. Unlike Tampa, the Yankees have not fared as well on the road with a 13-12 record including losing two straight to the Mets over the weekend in a “subway series”. They are a very balanced team, ranking fourth in the AL with a team ERA of 3.93 and tied for first with Kansas City in team hitting with a .279 average. They lead the AL in runs scored with 246.
Minnesota Twins Odds to win the AL Pennant 8-1 World Series 14-1
Minnesota has lost six out of their last 10 games but at 26-18 they still have a one game lead over Detroit and a 7 ½ game lead over Chicago in the Central division. After splitting a quick series with Toronto, they lost two straight to Boston before rebounding with two out three wins in their weekend interleague series against Milwaukee. Much like New York, Minnesota is another one of the better balanced teams in the AL. With a team ERA of 3.96 the Twins are currently ranked fifth in the AL while their .276 team batting average has them ranked third.
Texas Rangers Odds to win the AL Pennant 13-1 World Series 30-1
Before losing their last two games to the Cubs, Texas had won five straight and seven out of their last 10. With a record of 25-20 they have a two game lead over Oakland in the West. While they have gone 18-9 at home, they are currently just 7-11 on the road and will be tested this week and next as they play their eight games away from home. Their pitching staff has a team ERA of 4.06, ranking them sixth in the AL. Their hitting has been a bit better and has them tied for fourth with Detroit with a team average of .269.
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