The 2010 Major League Baseball regular season is underway and after the first month of action some teams have already made a statement while some others are off to a much slower start than expected. Every National League team has 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 NL after week four and their currents odds to win the Pennant and the World Series.
St. Louis Cardinals Odds to Win the NL Pennant 15-4 World Series 8-1
The Cardinals have won seven out of the last eight games to open up a 4 ½ game lead over Chicago in the Central. At 17-8, they currently have the best record in the NL and second best in the Major Leagues. In their first eight series they have won seven of them including a recent four game sweep over Atlanta. This past weekend they took two out of three from Cincinnati. They have been getting it done with a very balanced attack of both pitching and hitting as they have a team batting average of .260 and are ranked 1st in pitching with a team ERA of just 2.56.
Philadelphia Phillies Odds to Win the NL Pennant 3-1 World Series 6-1
The Phillies are back in first place in the East by ½ game with a record of 14-10 after taking two out of three from the second place Mets over the weekend. They pounded New York for 21 runs in the last two games as their bats came back to life after sleepwalking through their past seven games. Overall they are ranked fifth in the NL with a .272 team batting average. Pitching is still an issue for this team as they rank eighth overall in the NL. Even ace Roy Halladay got knocked around in his second to last start when San Francisco tagged him for five runs in seven innings in a 5-1 loss, his first of the year. He rebounded with a 10-0 shutout of the Mets this past Saturday to go 5-1 on the year.
San Diego Padres Odds to Win the NL Pennant 100-1 World Series 200-1
While it is only one month into the season, San Diego continues to be the biggest surprise this season. They lead the West with a 16-9 record, 1 ½ games ahead of San Francisco. They have won their last five series including three game sweeps of both Arizona and the Giants. They just took three out of four from Milwaukee over the weekend. While they rank 11th in the NL in hitting with a team average of just .249, they are third in the league in pitching with a team ERA of 2.76. Jon Garland leads the starters with an ERA of 2.06 in 35 innings of work. Kevin Correia has an ERA of 3.86 and has won four of his first five starts.
New York Mets Odds to Win the NL Pennant 12-1 World Series 20-1
Before losing their last two games to the Phillies, the Mets had won eight straight including a three game sweep of both Atlanta and the Los Angeles (Dodgers). They are currently 14-11, a ½ game in back of the Phils and 1 ½ games ahead of Florida. Their hitting has been somewhat inconsistent so far and has them ranked second to last in the NL with a team average of just .235. While they may not be able to rely on their bats to win games, their pitching has come through for them so far. They are ranked fourth overall in the NL with a team ERA of 3.55.
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