The Cleveland Indians entered the All-Star break on a 17-6 run, taking a solid 6.5-game lead in the AL Central in the process. The Indians will try to build on that lead in the second half as one of the top contenders to win the World Series.
World Series 2016 odds: Indians, Rangers among teams on the rise entering second half of season
The Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers have climbed up the 2016 World Series betting board heading into the second half of the season.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland is now the fourth favorite on the odds to win the World Series at +750 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. On Opening Day, the Indians were going off at +1600 to win the World Series.
With a 3.63 team ERA, Cleveland has the best pitching staff in the American League, and a trade for a big bat or a reliable bullpen upgrade at the trade deadline could help put the Indians over the top in the race for the AL Central.
The Texas Rangers were going off at +1800 to win the World Series on Opening Day on the baseball betting lines at the sportsbooks, but the non-believers have been put on notice with the Rangers holding an AL-best 54-36 record coming out of the break.
Texas has overcome injuries to its pitching staff with one of the majors’ best offenses, averaging 4.92 runs per game through the first 90 games of the year. If the pitching staff gets healthy, Texas’ offense should make the Rangers a legitimate contender.
Over in the National League, everyone is chasing the Chicago Cubs (+375 to win the World Series) and the San Francisco Giants (+550) on the betting board.
The Nationals aren’t too far behind the two World Series favorites at +900, and all three of these NL contenders rank in the top five in the team ERA category. Advancing out of the National League is going to be difficult given the depth of pitching among the top teams.
Other top contenders to win the World Series this season include the Toronto Blue Jays (+1000), Baltimore Orioles (+1400), Boston Red Sox (+1400), New York Mets (+1800) Houston Astros (+1800), Los Angeles Dodgers (+2000), and Kansas City Royals (+2000).
Baltimore, Toronto and Boston are separated by just two games atop the AL East standings.
