Updated AL Pennant Odds
LAS VEGAS, NV (The Spread) – When Major League Baseball kicks off its 2014 postseason tonight for the AL Wild Card game, the Los Angeles Angels will be favored to win the pennant.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Angels are 2/1 favorites to win this year’s American League Pennant. That’s not surprising considering they won 98 games this season, which was the best in baseball. Despite Oakland holding onto the division lead for most of the season, the Angels earned the No. 1 seed in the AL and will host the winner of tonight’s A’s-Royals wild card matchup in the ADLS.
The Detroit Tigers and Victor Martinez currently have the next-best odds to win the AL pennant at 13/5, while the Baltimore Orioles are 7/2 and the aforementioned A’s are 6/1. The long shot in the group is the Royals, although they hold home field advantage in tonight’s wild card game and Kauffman Stadium figures to be loud seeing as how the club hasn’t qualified for the postseason since it won the World Series in 1985.
The Tigers finished first in the AL Central, just ahead of the Royals by one game. They’ll face the Orioles in the ALDS after Baltimore won the AL East running away with a 96-66 record. The Yankees finished second in the division, but were 12 games back of the Orioles once the regular season concluded. Last year’s World Series winner, the Red Sox, finished an atrocious 25 games back of Baltimore.
Oakland, as previously mentioned, was considered the best team in baseball for a long stretch but slogged to an 88-74 finish. The A’s took second in the AL West, 10 games back of the Angels, and just held off the Mariners on the last weekend of the regular season. That said, GM Billy Beane acquired Jon Lester and Jeff Samardzija in efforts to win the in the postseason. We’ll see if his mid-season trade gambles pay off starting tonight.
2014 American League Pennant Odds
Los Angeles Angels 2/1
Detroit Tigers 13/5
Baltimore Orioles 7/2
Oakland A’s 6/1
Kansas City Royals 7/1
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