What a weekend it turned out to be for the Houston Astros. The Astros travelled to the Bronx to take on the New York Yankees and split the series 2-2. However, Houston made plenty of noise in Games 2 and 3 of that series, returning wins. They almost won the finale too. Because of this, it’s no surprise with the news that the Astros see MLB odds raised by Vegas sportsbooks. Just how good can this team be?
Despite the series indeed splitting 2-2, Houston indeed made plenty of noise and the Astros look hungry to fight for the World Series title. According to the best-rated sportsbooks, Houston holds the No. 3 MLB odds, as they’ve been placed at +650 to win the World Series. This is a jump from where their numbers were in the spring. Now with the summer here, though, the Astros look like title contenders.
The Yankees hold the top AL odds at +450. No one has forgotten about the Dodgers, who are the favorites to win it all at +440. Los Angeles is looking like the best team in the NL, while the Yankees hold the best record in the American League. New York is in the middle of an unreal year, and fans are dreaming of the WS drought finally ending.
However, Houston brought them back down to earth a little bit this past weekend at Yankee Stadium. The Houston pitching was sensational, which of course included the team recording a combined no-hitter against New York on Saturday. No one expected that to happen and all of the Yankee fans who made their way to the stadium were left speechless with the result.
Houston was also strong on Friday, silencing the Yankees. In the Sunday finale, the Astros held a late-innings lead over the Yankees and looked destined to record a series win. However, New York was able to come back and then they won in a walk-off fashion thanks to a 3-run homer from superstar slugger Aaron Judge. Houston’s confidence remains high, however, which should last the rest of the season.
After that incredible series this past weekend, baseball fans everywhere are already looking ahead to these two teams potentially meeting in the MLB postseason. Imagine if the Yankees and Astros were to meet in the AL Championship Series. With a trip to the World Series on the line, there would be so much drama in that series if it were to go down. And, the Astros know what it takes to beat the Yankees.
These teams aren’t strangers to facing off in the postseason, and there’s of course a lot of bad blood between the two. The Astros’ cheating scandal from 2017 won’t be forgotten. That year, they eliminated the Yankees in the playoffs on their way to winning it all. Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman and others will never forget that series win.
That year, Altuve also took down Judge in the AL MVP race. As things stand, Judge is the favorite to win AL MVP this season, as he’s putting up unreal numbers. It’s no coincidence that this is happening in his contract year too, as he and the Yankees weren’t able to get on the same page ahead of the season in terms of finalizing a long-term extension.
So, if later this year these two teams do meet in the playoffs – it’d be a series that people would be talking about for quite some time. The Yankees will likely enter that one as favorites, but Houston continues to showcase they can bring this team down whenever they go to battle. Hypothetically speaking, we’d see this one going a full seven games. Will it actually happen? People can’t wait to find out.
According to a report, the bets in Sin City keep on rolling in on Los Angeles, as all eyes remain on the Dodgers in Vegas. LA indeed holds the No. 1 MLB odds in Las Vegas and people think they’ll be able to win it all this year. Teams like the Astros and Yankees will try and stop them from making that happen, but it’s surely going to be a tough task.
The Dodgers feature one of the best lineups in the game, with guys like Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Justin Turner and more putting on shows left and right for this team. With the brilliant rotation too, the Dodgers are going to be powerhouses the rest of the way this season. The feeling is they have what it takes to grab another World Series title.
They’re going to be a team to watch for a while and the fact that bets continue to roll in on them isn’t a surprise at all. Some people are trying their luck by going with the Yankees and Astros, but the Dodgers are the favorites for a reason. We’ll see if they end up living up to the hype or not. Regardless, the Astros, Dodgers and Yankees are the teams to keep a close eye on.
