The MLB trade deadline shook up the landscape of the league, especially in the National League highlighted by the Padres’ huge splash acquisitions.
It was the NL division leaders who cleaned up for bettors, as there was a changing of the guard in the NL Central as well with the Cardinals lighting the world on fire with an undefeated week, but their dominance was matched by the Dodgers humbling the new-look Padres over the weekend.
We take a look at who performed the best for bettors this past week and who fell flat as well as update the current top 10 World Series favorites with odds from Caesars Sportsbook.
Week’s Top Performer: Los Angeles Dodgers (7-0 for week, 7-0 run line record)
It’s rare for a team to go undefeated for the week, much less cover the run line in every game, but that’s exactly what the Dodgers did in what was a flawless performance. The NL’s top team kicked things off with a four-game sweep of the struggling Giants, which put their postseason hopes even further out of reach, but the real statement came this weekend with a dominant three-game sweep of the Padres after all the talk was surrounding Juan Soto going to San Diego.
Week’s Worst Performer: New York Yankees (1-5 for week, 1-5 run line record)
The Yankees appeared to be on cruise control and were favored in every game this week against the Mariners and Cardinals, but they came back to reality in what turned into a struggle almost all week. The Mariners series got off to a promising start with a 7-2 win, but they dropped the next two and were swept by the Cardinals over the weekend, and they’ll need their pitching to get back on track if they want to keep hold of the top seed in the American League.
Clutch Performer: St. Louis Cardinals (6-0 for week, three one-run wins)
There was some doubt beginning to circulate around the Cardinals after a rough stretch to cap off July, but they silenced the critics and came out of this week smelling like a rose after a weekend sweep of the Yankees. The Cards began the week by sweeping the Cubs, one of which was a one-run victory, and they kept the heroics going with a pair of one-run wins on Friday and Saturday followed by a 12-9 slugfest victory over the Yanks to cash in for bettors and take over first place in the NL Central.
Bad Beat Specialist: Milwaukee Brewers (1-5 for week, two one-run losses)
Trading Josh Hader left many scratching their heads as far as the Brewers being a serious contender this season, and they’ve yet to silence the doubters after a brutal stretch this week. The schedule appeared to break in their favor with a pair of three-game series’ with the Pirates and Reds, but it ended in heartbreak more times than not with a pair of one-run losses on top of a pair of extra inning defeats and now find themselves two games out of the division lead.
Trending Up: New York Mets (6-2 for week, now +550 to win World Series)
The Mets had been leading the NL East and staying in contention even without Jacob deGrom, who returned to the rotation this week and showed why he and Max Scherzer are the best starting pitching tandem in the game when healthy. The health part has been the biggest issue, but they both appear ready to help the Mets make some noise in October for the first time in several years as evidenced by their World Series odds shifting to +550 from +750 the week before.
Trending Down: San Diego Padres (3-5 for week, now + to win World Series)
The Padres were buzzing after the trade deadline after acquiring Juan Soto and other big names, but reality set in over the weekend against the first-place Dodgers. Their week got off to a promising start after taking three-of-four against the Rockies, but they got outscored by the Dodgers 16-4 and saw their World Series odds get a little longer as a result as they wait for Fernando Tatis to make his long-overdue season debut.
WORLD SERIES FAVORITES
Los Angeles Dodgers (+360)
New York Yankees (+380)
Houston Astros (+430)
New York Mets (+550)
San Diego Padres (+1100)
Atlanta Braves (+1300)
Toronto Blue Jays (+1500)
Milwaukee Brewers (+3000)
Seattle Mariners (+3500)
St. Louis Cardinals (+3500)
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