2019 MLB World Series Baseball Preview and Pick

When October nears, it means that the World Series is fast approaching. The 2019 MLB season just passed an important date- the July 31, 2019 trade deadline where the contenders are supposed to make the final additions to make their line-ups World Series-worthy.

After the trade deadline, the Houston Astros have emerged as the odds on favorite to win the 2019 World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees are next in the odds board. Interestingly, last season’s dominant champions the Boston Red Sox are far away from the leaders.

Here are the latest odds to win the 2019 World Series. These odds were taken from BetOnline.ag as of 8/25/19:

Who Are The Favorites?

The betting lines have changed since we last wrote our initial 2019 World Series preview. The Houston Astros are now the odds on favorite to become the 2019 World Series champions. They have withstood the injuries suffered by the likes of Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and George Springer to maintain a nine-game lead in the American League West at 85-47 as of 8/24/19. The trio is now back in action and has joined Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez, and Yuli Gurriel. Justin Verlander and Gerritt Cole spearhead the pitching staff and adding Zack Greinke was a nice find. Greinke is 14-4 with an ERA of 2.83 this season and he adds terrific depth to the Astros’ staff.

Unless they suffer one of the greatest meltdowns in Major League history, the Los Angeles Dodgers are headed to their 7th straight NL West title. The Dodgers’ pitching staff leads the Majors in ERA while their offense leads the big league in weighted on-base average. Team President Andrew Friedman didn’t need to do much at the trade deadline. Rich Hill could return from a forearm injury in September and it looks as if the Dodgers won’t have a problem securing home-field advantage in the National League.

The New York Yankees have an 8.5 game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays and 14 games lead over the Boston Red Sox in the American League East despite their obvious pitching woes. The reason behind that is their tremendous depth and the team’s ability to develop talent. Despite having the likes of Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, Luke Voit, Brett Gardner, Luis Severino and Dellin Betances on the shelf, they have found ways to win despite a faltering pitching staff.

The Atlanta Braves have a 6.5 games lead over the Washington Nationals but that lead isn’t safe as the Nationals have begun playing to their potential in July while the Braves lost Nick Markakis to injury. Only the Braves and Dodgers have won at least 80 games in the National League and that speaks highly of this team’s season. With Max Fried and Kevin Gusman recently back to the field, the Braves’ depth has enough edge to win.

It looked early on that the Minnesota Twins would fade against the surging Cleveland Indians. But the Twins still have a 3.5 game lead over the Indians as of 8/24/19. Sam Dyson and Sergio Romo bring help to a subpar bullpen but neither puts them in elite territory. Martin Perez and Jake Odorizzi have struggled but despite that, I think the Twins’ offense will power them to win the American League Central division or to a wild cart spot at least.

The St. Louis Cardinals are one of the hottest teams right now and have put themselves in first place in the National League Central. Their road to the World Series will have to pass through the Dodgers, but the Red Birds can give the Dodgers a fight. The Washington Nationals have Anthony Rendon and Juan Soto to provide star power in the post-Bryce Harper era. The Nationals are hoping that Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin can hold the fort down until Max Scherzer returns. The Chicago Cubs have one of the deepest rotations once Cole Hamels returns to action. That’s even though Yu Darvish and Jose Quintana haven’t lived up to their billings.  The defending World Series champions Boston Red Sox have arguably the best hitting lineup in the game and is supported by a very able and capable pitching staff but at this point of the season, the baseball betting gods aren’t smiling at them.

Who Wins?

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the best team in the NL right now but they didn’t make any significant acquisition during the trade deadline. If you ask me, the Dodgers are great but something tells me that they will be hit in the seventh, eighth or ninth inning and lose close games. That to me will be the difference.

The addition of Zach Grienke at the trade deadline has made the Houston Astros as the favorites to win the 2019 World Series. With their new acquisition, the Astros can boast of rotation of Justin Verlander, Greinke and Gerritt Cole in the first three games of the American League Division Series. The Astros are in a great spot right now and yes, they are well justified as the favorites here. Prediction: Houston Astros

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