Oakland A’s Odds to Win AL West Improve Significantly During 14-5 Run
By Robert Duff in MLB Baseball
Updated: March 26, 2020 at 2:19 pm EDTPublished:
- A 14-5 run has moved the Oakland A’s into second place in the American League West Division
- It’s also significantly improved their odds of winning the division title
- The average odds of the Athletics claiming the AL West crown dipped from +2100 to +1400 in a two-week span
Is it time to put some dough down on the Oakland A’s? A recent 14-5 run has moved Oakland past the Texas Rangers into second place in the American League West Division.
The boys from Moneyball are money right now and don’t the sportsbooks know it.
On average across the leading sportsbooks, Oakland has gone from +2100 to +1400 in the AL West odds over a two-week span.
Odds to Win American League West Division
| Team | 2019 AL West Odds |
|---|---|
| Houston Astros | -6000 |
| Oakland A’s | +1300 |
| Texas Rangers | +1500 |
| Los Angeles Angels | +4000 |
| Seattle Mariners | +50000 |
*Odds taken on 07/08/19
Oakland still trails the division-leading Houston Astros by 7.5 games.
Ramping It Up
Oakland was treading water, just a .500 team at 36-36 as recently as June 16th. A 7-4 win Sunday over the Seattle Mariners, punctuated by Marcus Semien’s 14th home run of the season, sent Oakland into the MLB All-Star break with 50 wins and riding a wave of success.
Over the past 19 games, Oakland, the New York Yankees, and Cleveland Indians all share an MLB-best 14-5 record. Oakland first baseman Matt Olson has 19 homers on the season and eight in the past 15 games. Center fielder Ramon Laureano has sent the ball out of the park 15 times.
Scoring A’s in History
Is history repeating itself? A year ago, Oakland headed into Game #73 of the season also at a break even 36-36 mark.
The Athletics recorded the best record in baseball the rest of the way, winning 97 games and earning an AL Wild Card position in the postseason.
Injury-riddled Oakland has picked up five games on the division-leading Astros since June 16th. And they are slowly regaining their health along this path to glory.
Pitcher Sean Manaea, a 12-game winner each of the past two seasons, began a rehab assignment from shoulder surgery on Monday, and pitcher Jharel Cotton (Tommy John surgery) should be joining him before long.
Injury-riddled Oakland has picked up five games on the division-leading Astros since June 16th.
Lefty prospects AJ Puk (Tommy John surgery) and Jesus Luzardo (shoulder strain) are also getting ready to play their way back into contention for a roster spot.
The AL West is All A’s… As in Astros
Oakland is pennng another great story, but take a look at who it is they are chasing before you go writing happy endings that involve a division title at the end of the yellow brick road.
From pitchers Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole to the bats of Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, and George Springer, the the Astros are a powerful machine. Houston is 7-1 against Oakland this season.
50-41 into the break! #RootedInOakland pic.twitter.com/JfQHS6lWgY
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) July 7, 2019
Soon, we’ll get a true sense of where Oakland is headed. An 11-game stretch launching July 18th features four at AL Central-leading Minnesota, three at Houston, and four against the playoff-contending Rangers.
Oakland could very well be a playoff team. But if so, it will again be as a Wild Card team.
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
