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Athletics’ AL West Divisional Odds Improve as Astros’ Continue to Fade

Robert Duff

by Robert Duff in MLB Baseball

Updated Mar 9, 2021 · 2:57 PM PST

Oakland A's celebrate at home plate
Oakland Athletics players celebrating at home plate. Photo by Yann Caradec (flickr).
  • The odds of the Oakland Athletics winning the AL West has shortened to +152 from +260 in 13 days
  • As other AL West clubs suffer pitching shortages, should you get money down on the A’s before their odds grow shorter?
  • See current odds for the entire division within the story below

Not even a week into the season, the Oakland Athletics are already grading out all A’s in the AL West Division race.

It would be wrong to suggest that the Houston Astros are suddenly being issued failing marks. However, the defending AL champions have certainly been downgraded to at least an A-minus.

While the pitching staffs of their division rivals are riddled with injury and uncertainty, the Athletics look to be firing on all cylinders. As such, their betting odds to win the AL West have shortened significantly.

Across the leading sportsbooks, Oakland’s average betting line dropped from +260 to +152 in the 2020 MLB division odds.

2020 AL West Division Odds

Team Odds at DraftKings
Houston Astros -106
Oakland Athletics +160
Los Angeles Angels +500
Texas Rangers +1600
Seattle Mariners +8000

Odds taken July 28th

Houston is still the odds-on division favorite. However, the Astros saw their average betting line lengthen from -167 to -109.

Astros Pitching a Fit

Last season, the Astros won 107 games. That led the AL and was 10 better than the win total assembled by the A’s.

Of those wins, 41 were provided by the dynamic starting pitching duo of AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander and AL strikeout leader Gerrit Cole. The latter packed up and left. Cole signed with the New York Yankees as a free agent last winter.

For a brief time early this week, it appeared that the former was about to pack it in for the season. There was speculation that Verlander would be done for the year with an elbow injury.

However, later in the day, Verlander took to social media to insist his ailment was nothing more than a forearm strain. He’s hopeful that he’ll be back on the mound this season.

Angels, Rangers Also Ailing on the Mound

Offseason addition Corey Kluber, the former Cy Young winner, was supposed to beef up the pedestrian pitching staff of the Texas Rangers. After working one inning, facing three batters and delivering 18 pitches, Kluber left his debut Texas start with shoulder tightness.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani was making his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery in September of 2018. He didn’t get out of the first inning against Oakland.

Ohtani failed to retire any of the six batters he faced. He surrendered three hits and walked three while giving up five runs.

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Athletics are Flexing

Oakland is off to a 3-1 start to the season for the first time since 2010. Bullpens will be vital in this strange, tightly-packed 60-game season, and so far Oakland’s relief corps is pulling out all the stops.

Monday, five Oakland relievers combined to hold the Angels scoreless over the final five innings of a 3-0 win. Over the four-game series, Oakland’s bullpen combined to allow just one earned run in 20 1/3 innings.

https://youtu.be/kQl_m6DZk50

Oakland even is able to throw a 1-2 punch at closer. When Liam Hendriks needs a day off, the A’s can turn to veteran Joakim Soria, who’s recorded 222 saves in his career. That’s the MLB record for a Mexican-born pitcher.

The A’s have won 97 games in successive seasons and earned an AL Wildcard berth each year. They’ll play 12 of their first 16 games at home.

They are healthy, deep and poised to overtake the Astros and win the AL West. Bet Oakland before the price shortens any further.

Pick: Oakland Athletics (+160).

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