Rays New World Series Favorites as Dodgers Fall Behind Braves

• The Tampa Bay Rays lead the American League Championship Series 2-0 after Monday’s win
• The Atlanta Braves edged the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLCS and now lead 1-0
• The Rays are the new World Series favorites after the Dodgers’ loss

After Monday’s action in the Major League Baseball postseason, the Tampa Bay Rays are now the favorites in the 2020 World Series odds.

Tampa took a 2-0 lead on Houston in the ALCS, while the Los Angeles Dodgers – the previous favorite – lost Game 1 of the NLCS to the Atlanta Braves. Let’s take a closer look at the lines and see what’s changed.

2020 World Series Odds

Odds as of Oct. 13th at FanDuel.

Rays Move Up 2-0

There were a lot of people hopping on board the Houston Astros bandwagon heading into the ALCS, but that’s come to a grinding halt. The Astros have dug themselves an 0-2 hole after two games and their offense – which was shaky in the regular season – has disappeared.

That's how you capitalize pic.twitter.com/vSg0PEUJFA

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 12, 2020

The Astros had scored no fewer than three runs in any of their first six playoff games, averaging 6.7 runs per game. They’ve scored a total of three runs in the ALCS as the Rays pitching staff has shut them down. The Astros have had trouble capitalizing on opportunities; they have 19 hits through the two games, but just three runs to show for it.

As for the Rays, since they’re now two games away from a World Series berth, their odds to win the ALCS have significantly shortened and they are now the favorite to win the World Series, as well.

Dodgers Fall to Braves in Tight Game 1

Although the final score from Game 1 of the NLDS (5-1) might not look very tight, it definitely was a close contest. The Braves and Dodgers were locked in a 1-1 tie into the ninth inning before the Braves broke it open with four runs in the top half of the inning. Austin Riley clubbed the game-winning home run while Ozzie Albies also had a jack in the ninth inning for insurance.

This how you feel, Braves fans? 😤 pic.twitter.com/fzfr5vGQFk

— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2020

The starting pitchers on both sides dominated as Walker Buehler gave the Dodgers five relatively quality innings of work. He only allowed three hits and one earned run, but the five walks meant that he was constantly having to work around runners on base.

As for the Braves, they had a solid outing from Max Fried, who was nearly unhittable. He lasted six innings, giving up four hits, one earned run and two walks. He struck out nine batters as the Dodgers had trouble making contact.

Why the Odds Shift?

The Rays have shifted because they’re up 2-0 in the ALCS and the NLCS looks like it could be a long, competitive series. That means that from a betting perspective, the Rays path to the World Series might be easier since they have an inside track (right now) and we don’t even know who’ll survive the National League.