The Cleveland Guardians are the front runners in the AL Central and are currently favored to capture the division crown in 2022.
SportsGrid will follow the AL Central closely over the final month of the MLB season and offer a weekly update from the FanDuel Sportsbook, which has plenty of betting implications for how things finish out in the three-headed AL Central race. Not only will we be looking toward their upcoming series but also tracking their divisional, playoff, and World Series odds along the way.
This week in Guardians action, Cleveland is set to continue their three-game set with the Kansas City Royals after opening yesterday with a victory, followed by an important three-game series with the second-place Minnesota Twins.
Cleveland Guardians to Win AL Central (-120) (Last week: -160)With a record of 69-64, the Guardians hold a slim one-game lead in the AL Central over the Minnesota Twins and a two-game advantage over the Chicago White Sox. It’s been a troublesome stretch for Cleveland lately, owning a 2-5 record over the last week of action. The division race will likely come down to the Guardians’ eight remaining matchups with the second-place Twins, which is nearly a third of the team’s remaining schedule. The Guardians are picking a poor time to struggle, which has seen their odds drop in their pursuit of the AL Central. Since last Tuesday, the Guardians have fallen from -160 to -120 to win the AL Central. With their potent starting pitching, betting against the up-and-coming Guardians might not be the best plan. Still, there’s certainly value in the White Sox and Twins at their current prices with how tight the race is.
Cleveland Guardians to Win American League (+2200) (Last week: +1700)This is an exciting race to follow because despite still leading the AL Central over the last week, the Guardians have seen some sizable line movement of their odds to win the American League. Cleveland has found a lot of success from their rotation, and it’s not difficult seeing them as one of the more difficult outs in the American League with their top three arms. The Guardians now sit with +2200 odds after being at +1700 last week, and there’s more to get excited about with this number to win the pennant in what’s still any of these three teams’ division to capture.
Cleveland Guardians to Win World Series (+6000) (Last week: +5000)Even though there weren’t any sizable additions to the Guardians at the trade deadline, they’ve continued to be a difficult team to unseat atop the AL Central. You can undoubtedly see teams being fearful of a rotation that features Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, and Cal Quantrill as a three-headed monster. Even if the Guardians wouldn’t enter a postseason series as a favorite, they should present an easy case to back as an underdog with the depth of their rotation and how they can limit runs. With a tough week, the Guardians saw their World Series odds fall from +5000 to +6000. It’s unlikely this is the year the Guardians make headlines and capture the World Series, meaning you can understand why their odds continue to fall, even if they still hold the top spot in the AL Central.
