NL Central Odds Update: Brewers Lead, But Reds Are Scorching Hot

The NL Central has been messy in 2023, as the Milwaukee Brewers are favored to win the division.

We’ll dive into each team in the division ranked where FanDuel Sportsbook has them on the odds board. 

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The Milwaukee Brewers aren’t playing well in June, falling out of first place in the NL Central. The Brewers have lost six of their last ten games but remain just 1.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds for the division lead. The Brewers’ pitching remains a strength, which likely factors into why they’re still the odds-on favorites. Even though Milwaukee is the favorite to win the NL Central, their odds have dropped over the last week from -105 to +115. 

The Chicago Cubs played poorly for a large chunk of May but have found some consistency in June. The Cubs have won eight of their last ten games but trail the Reds by 3.5 games for the NL Central lead and sit five out of a wild-card spot. Heading into their London series against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs’ odds of winning the division rose from +370 to +350. 

The Reds went into the regular season projected to struggle. That hasn’t happened, and their young talent has reignited the club. Of the five teams in the NL Central, the Reds are playing the best baseball, winning eleven straight games heading into a series against the NL-leading Atlanta Braves. With their June surge, the Reds are on top of the NL Central at 40-35. Still, the Rell aren’t the favorites to win the division, holding the third-shortest odds. However, Cincy has been bet down from +1100 to +360 over the last week. 

The St. Louis Cardinals entered the year as the favorites to win the NL Central. They looked anything but a contender through April and early May, struggling to pick up wins. June started on a sour note for the Red Birds, and the month may end like that too. The Cardinals have only won four of their last ten, are nine games back in the NL Central, and 10.5 back in the wild-card race. The Cards still own +470 odds to win the division. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates got off to a shockingly good start, leading the NL Central for a significant portion of the first two months. They’ve since returned to earth and are playing more like the team we expected. The Pirates have lost ten games in a row, putting them 5.5 games behind the Reds and seven out of a wild-card spot. With their recent horrible play, the Pirates have seen their odds of winning the NL Central drop from +600 to +1900. 

NL Central Odds on FanDuel Sportsbook. 

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