World Series Odds Update: Astros, Royals, Nationals Highlight Betting Lines

With baseball's All-Star break quickly approaching, the Houston Astros are the biggest surprise in the league, and the oddsmakers have taken notice as they sit at just 16-to-1 on the latest World Series betting lines at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.

The Kansas City Royals (15-2) are the league’s top team overall as early leaders in the AL Central following their World Series appearance last year. However, the Astros were as high as 150-to-1 to win the World Series last December and 75-to-1 back on April 15 and have proved to be the best team in the AL West early on thanks in part to an offensive power surge.

Houston leads baseball in home runs after ranking fourth in that category a year ago, while also cutting its team ERA down half a run from last season.

Meanwhile, other AL West teams like the Los Angeles Angels and the Seattle Mariners, who were supposed to contend for the division title, have had a difficult time topping the .500 mark.

The Angels are 25-to-1 on the odds to win the World Series after sitting at 10-to-1 last December, while the Mariners were 12-to-1 at the end of March but have floundered with losing records both at home and on the road this year to fall to 40-to-1.

The NL East’s Washington Nationals are the current favorites to win the World Series at 7-to-1 and have played much better over the past two months following a rough April that saw them get off to a 10-13 start.

The Nationals trailed the New York Mets (25-to-1 to win the World Series) during the first month of the season but have seen outfielder Bryce Harper emerge as the star hitter he was projected to be in his fourth season. Harper ranks second in home runs (24) and fifth in batting average (.339).

Washington’s main competition in the National League was supposed to come from the Los Angeles Dodgers (15-to-2), but they have sputtered lately and have watched the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants (11-to-1) close the gap in the NL West.

However, the St. Louis Cardinals (8-1) have been the most dominant team in the league with the overall best record and have two teams in the NL Central chasing them who have also proved themselves in the Pittsburgh Pirates (14-to-1) and Chicago Cubs (12-to-1).