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00:00If we are taking a look at the AL in totality here at the FanDuel Sportsbook, there are
00:06five teams at a 10 to 1 price or less to win that AL pennant.
00:10That's the Twins, Guardians, Astros, Orioles, and Yankees.
00:12Now up top, obviously, it's the Yankees and the Orioles.
00:15But look at the Houston Astros at a plus 4.30 price.
00:17Let me ask you this question, Mark, outside of the Yankees and the Orioles, who right
00:21now are considered the top dogs, are we trusting the Houston Astros now?
00:25A team that I left for dead a month and a half ago, now surging, looks like they're
00:28going to win the AL West.
00:29But I still can't buy back into the Astros.
00:31Do you have a pathway to victory that you see for the Houston Astros here?
00:36Yeah, actually I do.
00:38And again, I told you guys back in the middle of June, I thought Houston was a great bet
00:41to win the AL West.
00:43When you look at, look, adding, Franbois Valdez, first of all, at the top of the rotation.
00:47They add Yusei Kikuchi, who has been very good since coming over.
00:50Not only that, Hunter Brown and Ronel Blanco have quietly had fantastic seasons.
00:55They have the best starting staff, all deference to the Cleveland Guardians, who have been
00:59very, very good in the starting pitching role.
01:02But they have the best starting depth, one, two, three, and four of any pitching team
01:07in the American League.
01:08They just do.
01:09That's what their strength is.
01:11And obviously, look, if Houston somehow, I don't think they'll be able to snake homefield
01:15advantage from anybody.
01:17But at least in the first couple of rounds, getting to the ALCS, guess what?
01:21They're going to have homefield advantage, play a ton of runs.
01:25It took them a while to get going.
01:27But they've also got the postseason experience.
01:29They've also got players who have been through this ringer several times before.
01:32You know, the Guardians and the Yankees and the Orioles don't have a lot of deep postseason
01:36experience because guess what?
01:37They haven't gotten there.
01:38So from that standpoint, you know, these are teams that are all kind of chasing Houston
01:44down as far as, you know, trying to be a team that can upset the apple cart for them to
01:48win the World Series.
01:49Texas pulled it off last year, but I don't think any of these teams, I wouldn't bet any
01:54of these teams head-to-head in Houston in the ALCS right now.