Yankees, Astros Lead as MLB Division Races Heat Up
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00:00All right, Joe Ranieri, let's take a look at the standings now in baseball.
00:09We'll start with the American League East and the Yankees lead over the Orioles now
00:14is two games and everybody else is toast, right?
00:20Pretty much.
00:21I mean, at this point, you can stick a fork in Boston.
00:24Tampa is no good.
00:25Toronto was a little too little too late.
00:28It is clearly a two horse race in that one there, Scotty, I can't imagine and I don't
00:34like the Orioles.
00:35I think they're a young team and I think it's only going to get worse from here for them.
00:41So now we have the odds in the East.
00:44What are the odds that the Yankees get it done minus 220?
00:49It's inevitable, isn't it, that they're going to get it done if this guy, Judge and Soto
00:54are in the lineup and healthy.
00:57And I'll even say without Stanton, Stanton's now back from his annual two month vacation
01:04that he goes on, but he's hitting home runs too.
01:08And if they're all three of them are in the lineup, they're winning that.
01:11They're winning that division.
01:14Without a doubt.
01:15And both guys got it.
01:16Ironically, right?
01:17Both of them aren't just home run.
01:19It's not like the bash brothers.
01:21It's not like can say go McGuire, right?
01:23We're talking about dudes that can hit 300, 325, can hit doubles, can hit home runs.
01:29I mean, you don't even know how to pitch them.
01:31It's ridiculous how good Judge and Soto are and what kind of year they can have.
01:37There's no doubt about it.
01:39And now everybody else is doing stuff.
01:41Like I think Labor Day has been awful this year, but he's been good lately.
01:46And Jazz Chisholm has been incredible since they got it.
01:50So that's five guys that are producing and I could, you know, they say Verdugo's got
01:57this problem, that problem, and then, you know, he turns around and hits a home run.
02:01I mean Rizzo's in a rehab stint if they get that bat back.
02:07I mean, that guy, you know, from the left side, I think the season for me is a wash
02:12for him.
02:13I don't know if he'll ever have his timing back where he was hitting home runs and, you
02:18know, mattering when he came to the plate five times.
02:21Do you think Rizzo will ever matter for them again this year?
02:24I don't think Rizzo, I don't think it was physical with Rizzo, Scotty.
02:29I think it was above the shoulders.
02:31And I think maybe the best thing to happen to him was that he got hurt and he got a little
02:35time away from the game so he could reset and recalibrate.
02:38I think he was far too much in his head.
02:41All right, let's go to the central standings and then the odds.
02:45So the standings right now, Cleveland, it's Nipsey Russell.
02:49It's down to one game on Kansas City, two and a half on the twins.
02:55And then we could show the odds for the central and the Guardians are somehow still favored.
03:02I'm pouncing on that Kansas City 230.
03:06I don't know how you can't, Scotty.
03:08I mean, the Guardians clearly aren't as good a hitting team as they were early on in the
03:13season.
03:15And that bullpen is getting taxed and that starting rotation doesn't scare anybody.
03:20I'm sorry.
03:21So I think they've got some problems there in Cleveland for sure.
03:26All right, let's look at the West now, the AL West, the Astros.
03:33It was four and a half.
03:34Now it's three and a half with Seattle winning last night and the Astros losing in Philly.
03:39So I thought they were Gucci at four and a half.
03:42They're okay still here, aren't they, at three and a half?
03:46I mean, listen, it's still Houston's to lose as far as I'm concerned, but the Mariners
03:51after firing, you know, Scott Service there have actually played a little bit better here.
03:58So it's not like they didn't have the talent, Scotty.
04:00We thought they would compete for the division crown.
04:04Now they're three and a half games out.
04:06So anything is possible.
04:07All right.
04:09So let's look at the odds for the West and look at that, minus 650.
04:15So we see what the sports books think, that it's already over.
04:21I mean, Scott, it's, you know, they're telling you right now, and it is, it's Houston's to
04:25lose, Scotty.
04:26That's exactly correct.
04:27And that's what the odds are telling you.
04:29But we've seen stranger things happen the final couple of weeks of the regular seasons.
04:33All right, let's look at the AL wildcard standings now.
04:39The Orioles and Royals and twins are the bearers.
04:43They got the tickets to the postseason, Boston's five out, Seattle, five and a half too deep.
04:50Yeah.
04:51I mean, listen, Kansas City, Minnesota, and let's say the guardians win.
04:56That's three teams from the central that bodes very well for teams like the Yankees who would
05:02have to play one of them.
05:04And what about these odds of these wildcard teams?
05:08Yeah, no, um, Royals to me, Scotty, all Royal money.
05:13All right, Joe, let's switch over to the National League side now and start with the East standings.
05:20The Phillies lead is six over the Braves.
05:25I got a hard time believing that the Braves can make up six games in basically 30 days.
05:34I can't, Scotty.
05:36Not with that pitching staff.
05:37Again, I think the injuries are catching up to Atlanta.
05:41I think ultimately it's going to be their undoing.
05:44I think the Mets are in a much better spot than Atlanta is at this point.
05:49So it would not shock me that this will be the first time since 2017, Scotty, if Atlanta
05:55doesn't make the postseason, this will be the first since 2017.
05:59I think that's the path we're heading.
06:02Just look at the odds now for this East in terms of, look at the price on the Phillies.
06:09It's already over.
06:11It's done.
06:12Yeah, it's done.
06:13And you can thank that first half for the Phillies, Scotty, because that's pretty much
06:17where they want it.
06:19Not what they've done after the All-Star break, that's for sure.
06:21It's what they did before the All-Star break with that easy schedule.
06:25They took advantage of everything.
06:28Now can they hold on and ride it through the postseason is the big question.
06:32All right, let's go to the NL Central standings.
06:37Obviously, this is 10 games, so there's no need to even discuss the odds.
06:45The Brewers are going to win this division and that'll be that.
06:50Yes, absolutely.
06:52The Brewers are good to go and they too, Scotty, I think won it in the first half.
06:58But the thing with the Brewers is the rest of that division collapsed.
07:03The Cardinals couldn't win a game the first two months of the season.
07:06The Cubs, everyone thought the Cubs were going to be the team to beat.
07:09They've been an absolute disaster and everyone expected the Pirates to be better, but they
07:15weren't going to contend for the title of that division.
07:19It's the Brewers again, they took advantage and they're playing great baseball.
07:24All right, let's go to the NL West and the Dodgers lead, despite how good they are, is
07:31three over the D-backs and four over their rival, the Padres.
07:36And meanwhile, you already know what the Diamondbacks do to them when they play them, but I think
07:41they only play them four more times, right?
07:44I think that's it.
07:46But again, it's going to be a race to the finish.
07:48This was a Dodger team, Scotty.
07:49Remember their win total was like 104, 105.
07:55Everyone thought the Dodgers were going to just run away with this.
07:57They're not running away with anything.
07:59And oh yeah, a lot of experience on this Diamondbacks team now, Scotty, having been there just a
08:04year ago.
08:05I wouldn't count them out at all.
08:08Let's see what the odds are to win the West.
08:11They have the Dodgers at minus 800.
08:15Yeah, that's a little aggressive.
08:20I mean, can you see a situation in which the Diamondbacks overtake them down three and
08:24a half games?
08:25I can.
08:26It might be worth a little sprinkle there, Scotty, at what, 10 to 1, 11 to 1?
08:31No problem with that.
08:32Both of those teams, I think, are worth some shekels.
08:37Yep, absolutely, and especially the Padres, too, if they can get their act together and
08:43they've got reinforcements coming.
08:45So yeah, I think minus 800 is a little bit aggressive there to think that the Dodgers
08:51are just going to run away with the West.
08:53All right, let's look at the wildcard standings now.
08:58It's the D-backs, Padres, and Braves.
09:01The Mets are not finished.
09:05Would you say the Giants and Cubs are?
09:09Yes, I think the Giants and the Cubs are done.
09:13I think it's the Mets and the Braves is going to be there for that final spot, and my money's
09:18on the Mets to get it done, Scotty.
09:20I think the Braves are just too many injuries, and I don't think they're going to be able
09:24to overcome it down the stretch.
09:26So my money would be on the Mets, which is probably a halfway decent price right now
09:31to make the playoffs.
09:33Let's look at the odds to make the playoffs.
09:37These teams, look at the Mets at plus 340.
09:43That would be my bet, Scotty.
09:44I think the Mets have a, I mean, minus 580 for Atlanta?
09:49No, absolutely not.
09:50I think the Mets are very well worth a stand, especially, and the Mets have a great game
09:56coming up, a great series happening this week.
09:59Again, they've been playing great on the road.
10:01Who's hitting better than the Mets?
10:03I got no problem taking that bet.
10:06So I want to know, I want to look this up at the very least.
10:11I see where the Mets are.
10:13I want to see their schedule.
10:14So they go, they're tonight in Arizona against the D-backs, and it's three games in the desert
10:23against the Snakes, which is not going to be fun at all with the way that team is hitting
10:29and the way that team, Arizona, is winning.
10:32But then they go to the White Sox to end August.
10:38They get into September with one more with Chicago on the South side.
10:43Those games are in Chicago, but then they come home on Labor Day.
10:49They have Boston at home at City, and then Tuesday and Wednesday as well, and then three
10:55more with the Reds before they go to Toronto for three, and then Philly for three before
11:05coming back to City, not to go too far ahead, but it's the Nationals after that, and then
11:10the Phillies again, and the Phillies again is at Citi Field.
11:14So they have a lot of big games coming up and a lot of big games at Citi Field in Queens.
11:21I correct, and I think the second to last series, it's a four-gamer against Atlanta.
11:27So a lot to be determined here, but a lot of very winnable games, Scotty, as you pointed
11:33out, White Sox, Boston, Cincinnati, Toronto, a lot of those games are very winnable for
11:39the Mets.
11:40Yeah, but at the end, those last six games at Atlanta and at Milwaukee could be the kiss
11:48of death for them.
11:50Or it could be what they win it with right there, because I think ultimately that's when
11:56it's going to come down, barring any sort of crazy collapse by Atlanta.
11:59I think that's exactly what Major League Baseball wanted.
12:03Scotty, the final week and a half of the season to matter like it's going to matter
12:07for the Mets and Braves.
12:09There's no doubt about it.
12:10So we also have the best baseball teams on the Moneyline, best Moneyline teams this season
12:20and the worst.
12:21The best, you see Brewers, D-backs, guards, Padres, Royals, and the worst, Braves, Marlins,
12:30Rangers, White Sox.
12:31Imagine that the Rangers, the World Series chumps have been one of the worst teams on
12:37the Moneyline all season.
12:39I'm a little shocked that White Sox at 31 and 100 are on that list, Scotty.
12:44I really, you know, I thought for sure they'd be a better investment there, but every one
12:51of those teams on the left, Brewers, Diamondbacks, Guardians, Padres, Royals, they all started
12:57bad, had no expectations.
13:00And look at where they are all close to what mid seventies and 80 wins on the season.
13:05That's no shock right there that they're the best Moneyline teams in baseball right now.
13:11Let's look at the best over under teams, the best over teams, D-backs, O's, Marlins, Yanks,
13:20Red Sox, Brew Crew, and the best under teams, Braves, Astros, Rays, A's, Cubs, and there's
13:28those Rangers again.
13:30What do you think of the teams that score the most runs?
13:34Yeah, the Diamondbacks, Scotty, are averaging this year close to six runs a game.
13:42That and the Yankees are right up there with the most run, the average runs per game.
13:47All of those teams mash the ball, except for the Marlins who generally give up a whole
13:52lot of those runs there.
13:54But otherwise, any one of those teams, Scotty, is a great bet for an over on any given night.
14:00Let's look at this no run first inning for those bettors.
14:05The best no run first inning teams this season, Cubs, Bucks, Mets, Nats, Cards, top the list.
14:12Yeah, that's it.
14:14Well, you have lack of hitting and maybe some decent starting pitching there.
14:18Oh, and then there's the White Sox.
14:19They're on that list again.