Chicago MLB Teams Playing Well Heading Into Dog Days of Summer

This content was produced in partnership with Gambler.Media

It might be an interesting summer and fall for fans of the two Chicago Major League Baseball teams.

Both teams sit in good shape headed into July: the White Sox lead the American League Central by a few games over Cleveland, while the Cubs are in a dead heat with Milwaukee at the top of the National League Central.

When you look at the odds for both teams to win their respective divisions, though, there is a huge disparity between the two sides. The White Sox are an overwhelming favorite at odds of -550, with Cleveland +400. No other team in the division is lower than +2800 odds, meaning it is a two-horse race.

Get our free mobile app

But those odds do not really show that: it is all about the White Sox. You would have to lay $550 to win back $650 (your bet plus $100), which is not really worth the value: maybe you could parlay that with another wager. The point is, though, that the sportsbooks think the White Sox are going to run away with the AL Central, or those odds would be much closer to even money.

In the NL Central, even though the two teams are about even right now, Milwaukee is -110 to win the division, with the Cubs at odds of +250, according to IllinoisGambler.com. The Cardinals and Reds are both around +550, with both teams hanging around .500 and about five games out of first place.

Baseball is a funny game, and even a team that has gone 3-33 (what?) over the last month and a half (Arizona) can beat the Brewers on a given night (June 21). Teams can also get hot: Tampa Bay, for instance, has two 10+ game winning streaks this year.

For the Cubs to have odds of +250 in this tight race might provide you with some value. Of course, so does the basically even money on the Brewers (-110).

Any of the NL Central teams will have long odds to win the National League pennant as well, with the two NL West sides, the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers (+180 odds to win the NL pennant) and the San Diego Padres (+400) the top two teams in the futures, with the Mets +425.

The Brewers are +1000, which might not be a bad wager for a few bucks, with the Cubs (+1800) strangely behind the Cardinals (+1750).

But the other Chicago team is now the favorite to win the AL pennant. The White Sox are now priced at +325, ahead of the Houston Astros (odds of +400). The preseason favorite New York is at +550, with the defending AL champion Tampa Bay at +600.

The White Sox are also the second favorite at +700 to win the World Series, behind just the Dodgers (+360) and ahead of the Padres (+800).

It really might be a very interesting few months in Chicago.

If you or anyone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER.