The 2010 Major League Baseball regular season is a quarter of the way complete and after the first eight weeks of action some teams have made an early statement they hope to carry right through this Summer while some others are already digging themselves an early hole they may not be able to climb out of.
All 14 American League teams still have the dream of making it all the way to this year’s World Series, but in reality there are only a handful of teams that actually have a chance. Here is a look at my top four teams in the AL after week eight and their current odds to win the Pennant and the World Series.
Tampa Bay Rays Odds to win the AL Pennant 3-1 World Series 11-2
A little bit of the luster is off this team after the Rays were swept by Boston in three games last week and split a four game series with the White Sox over the weekend. They still lead New York in the AL East by 3 ½ games and have the best record in baseball at 34-17. Their team batting average of .257 ranks them sixth in the AL, but they are ranked fourth in runs scored with 264. Their staff ERA of 3.18 is still tops in the Al and remains the driving force behind this ballclub.
Minnesota Twins Odds to win the AL Pennant 8-1 World Series 14-1
Minnesota has won six of their last 10 games and currently has a four game winning streak. They are coming off a three game sweep of Texas over the weekend. At 30-20, they have a 3 ½ game lead over Detroit in the AL Central. They are an extremely balanced team with a batting average of .275; ranking them third in the AL, and an ERA of 3.72; ranking them second. Nick Blackburn has an ERA of 4.28, but he is currently 6-1 after nine starts.
New York Yankees Odds to win the AL Pennant 8-5 World Series 5-2
New York continues to keep pace with Tampa Bay in the East but has struggled a bit as well. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games but did manage to take three out of four from the Twins last week and two out of three from the Indians over the weekend. They lead the Majors in hitting with a team average of .282. They also lead in runs scored with 278. The Yankees’ pitching staff has gotten roughed up the past couple weeks as their team ERA has rose to 3.88, fifth in the AL.
Oakland Athletics Odds to win the AL Pennant 22-1 World Series 45-1
With a three game series win over Baltimore and a chance to make it three out of four against Detroit today, Oakland is back on top in the AL West. They are 27-24 with a ½ game lead over Texas and a 2 ½ game lead over Los Angeles. They have played extremely well at home, winning 18 of 27, but have struggled on the road going 9-15. With a team batting average of .254, the A’s are ranked eighth in the AL. They are ranked fourth in the AL with a team ERA of 3.85.
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