The start of the 2010 Major League Baseball regular season is upon us and after only one full week of action a couple of teams have already jumped out to a great start, while a few others probably wish the first five or six games they played were still part of spring training and did not count in the standings. Every American League team has a 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 one and their currents odds to win the AL Pennant and the World Series.
New York Yankees Odds to win the AL Pennant 2-1 World Series 14-5
Even though ace C.C. Sabathia and the defending World Series Champions got roughed up in their 9-7 season opening loss to their dreaded rivals, the Boston Red Sox, they rebounded nicely by winning four out of their next five. They took the next two from the Red Sox and two out of three from Tampa over the weekend. In Sabathia’s next start he erased any doubts by taking a no hitter into the eighth inning before giving up a two out single to Kelly Shoppach. The Yankee bats have been solid as well, averaging 6 ½ runs in their four wins. Robinson Cano has been the unlikely stud so far with nine hits in 26 at-bats and six RBI’s.
Detroit Tigers Odds to win the AL Pennant 11-1 World Series 24-1
Detroit has won five out of their first six games and four in a row to take an early lead in the AL Central. They took two out of three from Kansas City on the road and then swept a three game series against Cleveland at home over the weekend. In their dramatic 9-8 come from behind victory on Sunday, Carlos Guillen scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the ninth by Indian reliever Chris Perez. Starting pitcher, Justin Verlander was shelled for five runs in the first, including giving up a grand slam but the Tigers persevered to come back from a six run deficit to win the game.
Oakland Athletics Odds to win the AL Pennant 60-1 World Series 125-1
While all the preseason attention in the AL West was focused on defending division champion Los Angeles and Seattle, Oakland has caught everybody’s eye by winning five out of their first seven games. They lost to the Mariners 3-5 in their home opener, but were able to take the next three straight to win the series. They then took two out of three against the Angels using their bats to get the job done. Friday they won 10-4 and Sunday they won 9-4. They will get another shot at Seattle this week when they open a three games series starting today with the Mariner’s home opener.
Toronto Blue Jays Odds to win the AL Pennant 60-1 World Series 125-1
While this may the only week for Toronto to make it into the power rankings, their 5-1 start deserved some recognition in light of the fact they are currently in first place in the AL East. After losing their season opener to Texas 4-5, they have reeled off five straight wins including two against the Rangers and three against Baltimore. In their first six games they have scored 28 runs, but more impressively 12 of them have come in the ninth inning. They start a four game series against the Chicago White Sox tonight at 7:20 P.M. with their home opener at the Rogers Centre.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.