The Chicago White Sox continue their decline on the baseball futures after picking up just six wins in their past 21 games, a stretch that has knocked them from top spot in the AL Central standings and dropped them to +2000 on the odds to win the World Series at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The White Sox looked to be the surprise story of the young season, charging out of the gate to an American League-best 23-10 start and vaulting up the World Series odds from a middling +3300 on Opening Day, joining the favorites with strong +1100 odds in early May.
Chicago takes their first two-game win streak in two weeks into Detroit, where they kick off a three-game weekend set on Friday night at Comerica Park, but must return home next week for two series against division leaders, Washington and Kansas City.
While the White Sox have plummeted at the sportsbooks the Seattle Mariners continue their steady climb, riding a 9-5 run into a battle for first in the AL West standings and +1600 odds to win the World Series.
Winners of just 76 games a year ago, the Mariners opened 2016 as a +4000 afterthought on the title odds but have emerged as road warriors this season, tallying an MLB-best 18 road wins to date and improving to a +140 bet to win their first division crown since 2001.
The Chicago Cubs’ continued flirtation with a .700 win percentage has kept them atop the World Series odds as big +350 favorites.
The Cubs have gotten the job done, both on the mound and at the plate, with the club’s hurlers combining to post a major league-leading 2.65 ERA, while the offense sits third in the league in runs scored, forcing the run total OVER in six of their past 10 games according to the OddsShark MLB Database.
The Boston Red Sox own first place in the AL East standings going into the weekend and have climbed slightly to +900 on the World Series odds, where they are joined by the red-hot San Francisco Giants, who have rebounded after slipping to +1400 in early May.
The Nationals remain in the mix, sitting alongside the Mets at +1100 despite both clubs’ recent struggles with inconsistency, while the Rangers round out the favorites at +1200.
The Mariners are joined at +1600 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, just ahead of the resurgent Toronto Blue Jays, who are deadlocked with the defending champion Royals at +1800, while the Baltimore Orioles remain neck-and-neck with the White Sox at +2000.
