The Toronto Blue Jays have climbed back into postseason contention during their current eight-game winning streak and have been rewarded on the World Series odds, where they have returned to the middle of the pack as a +3300 wager at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto saw its World Series odds drop to as long as +5000 during a dismal 4-10 run in the second half of August, but the team has steadily regained ground during the 11-1 run that it takes into the opening date of a four-game weekend series with the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards on Friday night.
Despite their recent surge and revived playoff hopes, the Blue Jays remain off the pace set by the World Series betting favourites. The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers continue to lead the way as +300 chalk, just ahead of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays at +400. The Houston Astros are knotted with the Milwaukee Brewers at +550, just ahead of the Chicago White Sox at +600, while the San Francisco Giants round out the front of the pack at +700.
The Dodgers have maintained their perch atop the World Series odds at sports betting sites despite their current struggle to keep pace with the Giants in the battle for the top of the NL West. Los Angeles enters the weekend on a middling 3-4 run that leaves them trailing San Francisco by 2.5 games in the division standings. However, with a favourable schedule that has them facing bottom-feeders Colorado and Arizona in nine of their final 22 contests, the Dodgers remain a -105 wager to claim a ninth straight NL West title.
Unlike the Dodgers, Tampa Bay sits firmly in the driver’s seat in the AL East standings. Winners in 17 of their past 22 contests, the Rays enter the weekend with a comfortable nine-game lead over second-place Boston, and enjoy the benefit of 10 meetings with Detroit and Miami down the stretch. However, postseason success has consistently eluded the Rays, who came up short in their second all-time trip to the World Series last season, and have advanced past the ALDS just twice in six all-time postseason appearances.
The Astros and Brewers also hold comfortable leads atop their respective divisions. Milwaukee has been particularly hot since the all-star break, going 33-14 in the second half of the campaign, and has established itself as the best road team in the majors with a 46-24 record. Houston maintains a comfortable 5.5-game cushion atop the AL West, but has managed to post consecutive wins just once during a current 4-6 run.
