A sleeping giant is starting awake inside the NL Central Division, and the best sites to bet on MLB are beginning to take notice. Though it looked like at one point the odds-on favorite Milwaukee Brewers would run away with the division, the St. Louis Cardinals have not only started knocking on the door, but they’re threatening to tear the entire thing down.
To Milwaukee’s credit, they have maintained their pole position atop the NL Central—so far, anyway. The Cardinals are breathing down their necks, however, in the latest odds to win the NL Central Division title over at BetOnline:
| Division Winner |  |
|---|---|
| Minnesota Twins | +105 |
| Chicago White Sox | +185 |
| Cleveland Guardians | +310 |
| Detroit Tigers | +40000 |
| Kansas City Royals | +75000 |
Talk about your tightly contested races. We remember when the Brewers opened up as favorites somewhere between -225 and -300. The latest returns represent a stark drop. Milwaukee doesn’t just have to worry about St. Louis, either. At least one of the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds technically still has some, albeit not a lot, of time to apply additional pressure. The Pittsburgh Pirates, of course, are just flat-out done.
No matter which team you’re leaning toward right now, though, you’ll need to keep confirming these MLB futures until you actually submit your wager. The NL Central Division title won’t be determined until the end of the season, and our baseball betting odds are accurate entering games on Thursday, June 29, giving them plenty of opportunities to shift moving forward.
In the event you have not yet found an odds provider to take your NL Central Division title prediction, you’re in luck. We have a whole array of betting reviews just itching to help you out. Whether you’re in the market for betting on the World Series or searching for the top legal online sportsbooks in the USA, we have all the information you could ever need.
In a word: Yes.
At the same time, the Brewers are not even close to imploding. They are wrapping up a shaky June but starting to find their groove on offense once more. Just ask start outfielder Hunter Renfroe, who has been on an absolute scorcher in recent games. Milwauke’s pitching staff has also largely held serve during their toughest droughts.
If there’s one area of concern, it’s consistency. The Brewers have some bad losses on their ledger, as well as some bad almost losses they turned into wins. Though they currently sit atop the NL Central Division, they actually rank eight in overall run differential in the entire National League.
To be honest, probably not.
Sure, the Cardinals were just recently swept by the Tampa Bay Rays. But they have responded to that series letdown by winning five of their next seven games.
What’s they’re doing on offense is also just silly. They seem innocent at first blush—a top 10 team in on-base plus slugging percentage, but not one that hits with a ton of power.
However, did you know that the Cardinals are posting a higher collective batting average (.255) than the World Series favorite New York Yankees? That’s ridiculous, even when factoring in the Yankees have been a slight letdown on offense.
Truth be told, both the Cubs and Reds are operating on fumes as they try to catch up to the Cardinals and Brewers. They are +25000 payouts for a reason.
With this in mind, we’re not ready to call the Cubs dunzo.
Youth and inexperience have plagued them on the mound, where Chicago is posing a 4.85 ERA, one of the five worst in baseball. But the kids in the starting rotation are beginning to throw deeper into games without losing their composure.
More than that, the Cubs have shown a knack for scrapping on offense. Their entire order is thriving when it comes to working pitch counts. Chicago is 10th overall in on-base percentage, a grind-it-out mentality they’ve parlayed into some impressive, if unexpected, victories over the past few weeks.
Bettors have a unique opportunity on their hands at the sportsbooks when it comes to handicapping the NL Central Division title.
From where we’re sitting, the St. Louis Cardinals should be the odds-on favorites. They certainly seemed on that track just a couple of weeks ago. Getting swept at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays ultimately cost them, which in turn opened the door for you to jump on them while they’re both back on the rise and still paying out better than even money.
This isn’t meant to seem like we’re being dismissive of the Brewers. Their pitching staff can be harrowing. So, too, can their offensive warts when they need to come through deep into pitch counts or with runners in scoring position.
Frankly, the Cardinals have been the best team in the NL Central for over a month. And we don’t see that dynamic changing.
SBS Prediction: St. Louis Cardinals (+130)
Take a look at this list of the top online sportsbooks so you can decide which one to use for all of your 2022 MLB betting:
About the Author
Around the age of 12, Dan realized, sadly, he’d never become a professional basketball player. It turns out people under 6’0” who can’t dribble or shoot aren’t touted prospects. Who knew?! Anyway, once it became clear he could play professional sports, he figured the next best thing to do was cover them. So, that’s what he did. And continues to do. Dan has worked in the pro sports analysis industry since 2011, giving him almost 15 years total experience. Though started out covering and continues to be enamored by the NBA, he has spent the past decade or so expanding his expertise and analysis to the NFL, NHL, MLB, tennis, esports and golf. Over the past few years, Dan has cannonballed into full-on sports betting news coverage. He remains fascinated by the impact the legalization of gambling in the United States is having on the country. It has, in so many ways, changed everything about how we consume sports. Is that good? Bad? Does it all even out in the end? His coverage has always and will continue trying to reconcile the duality of this industry, pro sports at large and their influence. In his spare time, Dan enjoys honing his weightlifting, eating enough sweet potatoes to feed a rather large family, binge-watching his all-time favorite shows (Psych is the goat!) and hanging out with his three dogs, all of whom are Cockaliers, Thor, Wade and Cosmo. Typically, though, if he’s not eating or sleeping, Dan is watching or covering sports—and loving basically every minute of it.
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