There’s a real tussle developing in the battle to win the AL Central, with the Cleveland Guardians, the Minnesota Twins, and the Chicago White Sox battling it out to win the division. So who will win? Let’s have a look and choose our MLB pick to win the AL Central.
Of the six MLB divisions, three of them still have live betting markets. The AL East and AL Central are still alive and kicking, and over in the NL East, the action has just gone neck and neck between the Mets and the Braves.
The other three divisions are deemed to be over as betting events. In the AL West, the Astros are ten wins ahead of the Mariners, and that race already looks run.
While in the NL West, the Dodgers are 19 wins ahead of the Padres. Hell would have to freeze over for that division to become competitive again! In the NL Central, the Cardinals have a decent-sized lead over the Brewers.
Even though the Cardinals’ lead doesn’t look insurmountable, it’s the form of the two sides that makes the division look over. The Cardinals have been one of the form teams in MLB lately, while the Brewers are finding it difficult to put a winning run together.
Back to the AL Central, and the best MLB betting sites still favors the Cleveland Guardians. BetOnline has the Guardians at odds on, but the odds are now fluctuating almost daily.
| AL Central Division Winner Betting |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Guardians | -130 | -125 |
| Minnesota Twins | +300 | +285 |
| Chicago White Sox | +290 | +285 |
Earlier in the week, Cleveland was at -105, now they are -130. It’s the same with Minnesota. Just a couple of days ago, they were +210 second favorites, now they are +300 third favorites.
As for the White Sox, they are +290, their odds have been crashing in. They were +425 at the turn of the week, then +310 on Wednesday, and now they are +290, and second favorites after the latest round of fixtures.
The best MLB World Series betting sites give none of these three teams any chance of winning the 2022 title. The Guardians are +5000, with the Twins and the White Sox both at +8000.
The Guardians lost five in a row at the turn of the month and that has opened up the division. Going in their favor has been the erratic form of the Twins, but it’s certainly a fact that the Guardians did little to help themselves as August turned to September.
They did end that horror run with back-to-back wins over the Royals this week, but they managed to lose the third match 2-1 on Wednesday, And besides, wins over Kansas is hardly a sign that a team is returning to form.
Next up for the Guardians is a triple header away to the Twins starting on Friday night. The outcome of that mini-series looks set to go a long way to deciding who wins the division.
The Minnesota Twins are currently facing off against the New York Yankees, and it could be a case of damage limitation.
They also haven’t done themselves as much justice as they could during the recent losing streak suffered by the Guardians. On the same weekend, the Guardians were on their losing streak, the Twins were helping out by losing 13-0 away to the White Sox.
Other than that, they have been picking up mini-series wins, but they are still falling short. There is usually always one loss in a trio of matches.
If the Twins can come out of the Yankees series still within touching distance of the Guardians, they will have the opportunity to overtake them this weekend. If they come out of the Yankees series a few wins behind, they will need a lock-out just to get near again.
The Chicago White Sox are 6-4 in their last ten. The form of the Guardians and the Twins has helped, and it has allowed them to stay in the race without going on a season-defining run themselves.
The White Sox have two winnable series coming up against the Athletics and the Rockies over the next few days. They will need to win both to cash in.
Whilst they are playing the Athletics this weekend, their two chief rivals will be battling it out. So, if the Guardians and the Twins take games off each other, the White Sox could be in business.
The White Sox can’t afford slip-ups for another reason, as next week they visit Cleveland to take on the Guardians in a one-off match on Wednesday. This could be a season-defining match, depending on how this weekend’s fixtures go.
There are two issues to consider for me. First; the outcome of the season is still in the hands of the Cleveland Guardian.
They have the lead, albeit a small one, and they have to play the Twins this weekend, and the White Sox next week. If they win all those, they will most probably clinch the division.
Second; The odds. The White Sox looks like the best value bet. The Guardians and Twins clash this weekend, while the White Sox play lowly Oakland Athletics. If results go in their favor, the White Sox may well be top of the table next week, and most probably the new betting favorites.
For those reasons, I think the +290 on the Chicago White Sox looks the best pick at this moment in time.
You can read more about this sportsbook in our BetOnline sportsbook review.
About the Author
Dean is primarily a fan of English football who regularly attends games, and combining his hobby with his job, he is now a full-time sports betting writer. Rather than going down the educational route into sports journalism, Dean learned his trade by writing for his English football betting website since 2009, where he now boasts nearly 15 years of experience. After writing about football daily for years, Dean has taken the skills he learned and now uses them to great effect writing for numerous affiliate sites across the internet. A general all-around sports enthusiast with a passion for English football and cricket, Dean is also well able to turn his hand to writing about golf, tennis, F1, boxing, snooker, darts, and North American sports. Combining his extensive knowledge and experience with British humor and wit, Dean has developed into a trusted voice within the sports betting industry.
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