Leading The Astros, The Rays Become Favored To Win The World Series

• Following key wins by the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves, the MLB oddsmakers now have the Rays as the strong favorite to win the championship at +140 odds.
• The Rays will look to go up 3-0 on the Houston Astros Tuesday, where they are slight favorites at -112 to the Astros’ -108.
• Meanwhile, the Braves look to continue their success as the underdog against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers, getting +150 odds to win.

LAS VEGAS – The Championship Series’ of the MLB playoffs are in full swing this week, with four of the best clubs in the sport battling it out for a chance at a trip to the World Series.

Monday saw two more terrific games from both sides of the league with the Tampa Bay Rays going up 2-0 on the Houston Astros, and the Atlanta Braves opening up their series with an upset win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The betting action is seriously spicing up, with MLB bettors looking to make some major plays before these series’ get too deep. Currently, legal sportsbooks have the Tampa Bay Rays as the strong favorite to win the World Series.

The Dodgers still hold better odds than the Braves despite going down Monday night.

LA starter Walker Buehler pitched a gem of a game despite giving up a first-inning solo home run to Freddie Freeman. The Dodgers tied the game with a fifth-inning solo shot from Kike Hernandez, putting both Buehler and ATL ace Max Fried away with just one run earned.

It all changed in the ninth inning, when 23-year old Austin Riley stepped up to the plate as the nine-man in the lineup.

Riley’s bomb was immediately followed by another from Ozzie Albies, giving the Braves a 5-1 lead and the eventual win.

Heading into Game 2, the starting pitcher matchup features two complete opposites in terms of career experience.

The Dodgers will send out the one and only Clayton Kershaw, who has a 2.25 ERA over his two playoff starts in 2020, to face Braves’ rookie Ian Anderson. Anderson has a 0.00 buckshot ERA in his two playoff starts, giving up only five hits over 11.2 innings.

Nevertheless, the MLB oddsmakers still put their faith heavily in the Dodgers, who get the edge in Tuesday’s game.

Over in California, the ALCS is looking great for fans of the Tampa Bay Rays, who now lead the Houston Astros 2-0.

The Rays started the contest off with a 3-run bomb from Manny Margot. It was all smooth sailing after that as the Astros could not seem to get any offense going until it was just too late.

The Astros are in danger of falling into a 3-0 hole that has only been overcome once in MLB history, by the 2004 Boston Red Sox in the World Series. Unfortunately for Houston, Manny Ramirez and Tim Wakefield will not be in the dugout Tuesday.

Instead, they will look to Jose Urquidy to take the mound against Ryan Yarbrough for the Rays. Urquidy had a rough going his last time out against Oakland, giving up four runs over 4.1 innings.

Nevertheless, the odds come in even for both teams, with the bookies likely not trusting the Rays to continue their dominance.

If the Astros fall once again, it might be time to break out the trashcans, but this time for Houston’s championship hopes.

News tags: ALDS | Atlanta Braves | Houston Astros | Los Angeles Dodgers | MLB | NLDS | Tampa Bay Rays