Baseball betting is unpredictable and the National League is a perfect example of people who bet on MLB zigging when they should be zagging.
NL East division
The NLED was supposed to be contended between the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets, but the like the British Expeditionary Force at the Battle of Mons, the Nats seems to have hosts of angels (not of Anaheim) directing their movements. Hey, they’re even throwing immaculate innings and stuff. Meanwhile, the pagan Mets who place their faith in the Norse god Thor – better known as Noah Syndergaard (wasn’t Donald Blake Thor’s secret identity) – have struggled with rotation injuries.
As a result, they have allowed a league-high 220 runs. Maybe they should try some ipecac. Not the Nats’ bullpen is anything to write home about; they have five blown saves and the fourth-worst ERA in the league. All things considered, though, the Nationals are the best team in the National League thanks in no small part to being in a division with three of the worst teams in the MLB. Washington is 16-8 against divisional opponents.
NL Central division
Fans who bet on MLB remain firmly behind the World Series Champions Chicago Cubs, even though the formerly Lovable Losers are third in the division with a 21-19 record, one game behind the Cardinals and two games behind NLCD leaders the Milwaukee Brewers. Nonetheless, they still are the baseball betting favorites to win the banner Make no mistake, the Mets for instance wish they could play like the Cubbies, but the then again the Cubbies with they could play like the Cubbies that won 103 games last season and came back from a 1-3 deficit in the World Series to end a 108-yeard old championship drought.
The Cubs have the fifth best ERA in the National League and are 11th in OPS; their run differential is +2, they are one game below .500 at Wrigley Field and one game above .500 on the road. Who knows? Perhaps this is what Horace meant by aurea mediocritas.
NL West division
Not unlike the East, fans who bet on MLB foresaw two teams jockeying for position in the West – and they were right. However, they thought it come down to the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants (who have won eight of the last nine divisional titles). Instead, it’s the startup Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks that are first and second respectively in the division, while the Dodgers and Giants are third and fourth (also respectively).
The D-Backs’ has taken a much needed shot in the arm courtesy of Paul Goldschmidt, AJ Pollock, and Chris Owings. The rotation got off to a bumpy start with the vaunted Zack Greinke recording his worst ERA in more than 10 years and Shelby Miller pitching like someone called Shelby might be expected to. The addition of Taijuan Walker, though, appears to have given this pitching crew a new life. Resultantly, the Diamondbacks are the baseball betting faves to win the NLWD.