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2008 MLB
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2008 National League Central Odds & Predictions
2008 odds to win the NL Central are all set by
sportsbooks. Jimmy Boyd
examines the division and lets you know where he sees
each team finishing in this preview.
1st Place – Chicago
Cubs
The Cubs are the clear favorites by oddsmakers to win
the NL Central and I’ll have to agree. With Alfonso
Soriano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and now, Japanese
superstar, Kosuke Fukudome, the Cubs will be one of the
biggest offensive powers in baseball. Carlos Zambrano
and Ted Lilly are the best one-two punch in the Central
and with the bullpen getting stronger, the Cubs now have
a squad capable of winning it all.
Bet
the Chicago Cubs to win the NL Central in 2008 at 10/11
odds.
2nd Place –
Cincinnati Reds
Taking the Reds to finish second might surprise you a
little bit, but this is a team that will surprise a lot
of people this season. With Aaron Harang, Bronson
Arroyo, and Matt Belisle, the Reds have three guys
capable of winning 15 games. The biggest reason the Reds
will be better is the addition of former Brewers closer
Francisco Cordero. With David Weathers setting ‘em up
and Cordero finishing them off, the Reds should avoid
the red by a healthy margin this season.
Bet
the Reds to win the Central at 8/1 odds.
3rd Place –
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brew Crew is no doubt young and talented, but the
loss of one of the best closers in baseball to the Reds
will have them taking a step back. The Brewers pen cost
them way too many games the way it was last season and I
don’t see that changing this year. With Prince Fielder,
Ryan Braun, and J.J. Hardy, the Brewers will still put
plenty of runs on the board, but their defense and
pitching will ultimately fail them as it did in 2007. If
you think Milwaukee will rebound from last year’s
collapse,
bet
the beer makers at 9/5 odds.
4th Place – Houston
Astros
The Astros still have a couple pieces of the puzzle that
will allow them to be deadly at times, but a lack of
quality starting pitching will cause inconsistency.
Bringing in Miguel Tejada to hit in front of Lance
Berkman should help, but not nearly enough as the Cubs
and Brewers both have way more artillery. Roy Oswalt is
one of the best pitchers in baseball, but he is all the
Astros have and I don’t know how much longer his arm can
hold up the way Houston has over pitched him. The Astros
are
listed at 10/1 odds to win the Central.
5th Place – St.
Louis Cardinals
A lot has changed in a short period of time for the 2006
World Series champs. Injuries to ace Chris Carpenter and
number two starter Mark Mulder have killed the starting
rotation. Albert Pujols remain a man among men but
clearly doesn’t have enough help in this lineup. The
Cards
are listed at 7/1 odds to win the Central – clearly
overvalued in my opinion.
6th Place –
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates will find their familiar dwelling place at
the bottom of baseball’s biggest division. The Pirates
have had 15 consecutive losing seasons. The sad thing is
that this organization has produced a lot of good
players, but they have all gone on to star for different
teams. The Pirates are the long shot of all long shots
to
win the division at 40/1 odds.
Jimmy Boyd goes in depth with all of these teams in his
2008 MLB betting
previews. Make sure you check them out as well as
his 2008
World Series predictions to see who Jimmy has
winning the World Series.
Updated February 25th, 2008
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