Archived: NL Central Betting Odds & Outlook

The Chicago Cubs were the heavy odds-on favorites to reign over the National League Central before the first pitch of the 2018 MLB season took place, but after two months of play, another team has launched itself into the conversation at sportsbooks.

The Cubs remain the +110 faves to win the division at Bovada, with the Milwaukee Brewers (+140), St. Louis Cardinals (+325), Pittsburgh Pirates (+4400) and Cincinnati Reds (+50000) behind them. At the beginning of the campaign, the Cubs were massive -275 chalk, while the Brewers were available for a preseason price of +550. The Cardinals were initially available at +375, while the Pirates (+3000) and Reds (+4000) were obvious long shots.

Brewers look like they’re built to last

The Brewers were considered a dark-horse candidate by many MLB pundits before the season started, but they’ve been far and away the best team in the NL Central so far and held a two-game lead on the Cubs at the top of the division with a SU record of 37-23 as of June 5. Coming off an 86-win season, the Brew Crew look primed to contend in the National League for the foreseeable future.

The Brewers aren’t the flashiest team in the majors, but they have excelled in categories like fielding, relief pitching and baserunning while employing a brand of small-ball similar to the 2015 World Series-winning Kansas City Royals. At this rate, expect the Brewers to easily surpass their projected season win total of 84.5.

After an inconsistent start, is a return to form on tap for the Cubs?

Like last year, the Cubs didn’t have the best start out of the gate but appear to be getting it together with the calendar turning to June. Chicago (33-23 SU) has won eight of its past 10 as of this writing.

Javy Baez (14 home runs, 45 RBI) has paved the way for the Cubs offense, with Kyle Schwarber (11 HR, 28 RBI), Kris Bryant (8 HR, 28 RBI) and Anthony Rizzo (8 HR, 36 RBI) chipping in at the plate. Jon Lester (6-2, 2.44 ERA) continues to evade Father Time, while Jose Quintana (6-4, 4.30), Kyle Hendricks (4-4, 3.19) and Tyler Chatwood (3-4, 4.02) have fared much better in the last few weeks.