Las Vegas Oddsmakers Say Giants Remain Underdogs Heading Into NLCS
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - The San Francisco Giants may have knocked off the team with the National League's best regular season record but that doesn't mean they're the new favorites to win the World Series, or the National League Pennant for that matter.
Heading into the divisional series round, the Dodgers, Nationals and Angels were considered the favorites to host parades this fall. With the Tigers and Orioles series close to dead even, the Giants, Cardinals and Royals were the longest shots to win the World Series.
With the favorites now eliminated, the latest Las Vegas lines show the field is pretty even from here on out. The Giants have a slight disadvantage in the championship series, likely because they'll get one fewer game at home if the matchup goes seven games. VegasInsider puts the Cardinals as a little better than even money to win the pennant with the Giants just under 50/50. Bovada also has the Cards as slight favorites in the National League series, but has both teams at identical 13-5 odds to win the ultimate crown, with the Orioles 11/5 as the remaining overall favorite.
For some reason, the VegasInsider actually has the Cardinals as the longest odds to win the series at 3/1, despite being favored to beat the Giants in the NLCS. They have the Orioles and Royals as identical 5/2 plays to win it entering the league championship round, with the Giants just behind at 11/4.
The Orioles-Royals series gets going Friday. The Giants and Cardinals will rest up until Friday before getting underway on Saturday.