2018 MLB Betting Predictions: Solid Picks to Win Each Division

We’re about a third of the way through the 2018 regular season in Major League Baseball, which means we have about 100 games to go until the postseason. Some of the divisional races are tight — Boston leads the Yankees by just a half-game in the American League East, and Seattle leads Houston in the AL West by a game. Washington and the Atlanta Braves are tied atop the National League East, and in the NL Central, Milwaukee leads the Cubs by just a half-game, and three teams are within 1 ½ games of Arizona in the NL West. We have some ideas about your MLB betting picks to win each division, based on what is happening now — and what is likely to happen next.

2018 MLB Betting Predictions: Solid Picks to Win Each Division

Who’s the best team in the NL? pic.twitter.com/c6zmVFw2c0

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 7, 2018

American League West: Houston

Yes, the Astros are leaking runs right now, as they permitted at least five runs six games out of nine over the last two weeks, starting against their series against the Tribe last week. Their series split with the Red Sox preceded a series split with Seattle. Now with a four-game set coming against Texas, Houston has a chance to catch Seattle and move back atop the division now. But Houston has the bats and the pitchers for the long haul, while Seattle will miss Robinson Cano eventually, and their pitching staff doesn’t have the talent for the long haul.

American League Central: Cleveland

Cleveland is still clinging to the top of the division despite missing bullpen stalwarts Andrew Miller and Nick Goody. Zach McAllister and Dan Otero aren’t getting the job done often enough, having permitted 36 runs (including 10 home runs) in 43 innings of work. However, Edwin Encarnacion is finding his bat again, with a 1.069 OPS since the start of May. The bats will keep swinging, and once the bullpen gets back on track, the Indians win a soft division.

American League East: Boston

The biggest difference between Boston from last year and this year is the arrival of J.D. Martinez. He already has 19 home runs, which lead the American League, along with Mike Trout. Boston as a team is tied for the second-most home runs on the season. Last year, they were just one of three teams that did not have a player hit at least 25 home runs — and they still won the division. They’re keeping pace ahead of a Yankees team that added Giancarlo Stanton and has seen their young players producing. This race will go down to the wire, but the Red Sox edge out the Baby Bombers.

National League West: Los Angeles Dodgers

It’s true that Clayton Kershaw is back on the disabled list after just one start, and he has three other starters on the shelf with him in Hyun-Jin Ryu, Rich Hill and Kenta Maeda. However, Arizona has fallen off the table after a red-hot start, and Colorado hasn’t shown any signs of wanting to run away with the division. So when the rotation returns, the Dodgers will go on a streak that takes them to the top of the standings.

National League Central: Chicago Cubs

Yes, the Cubs started the season in the basement, but after starting May 0-5, they have gone 16-8 since, and they have a +93 run differential that looks a lot better than their record. Even though the Cubs made the mistake of signing Yu Darvish, the Cubs look like a playoff team once again. Anthony Rizzo has keyed the rally, posting a 0.973 OPS since the start of May.

National League East: Washington

The young Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies made game runs to start the season, but their youth is starting to show, as the Nationals start to reassert themselves. The Braves do have Mike Foltynewicz keying their rotation with a 2.22 ERA, but the Nationals have Max Scherzer, and they also have Juan Soto, hitting .326 in his first 14 games. Washington started slowly but have pushed to the top of the division, and they will pull away.